Riot Games Announced Dedicated VALORANT Server in Manila

VALORANT fans from the Philippines have something huge to follow next month. With patch 11.04, which is scheduled to go live on August 19, Riot Games will be establishing a dedicated VALORANT game server right in Manila. It will become the sixth Asia Pacific Server, and it's massive news for a rapidly growing Southeast Asian community. For years, Filipino players have been playing through the Hong Kong server, but having a Manila server has always been something that mobile players from the Philippines wanted.

Valorant Manila Server Announced

The answer for why they are bringing a server to Manila this late is quite simple: the Filipino VALORANT community has burst in the past five years. Over the last few weeks, Riot has been blown away by the passion and dedication of players in the Philippines, so they want to help empower them to do more.

The majority of Filipino players have been playing on the Hong Kong server up to this point. For the most part, it has worked alright; however, there have been moments where the connection problems and higher ping have made the game not enjoyable. As you may all be very well aware, this sort of latency and instability can really play havoc with a far more competitive player. So, by providing a server closer to home, all that stuff is lessened from there being less ping to creating connection issues, and as a result, makes matches feel smoother.

And this is a sign that Riot continues to strive for more equitable esports. This goes a long way because the more competitive it gets for Southeast Asia, including having a Manila server, means the local players have greater opportunities to not only compete but also compete at their best without finding technical glitches holding them back. This is a big step towards expanding the entire VALORANT ecosystem in the region, both for casual players and professionals.

What will change and what won’t?

Even with the new Manila server, the Hong Kong server isn’t going anywhere. Riot has made it clear that Hong Kong will still be up and running strong, serving players across the Asia Pacific. So, even if a lot of Filipino players switch to Manila, matchmaking on the Hong Kong server should stay solid. Filipino players get to pick whichever server feels right to them. Some might stick with Hong Kong because their friends or teammates play there, while others will jump to Manila to enjoy better ping and connection. Having that choice helps keep things balanced and fun for everyone.

On the competitive side, the Manila server fits right into Riot’s existing Premier and Challenger leagues. The top Premier teams with players on the Manila server will compete within the Asia zone under the Challengers Southeast Asia league. Riot reassures that no one’s eligibility or access to Premier tournaments will be affected by this new server, so it’s business as usual, just with better infrastructure.

Looking ahead for Filipino VALORANT players

The Manila server launch is Riot’s way of saying they see how important the Filipino VALORANT community has become. Once the server is live with patch 11.04, players in the Philippines can expect smoother matches, fewer frustrating disconnects, and more reliable matchmaking. That’s great news, whether you’re just playing for fun or grinding in ranked.

That in and of itself can also be a masterstroke throughout the gaming world as well, with many companies putting down money for local infrastructure to support their growing player bases. It's a feel-good moment for Filipino gamers, a sign that they're a force to be reckoned with in the international VALORANT community, and Riot is here to stay.

Pre-orders are in full swing, and everyone is pretty anxious going towards the launch. Riot's team is finalizing the setup to ensure everything's in place for an easy switch. For Filipino players, the wait is soon over; soon, they will have a home server that allows them to play at their best and continue pushing the region's competitive scene to new heights.