Valorant patch 11.06 did not arrive with a parade, but it still managed to make waves. Long story short, Riot Games finally shipped the replay system that players had been asking about for years, and it paired that win with a blunt reminder that bots and AFK accounts are not welcome in the tactical shooter. The update landed in late 2025 after a busy summer that included Valorant's fifth anniversary, a move to Unreal Engine 5, roster changes, map pool shifts, and a louder promise to clean up matches. By 2026, the replay feature is no longer a shiny new toy, but 11.06 remains the patch that changed how players review their own games.
The real headline: replays are in 🎯
Replays are available in Competitive, Unrated, Swiftplay, and Premier. There is a catch: players can only rewind games they actually played in. Unlike Counter-Strike, Valorant does not let players watch a friend's replay or study a pro player inside the client. For pro VODs, folks still have to hit YouTube or Twitch. That limitation is a bit of a buzzkill, but it keeps the system simple and privacy-friendly.
For the average player, the feature is still a big deal. It gives them a way to spot bad crosshair placement, review awkward rotations, and see exactly why a clutch attempt went sideways. In 2026, that kind of self-review is just part of the routine, but 11.06 is where it all started.
40,000 bot accounts get the boot 🤖
Riot also revealed that 40,000 bot accounts were banned in the previous six months. That number is not a magic bullet, but it is a clear signal. Patch 11.05 had already increased penalties for players who repeatedly went AFK or dodged queues, and 11.06 expanded the story with a wider crackdown on bot accounts. Riot said it hoped players would see fewer of them in their games, and that line landed with a lot of frustrated ranked players.
Bots and AFK dodgers have been a sore spot in the community for a while. They waste time, tilt lobbies, and make matchmaking feel less reliable. The 40,000 figure is a snapshot, not a finish line, but it shows Riot is willing to swing the ban hammer.
Patch notes at a glance 🛠️
| Area | What changed |
|---|---|
| Replays | Now available for Competitive, Unrated, Swiftplay, and Premier games, but only for matches the player actually played in |
| Bot crackdown | 40,000 bot accounts banned over the previous six months |
| RawInputBuffer | Setting removed and no longer configurable; always enabled because it is more performant |
| Known bug | Dropped weapons and the Spike can highlight when players are merely nearby rather than when directly looking at them; fix planned for 11.07 |
| Console bug fix | Fixed an issue with how New Player Tips were displayed on console |
The smaller fixes matter too
The RawInputBuffer change is easy to miss, but it fits the patch's practical tone. Riot removed the setting and made it always active because the company says it is more performant. That means fewer options for tinkerers, but a more consistent baseline for everyone else.
Riot also flagged a known issue with dropped weapons and the Spike. The highlight behavior is incorrect, and objects can light up when players are merely nearby rather than when directly looking at them. That fix is slated for 11.07. On console, a New Player Tips display bug was cleaned up, which is a small quality-of-life win for newer players.
Why it still matters in 2026
Patch 11.06 is not the flashiest update in Valorant history. It did not rewrite the meta or add a new Agent. What it did do was deliver a long-requested tool and back it with enforcement. Replays now give players a way to learn from their own mistakes, and the bot ban wave shows Riot is not asleep at the wheel.
The replay system is still limited, and players who want to scout friends or pros will have to look elsewhere. That is no sweat for most folks, because the core tool is there. For a game in its fifth year and now running on Unreal Engine 5, that is a solid step. Riot did not drop the ball here. It just kept things simple, banned a pile of bots, and finally let players rewind the tape. 🎮