Riot Games and Tencent have launched the Valorant Mobile China National Open, the first national esports tournament for Valorant’s mobile version. The prize pool is $418,000 (≈£309,000), showing a serious push into mobile esports from the start.
The event was first announced during the Tencent SPARK 2025 showcase in April, where Riot and Tencent shared their roadmap for Valorant Mobile esports. Now with the tournament started, Valorant Mobile is stepping into the competitive stage.
Format of Valorant Mobile China National Series
The tournament uses four different qualifier paths to bring more players in:
Image via Riot Games
- National Circuit – available for all players directly in-game.
- College Circuit – for university level teams.
- Streaming Platform Circuit – hosted across Bilibili, TikTok, Huya Live, Douyu, and Kuaishou, running late August to mid-September.
- Co-Op Circuit – done with OnePlus, the official mobile partner.
Finalists from these tracks will compete at the National Finals in December, which will take place at the Aranya Grand Masters skateboarding festival, mixing esports with skate culture.
Riot’s Investment in Mobile Esports Growth
The China National Open is not one time. It’s part of a $200 million (1.5 billion RMB) eSports ecosystem plan by Riot and Tencent for the next three years. This will fund:
- National and college tournaments.
- Stronger anti-cheat system.
- Replay and broadcast tools.
- An in-game Esports Centre for players to access competitions.
Tencent also plans yearly spending of 10 million CNY (~$1.3M USD) into national-level Valorant Mobile tournaments, to keep the scene running.
Valorant Mobile entered China with strong momentum, earning over $1 million in iOS in-app revenue on the first day. Within 24 hours, it got 170,000 downloads. The game started with 18 agents, 7 maps, and 10 modes, already making it ready for competition.
Image via Riot Games
The $418,000 prize pool is one of the largest for a single-country mobile esports event, much higher compared to other national level circuits. Previous Valorant PC events in China had prize pools around $30,000, showing how Riot and Tencent are focusing on mobile.
The tournament is supported by OnePlus as the mobile sponsor, with OnePlus Ace 5 Supreme used as the official device. This shows the close link between mobile esports and smartphone companies.
A “Show Cup” exhibition in September 2025 will be held before the main circuits, managed by TJ Sports. If the China National Series runs well, Riot and Tencent may bring the same system to other regions and build a global competitive scene for Valorant Mobile.
The China National Open is more than just one tournament. It is the starting point of Riot and Tencent’s mobile competitive plan. With a big prize pool, cultural events, sponsorships and long-term investment, Valorant Mobile is being set up as a major title in mobile esports. The December finals will not only decide champions but could shape how mobile esports grow worldwide.
