VALORANT Season 26 Act 1 Map Pool Update: Breeze Replaces Sunset

Summary:

Breeze is coming back to the Ranked and Deathmatch rotation, joining Corrode, Split, Abyss, Pearl, Bind, and Haven.

Players will have a 50% decrease in rank point losses for 2 weeks to help them get adjusted to the new map changes on Breeze.

VALORANT is making the map pool all crazy again, as it’s time for Season 26 Act 1. Now, there’s a ton of anticipation around the return of Breeze. Honestly, most players either loved it or hated it, and some even felt both about it at once! This year, it’s finally back to the competitive map pool just as Sunset is headed off into the sunset on its own. Get ready for some serious shifts within the meta, because anybody who adjusts quickly to the reintroduction of Breeze is going to have a huge advantage early on.

Patch 12.00 and Season 26 Act 1 Overview

Starting with Patch 12.00, VALORANT Season 26 Act 1 kicks off this year’s competitive season. This patch introduces a number of balance changes, as well as updates to the map rotation and several new systems designed to help improve high-level gameplay.

The new Season will be available on January 7-8, depending on your region. Moreover, it will also be released in conjunction with the new 12.00 update for VALORANT clients.

Full Season 26 Act 1 Competitive Map Pool

VALORANT’s Competitive map pool for Season 26 Act 1 will consist of Breeze, Corrode, Split, Abyss, Pearl, Bind, and Haven. With this update, players will see the return of Breeze to both Ranked and Deathmatch modes, while Sunset will be taken out of rotation as part of Patch 12.00.

Breeze Returns to the Competitive Map Pool

Breeze has officially returned as part of the VALORANT Season 26 Act 1 Competitive and Deathmatch map rotation, replacing Sunset. This change came as part of the Patch 12.00 update from Riot Games.

While this is a simple map replacement, it will coincide with a substantial rework to Breeze. Moreover, there will be a temporary 50% decrease in RR (Ranked Rating) losses for Breeze over the first 2 weeks. This reduction allows players to get used to the new map layout and avoid penalties for making mistakes early on.

According to Riot, Breeze is their “biggest map rework yet.” Specifically, they made major changes to simplify some of the complex angles, making the many large open areas less extreme, and improving defender rotations. The rework accomplishes this while remaining true to the long-range and high-accuracy nature that has always characterized the map.

Sunset Rotates Out

Sunset is finally out of rotation in VALORANT Season 26 Act 1. It was an uphill battle for the Los Angeles-inspired map, but what a wild ride it was.

Sunset became one of the seven maps in the rotation of maps when it was first introduced. It was only pulled out of the rotation once before this rotation took it back out again, just as the 2026 season and VCT Kickoff window begin.

Conclusion

VALORANT Season 26 Act 1’s map pool is making some big changes, and that’s good to see! We can’t wait to see Breeze’s return to the competitive map pool and Sunset step out. With this, each team is now forced to look at how they approach maps from a new perspective.

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Stalingrad Dollosa

Stalingrad Dollosa is an award-winning esports journalist with over 5 years of experience covering the global competitive scene. Specializing in titles like Dota 2, CS2, and Mobile Legends, he combines deep game knowledge with a talent for storytelling and analysis. His work has earned industry recognition for its clarity, accuracy, and engaging style. Known for breaking key stories and delivering sharp tournament coverage, Stalingrad brings a professional, data-driven edge to every article. At Fragster, he continues to set the standard in esports reporting, offering fans expert insights and high-quality content that captures the pulse of the game.