VALORANT is getting a lot of competitive changes and some more quality of life improvement for solo queue players in the upcoming ACT 3 on October 27th.
Ranked experience in VALORANT has been a pretty mixed bag for players so far. Since it is still very difficult for solo queue players to get a fair chance at climbing the ranks, the overall experience has been mediocre.
In recent dev diaries, Riot Games confirmed some big changes are coming in ACT 3 which should at least try to fix some of the issues that players are facing every day while playing ranked. First of all, Riot will include a tighter ranked queue for players in order to create a more balanced matchmaking experience.
Big competitive changes:
Tighter ranked queue:
From ACT 3, players will only be able to queue with players within 3 tiers of their own rank which was previously 6 tiers. For example, a lowest-ranked player in the diamond 3 can either queue with platinum 3 players or they can queue with players up to immortal 3. This little change should make the overall matches far more balanced.

Preferred server:
For the first time ever, Riot will now also let players choose their preferred servers. So, players should be able to get the exact server they want most of the time.

Immortal plus ranked changes:
From immortal plus ranked, the ranking will entirely depend upon W/L to further prioritize team play and communication. Players can’t just solo kill their way into Radiant any more. Teamwork and winning is the only way to rank up after players hit immortal rank.
Additionally, Riot is also looking to restrict players to only solo or duo queue after immortal ranks. Therefore, there should be much less skill disparity in the immortal plus queue.
ACT rank badge:
Furthermore, ACT 3 will also include an ACT rank badge for players to fill their cases with new trophies.
Region-based leader boards:
Riot will also introduce a region-based leader board for VALORANT players who love to show off their accomplishments.

In the upcoming ACT 3, Riot Games is planning to make the ranked experience much more balanced for high-level players. There are also working on creating more opportunities for players with vastly different skill ceiling to be able to play with each other so that players can still enjoy the game with their friends.