Japan’s Challengers League dominates VALORANT esports viewership

Japan’s Love for VALORANT Continues with Dominant Viewership in Challengers League

VALORANT has captured the hearts of gamers worldwide, but one region stands out for its immense love for Riot’s tactical shooter and its esports scene. Japan has emerged as one of the top regions in terms of VALORANT esports viewership, a trend that is continuing into the current year.

The first split of the VALORANT Challengers League in Japan is dominating all other regional competitions when it comes to viewership. According to data collected from Esports Charts, the event has amassed over 5.5 million hours watched, with a peak of 137,160 viewers during the opening match between Crazy Raccoon and Crest Gaming Zst.

The next highest VALORANT event in terms of total viewership for 2023 is the Ludwig x Tarik Invitational, which generated 2.2 million hours watched. In terms of Challengers league viewership, Japan is pulling in roughly five times the amount of total viewership compared to the North American league, with over 1.08 million hours watched.

The peak viewership match for VALORANT Challengers Japan mentioned above narrowly edged out the peak match in NA, with a peak of over 133,063 viewers. VALORANT Challengers Japan also maintains an average of over 70,000 viewers, while NA’s average sits at just over 62,000 viewers.

This trend is not new in Japan. Last year, viewership figures showed Japan’s strong commitment to VALORANT. On YouTube, the official VALORANT Japan channel kept up with the main channels for VCT and the Overwatch League in total hours watched.

Riot has recognized Japan’s passion for VALORANT, and as a result, the lone VCT Masters event for this year’s season will take place in Tokyo later this year.

VALORANT, esports, Japan, viewership, Challengers League, VALORANT Challengers Japan, Riot, Tokyo