VALORANT Brings Server to Africa for the First Time
VALORANT, the global first-person shooter, has made its mark on the esports scene with dominating Chinese teams and intense rivalries between North and South America. However, one continent has been left without its own server – until now.
After years of playing with high ping and advocating for change, the African VALORANT community is finally getting their own server. Riot’s executive producer, Anna Donlon, announced today that South Africa will have its own server, providing players in the region with the low ping they have longed for.
African players have been requesting a local server since the game’s inception and have had to connect to European and Middle Eastern servers in the meantime. This has been particularly problematic for players in the southern part of the continent, as many North African countries can connect to European servers with stable ping.
However, players in South Africa have had no choice but to endure poor network latency.
One Reddit user from South Africa expressed their frustration, saying, “We grind every day on these servers because we love the game but sometimes it’s just really tilting when the enemy just has more bullets than you.”
Many players in the comments also emphasized the need for a server in Cape Town or Johannesburg. The introduction of the South African server will undoubtedly benefit a large number of players, regardless of their location within the country.
The South African server will be facilitated by Carry1st, a Cape Town-based company.
While players from West Africa and other central regions may still struggle with high ping, the addition of a server in South Africa is a step in the right direction as VALORANT continues to grow as a global title.
In terms of esports, no African organization has qualified for the VALORANT Champions Tour, even though the region is included in EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa). The majority of teams in the region are from Europe, despite efforts to promote inclusivity. The new South African server opens up possibilities for African players to compete and showcases the potential for growth in the region.
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