Artificial intelligence has rapidly transformed the gaming industry, with developers across the board integrating AI technology into various aspects of their games. From generating dynamic voice lines and enhancing gameplay mechanics to revolutionizing overall game design, AI has become a cornerstone of modern game development.
Riot Games has joined this trend by implementing AI features within Valorant, their popular tactical shooter that offers Valorant points for purchasing skins, battle passes, weapon cosmetics, and other in-game content. The integration spans multiple areas of the game, affecting everything from player experience to behind-the-scenes operations.
In this article, we’ll explore how AI is being used in Valorant and examine the specific ways this technology enhances the game for players in 2025.
Toxic Behavior Detection
Riot introduced tools using language models to detect toxic or disruptive behavior in voice chat. When players report voice chat abuse, audio data can be recorded and evaluated using AI to determine whether rules were violated. This system addresses one of the most challenging aspects of online gaming moderation, as voice chat abuse has historically been much harder to detect and prove compared to text-based violations.
The company launched this voice evaluation system in July 2022, initially focusing on North American English-only servers to train their language models. The system only activates when a player submits a report for disruptive behavior, recording and analyzing the reported voice communications to build evidence for potential violations. Riot designed this approach to combat the significant challenge of moderating voice chat, where toxic behavior often goes unpunished due to the difficulty of storing and reviewing audio data compared to text logs.
Text Chat Auto-mute
Riot introduced a real-time text evaluation feature in patch 5.10 that automatically detects and mutes players who send offensive or flagged text messages. This AI-powered system scans in-game text messages as they’re sent and immediately mutes the sender if it identifies disruptive behavior, helping officials tackle toxicity sooner than traditional reporting systems that require manual review. The feature initially launched in North America before expanding to other regions, representing a significant advancement in combating text-based harassment.
The automated text evaluation system uses multiple machine learning models to assess player behavior reports and apply penalties with greater confidence and accuracy than previous methods. This technology resulted in over 20 times more penalties being issued compared to manual moderation, allowing Riot to process what was previously a month’s volume of reports in a single day.
Smurf Detection and Matchmaking
Riot implemented an automated smurf detection system that uses AI to analyze player performance data and adjust MMR ratings for alternate accounts. The system examines gameplay patterns, reaction times, and performance metrics to identify experienced players using fresh accounts, then accelerates their climb to the appropriate skill bracket 2-3 times faster than traditional methods. This technology addresses one of competitive gaming’s most persistent issues by reducing the number of unbalanced matches caused by skilled players dominating lower-ranked lobbies.
The results show a 17% reduction in smurf accounts and significantly improved match fairness, with over a third of 5-stack matches now ending in close 13-10 scores or tighter margins. The AI system proved so effective during testing that the detected smurfs reached their correct MMR within as few as four games, compared to remaining three divisions below their actual skill level after ten matches in the control group. This automated approach helps maintain competitive integrity while allowing legitimate new players to learn and progress naturally without facing opponents far beyond their skill level.
Final Words
Riot Games has successfully integrated AI technology throughout Valorant to create a safer and more enjoyable gaming environment. The voice chat monitoring system and real-time text evaluation feature demonstrate how machine learning can effectively combat toxicity that has long plagued competitive online games. These AI implementations work behind the scenes to detect harmful behavior faster than traditional manual moderation methods, processing thousands more cases daily while maintaining accuracy.
Meta Title: How AI is Being Used in Valorant in 2025
Meta Description: Discover how Riot Games uses AI in Valorant for toxic behavior detection, voice chat monitoring, and text auto-mute systems in 2025.
