How to appear offline in VALORANT

There’s nothing wrong with playing competitive games like VALORANT by yourself. Sometimes, you want to zone out and tap heads, and you don’t want to queue with that friend who can’t tell they’re not good at the game. Appearing offline is the perfect way to do that.

Riot Games hasn’t implemented an official feature to appear offline in VALORANT, but it is possible via a free third-party program. This software allows you to appear offline while you play while keeping all the social features available.

How to appear offline in VALORANT using Deceive

To appear offline in VALORANT, you need to download Deceive on your computer. It’s a program that allows you to appear offline in games made by Riot, including VALORANT, League of Legends, and Legends of Runeterra, and is very straightforward to use.

To make it easier for you, I’ve broken it down into six simple steps:

1. Download the latest version of Deceive on GitHub (Deceive.exe file).
2. Close VALORANT and Riot Client.
3. Open Deceive and select VALORANT in the list of games.
4. Wait until the game launches and queue up!

Anytime you want to appear offline in VALORANT, you must launch it through Deceive. You can tick the box to remember your game of choice and jump directly into the game whenever you open the software. Right-click the tray icon to change the game or adjust Deceive’s settings.

When you launch VALORANT, there should be a Deceive Active! friend on your friends list. This indicates the software is running and you are appearing offline. Feel free to queue for competitive, unrated, deathmatch, or just chill out in the training range without getting pings from friends.

How to fix the Version Mismatch error in Deceive

If you launch VALORANT using Deceive and see the red Version Mismatch status under Deceive Active! on your friends list, the software might not work as intended. Most of the time, restarting the game through Deceive fixes the error. If the issue persists, though, make sure to check the GitHub page for an updated version.

Is Deceive bannable in VALORANT?

Riot isn’t a fan of third-party software. Deceive is a reliable application that has been around for years without issue, and I know that from experience. But there’s always a risk that VALORANT will change its stance on the software, so use it at your own discretion.