VCT LOCK//IN Sentinels vs. Fnatic match tarnished by lag and stuttering

The Fnatic vs. Sentinels match at VCT LOCK//IN today can easily be considered the most anticipated first-round matchup of the tournament. But the fans watching across the world can barely see what’s happening due to incredible amounts of lag and stuttering.

The first map featured a handful of glitchy lags, but during map two on Split, the problem had gotten significantly worse on the broadcast when the stream lag resulted in a match experience that was near unwatchable due to all of the stuttering. Plays are being missed and players are seemingly teleporting around the map, and even the highlights shared on official VALORANT channels are lagging and stuttering as well.

Following the first half of Split, the broadcast of the match took an extended five-minute break to attempt to get the technical issues fixed, and the desk talent relayed to fans that the players playing on stage were not experiencing any of the issues. The match resumed right away after the five-minute break, with commentator Brennon Hook jokingly remarking that he was “chewing on the cables.” But after Sentinels called their first tactical timeout, the stuttering appeared to have returned.

Technical issues used to be a more prevalent part of VCT broadcasts in previous years, but over time, the number of issues on average has gone down. And at this VCT LOCK//IN event, the tech pauses have been few and short, mostly a result of player gear issues.

Following the conclusion of Sentinels vs. Fnatic, the match between T1 and FURIA will close out the first round of the Omega bracket.