Avoiding certain maps in VALORANT is a common practice among players, often leading to dodging during the agent selection menu. However, Riot Games does not support this behavior and imposes temporary cooldowns for multiple dodges. So, how many times can you dodge before facing a ban in VALORANT? Let’s delve into it.
How Many Dodges Lead to a Ban in VALORANT?
Image credits: Riot Games
The general rule is that you can dodge a VALORANT match 1-2 times per day without facing a ban. However, exceeding this limit will result in temporary cooldowns.
Temporary bans typically last 3-5 minutes, but if you dodge excessively (e.g., eight matches in a row), you could face a cooldown of up to 240 minutes or six hours.
Going further beyond this point may lead to a substantial ban from ranked matches for up to 14 days, based on player reports.
Having a clean record decreases the likelihood of severe punishment. Your behavior history and offenses determine the extent of the penalty, with even minor infractions accumulating over time.
Are There Any Exceptions?
Unintentional dodges due to technical issues like a faulty router or unstable connection are usually forgiven by Riot Games to prevent unfair punishment.
If disconnections stem from server problems on Riot’s end, penalties for AFK or queue dodging during the issue are nullified. Severe penalties are reserved for consistent offenders.
While dodging matches is not encouraged, emergency methods include not selecting an agent in the pre-match phase to return to the lobby or using the ALT+F4 shortcut with a warning message about consequences.
