While new VALORANT patches are still being released on Tuesdays, new content such as agents, maps, and acts will not appear in the game until a day later, according to the latest dev update.
Map Rotations, Replays, and More // Dev Updates – VALORANT
Starting with VALORANT Patch 9.00, which is scheduled to coincide with the release of Episode Nine, Act One in the last week of June, all new content will be available on the Wednesday following patch day instead of Tuesday. This includes new agents, maps, act starts, rank refreshes, and the act’s battle pass.
New skins will be delayed by one day and will be available for purchase starting the Thursday following patch days. However, balance changes for new agents, such as the major Duelist changes in the recent 8.11 patch, will still be applied on Tuesday patch days. So if there are agent changes planned for patch 9.00, such as the highly requested Iso nerf, they will be pushed out and applied on patch day.
While Riot hasn’t given a reason for the new content delivery schedule, it could be an attempt to alleviate server congestion as players try to rejoin after downtime. Visual changes like the main menu and login artwork will still be applied on patch day, and bug fixes will likely be applied as well.
