Privacy matters even in a game like VALORANT, and thankfully, Riot gives players options to hide their names in 2026.
Ever since VALORANT’s release in 2020, the community has grown exponentially. As Riot’s first FPS, it was a recipe for success from the get-go, and the studio plans to support the game for the foreseeable future. Part of that support is making players feel like they have options.
For example, some players value the privacy of their in-game names. There are plenty of reasons to hide a name, from VALORANT creators hiding their name from stream snipers to avoiding stat checks when the game starts. Thankfully, Riot has made it easy to hide names in VALORANT.
Here are the steps to hiding one’s name in VALORANT.
Just like that, players no longer have to worry about other gamers seeing their name in VALORANT. As for why players would like to hide their identity, a popular reason is to avoid harassment. Like any competitive multiplayer game, trolls and hair-trigger gamers can be a common problem.
Without a name to latch onto, these players will be less likely to harass them. Even if they do, there are no identifiers for them to keep harassing should they end up in the same game in another match. However, streamers may want to take a more nuclear approach to their privacy.
To hide the names of other players, repeat the steps, but instead turn on the use generic names for players outside my party option. Doing so will make other players in the match show the names of their chosen Agents instead of their handles.
Thanks to the generic names, stream snipers can no longer harass streamers while they’re live. Regardless of a player’s reasons, the option to hide one’s in-game name is a great boon in a toxic gaming environment in 2026
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