This August 19, 2025, alongside patch 11.04, Riot Games is officially launching the Manila server for Valorant. No more pretending Singapore servers are “fine.” No more praying to the internet gods for stable ping. No more wondering if your connection is secretly working for the enemy team.
If you’ve been playing Valorant in the Philippines for the past few years, you already know the pain. On a good day, you’re sitting at 60 to 80 ping. On a bad day? Random lag spikes hitting you right when you’re about to clutch the round, your bullets registering late, and that one enemy from across the map deleting you before your game even registers that you peeked the corner.
It’s been a long-running inside joke in the community: “Blame the lag.” “Lag kasi!”
Well, guess what? Riot finally heard us, and our cries of despair have been answered.
Manila will now be the sixth selectable server in the Asia Pacific Shard, joining the likes of Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and others. The move comes after Riot noticed the steady growth of the Southeast Asian Valorant community, especially here in the Philippines, over the past five years. And honestly, it’s about time they did.
Why This Changes Everything
1. Low Ping Heaven
Say goodbye to the days of firing a perfect headshot… only to see the kill register two seconds later. With the Manila server, expect ping numbers to drop drastically. Your shots will feel crisp, your movement more responsive, and your plays more reliable. Basically, you’ll finally be playing Valorant the way it’s meant to be played.
2. Fairer Fights
Playing on Singapore servers wasn’t just a skill challenge, it was a connection handicap. Sometimes it felt like you were fighting the ping more than the other team. Now, the playing field is level. If you get out-aimed, it’s because they were better, not because your internet betrayed you.
3. A Boost for the Local Esports Scene
This is huge for competitive play. Expect more local tournaments, smoother scrims between PH teams, and an overall higher standard of competition. With ping no longer being a limiting factor, we might just see more Filipino pros breaking into the international scene. Remember the rise of Pinoy CS:GO and Dota 2 players when server access improved? This could be Valorant’s turn.
4. A Stronger PH Community
A local server means more Filipino lobbies, more people on comms speaking your language, and a tighter-knit player base. It’s easier to form teams, find practice partners, and grow the local scene when everyone’s in the same digital neighborhood.
The Start of a New Era
This isn’t just a “server upgrade”, it’s a major quality-of-life improvement for every Valorant player in the country. From the casual duelist grinding ranked at 2 AM, to the serious five-stack chasing VCT dreams, this server gives us the tools to compete without the old connection handicap.
So, rally your squad. Fire up Discord. Warm up your aim. Because on August 19, the excuses are gone. The ping is low. The grind is real.
Manila, welcome to Valorant, the way it was meant to be played.
See you in the new server… and for the love of Reyna’s leer, don’t whiff your shots.
