Every multiplayer shooter needs a taster option like Valorant’s new Swiftplay mode

Gone are the days of being late for dinner because you got wrapped up in an accidental 45-minute-long slog through Fracture. 

Tactical hero shooter Valorant, one of the best free games, has just released limited-time Swiftplay mode. It condenses the full Unrated mode into a snappier session for those times you just want to crank out a quick game.

Swiftplay is now available to play in-game from December 6 to January 10. If it does well, however, Valorant could stand to keep it around as an example to others. Looking at you, Rainbow Six Siege.

Swiftplay is similar to Valorant's standard Unrated mode but it's been built to be completed much more quickly. You'll still see two teams of five players duking it out for victory. While those sessions can take anywhere from 25 minutes to a full-blown hour to complete, Swiftplay promises the whole experience in just a quarter of an hour. Each game will consist of two halves, with four rounds per half – that’s eight in total for anyone as bad at math as I am.

Even though it’s supposed to be a limited-time mode that’s set to leave us on January 10, developers Riot Games might want to consider keeping it around. The lengthy time demands of so many online shooters like Rainbow Six Siege or Warzone 2 means that anyone in search of half an hour to kill will have to show up late somewhere in the name of a game.  

Giving teams an option for short and sweet sessions would not only make the games more challenging for veteran players, but more approachable for newbies who want a taste of the game without having to commit to a proper session.

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