When Does the New ‘Pitt / Pearl’ Valorant Map Come Out?

Valorant has enjoyed consistent post-launch support since its launch in June of 2020. Developer/publisher Riot Games has balanced the game with regular patches and delivered new content following larger seasonal updates. As the end of Episode 4 draws ever closer and the start of a whole new one looms, there’s a new map on the horizon. Here’s everything you need to know about when Valorant’s new map “Pearl” comes out and what we know so far.

First, in case you aren’t up to speed with the name Pitt, which is in the title of this article, it’s a datamined codename for Valorant’s next map. It was first leaked by dataminers such as ValorLeaks early last week following the release of Patch 4.11.

NEW MAP CODENAME : Pitt | #VALORANT

— ValorLeaks | Valorant Leaks & Info (@ValorLeaks) June 7, 2022

Riot Games has now officially revealed the new map coming for Valorant Episode 5. It is called Pearl, and you can see its first trailer here or by scrolling down.

When Does Pearl Release for Valorant? Answered

As alluded to at the start of this article, the launch of Valorant’s new map is expected to come over the next couple of weeks in tandem with the release of Episode 5. Ever since Valorant came out in 2020 the game has been divided into different Episodes, each of which featuring three Acts. Typically, a major new piece of content such as a map or Agent would release alongside the start of one of these Episodes (though new Agents have been launched mid-season also).

Given that Valorant has recently seen the addition of a new Agent in the form of Fade, and since the game’s last new map was Fracture way back in September of 2021, we’re almost certain that another is destined to arrive for the launch of Episode 5.

Therefore, Pearl will likely release for Valorant next week, June 21/22, when Episode 5 kicks off.

Where Is Valorant’s Next Map Located?

Pearl has now been officially revealed by Riot Games. Here’s the new trailer:

Pearl is shrouded in mystery, and there’s almost zero official information to go by given that the launch of a new map in the near future hasn’t yet actually been confirmed by Riot Games (we only know that one is being planned). Still, the publisher has been dropping some subtle hints on the matter and eagle-eyed observers have picked up on several of them and created their own theories.

The most widely held belief is that Pearl will be set in either Portugal or Brazil, and it will actually be set in the world of Omega as opposed to our own world. If you recall, Valorant’s backstory involves two worlds from alternate dimensions facing off against each other: the world of Alpha (our world) and Omega, the enemy world with advanced technology. This explains why there are multiple versions of each Agent in a given game of Valorant. Pearl is the first map set in Omega, a world with more advanced technology than Alpha.

What Is Pearl Likely to Look Like?

Image source: Riot Games via ValorLeaks

there is some speculation that it will be a multi-leveled design. If you have ever played CSGO, think Vertigo or Nuke, where bomb sites are located on different levels of the map. In the case of Pearl, various lore teasers, both in-game and via social media, appear to reference a ‘geo-dome’ of some sort. In real life, a geo-dome is a construction that is shaped like a dome and is typically made from transparent material.

Update: It has been confirmed that Pearl has two Spike sites, as opposed to three similar to Haven.

So, what is the basis for this speculation? Well, the geo-dome is actually referenced in one of the emails that can be read on the map Fracture. Check out the above image, credit to which goes to ValorLeaks, who included a snippet of patch notes from Riot which confirmed the emails were referring to the game’s next map.

Teaser 5 // Yellows on Rails

This card, found at the end of the current battlepass, depicts the Eléctrico 27 Tram carrying Rúben and Oran through an underwater tunnel.

There’s a ton of lore to unpack here. Avoiding a tangent: These yellow tram cars are famously from Lisbon!

— ValorLeaks | Valorant Leaks & Info (@ValorLeaks) May 19, 2022

As for the Portugal or Brazil location, there have been several teasers for Portugal’s capital, Lisbon. Most notably, there was an image of Lisbon in the recent WARMUP cinematic, and the game’s recent battlepass also featured a player card with yellow trams, which famously run in Lisbon.

Not to mention, Raze, who is Brazilian and obviously speaks Portuguese, was given the spotlight in a recent Riot Games article detailing her background and lore. That image featured the schematics of what appears to be a multi-leveled map. Could this be referencing Pearl?

Pitt / Pearl Might Have an Underwater Theme

Several of Valorant’s maps have some sort of gimmick, whether it be the teleporters on Bind or the ziplines of Fracture. We’re expecting Pearl to have something similar, which very well might end up being the mutiple levels discussed earlier in this article.

However, there is a possibility that Pearl might also have some sort of underwater theme. Speculation on this notion was initially fuelled by the aquarium-themed Neptune skins that were recently featured in the storefront, which were teased with the image you see above. At first, many had assumed the teaser was for Pearl but later it seemed as though it was in fact for Neptune.

Prepare to dive.

— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) June 9, 2022

But then Riot Games teased the above image via its Twitter page, which seems quite clearly a new map teaser, and if you look carefully it features a dome structure covering a city. Is this the geo-dome? Is Pearl located in a city that is underwater and covered by a geo-dome? Could the Omega world have suffered from, say, a global warming effect that has melted the ice-caps and flooded cities like Lisbon? It’s quite possible.

Notice the Portuguese? That’s another strong clue this is linked to Pitt, and that the assumptions that Pearl is set in either Portugal or Brazil were spot on. If you’re wondering, the message translates “Celebrate our City, the wonder beneath the waves.” It seems very likely Pearl is indeed set within some sort of underwater metropolis.

For now, that’s everything to know about when Valorant’s new map Pitt / Pearl launches and all the information we have so far. Stay tuned throughout this week and next as we expect to hear more about the game’s exciting new chapter.