The Valorant competitive scene is a place where talents of diverse ages, genders, and backgrounds come together, with the total number of professional players reaching thousands. Within this pool, two opposite categories stand out: the oldest and youngest professionals who continue or are just beginning to compete in Riot's shooter despite their age. We've previously covered the oldest professional players, so today our editorial team has prepared a piece on the 10 youngest professional players in Valorant.

The issue of youngest players in Valorant

Before we begin, let's address an important point. Although many talented and skilled players are on this list, they all share a common restriction: they are barred from competing in the top VCT division. According to Riot’s rules, only players aged 18 and older can join the main roster of any VCT team. This rule prevents young talents from showcasing their skills in the highest competitive division. However, Riot allows 16-year-old players to compete in the Challengers league and in the Game Changers women’s scene, which is why most of the youngest professional players we’ll discuss are of this age.

10 - berryx

Opening our list is 16-year-old Emine "berryx" Çoban from Turkey, who debuted in the Valorant competitive scene at the end of 2023. Despite her limited experience, she played with the lesser-known stack EZ4KUZENS before joining the well-known female team BBL Queens, which failed to qualify for the world championship this year.

Achievements of berryx

9 – Neon

Next is Argentinian player Bruno "Neon" Rodríguez, whose nickname matches that of a duelist agent in Valorant. He started his journey in Valorant back in 2022 and has since won numerous trophies on the Tier-3 and Tier-2 scenes. Currently, the 16-year-old player competes with Furious Gaming and finished last season strong by participating in both stages of Valorant Challengers 2024 LAS.

Achievements of Neon

8 – Kolosha

Another member of our list is 16-year-old Ukrainian player Herman "Kolosha" Skrypka. Although he lacks a permanent team, he regularly competes in various events, including those hosted by the well-known Ukrainian organization NAVI. He’s not in a hurry to join any Tier-2 team, instead choosing to develop the Ukrainian Valorant scene.

Achievements of Kolosha

7 - erde

Another player on the list, also with Furious Gaming on a loan basis, is 16-year-old Roberto "erde" Lobos. Like Neon, he began his career in 2022, spending much time with Leviatán Academy, where he secured many Tier-3 event victories. His career continues to this day as he keeps earning more trophies.

Achievements of erde

VALORANT Challengers 2024 LAS: Split 1 3 $4,000

VALORANT Challengers 2024 LAS: Split 1 4 $3,000

AGS CUP 2024 1 $6,677

6 – swagzor

Russian professional player Mikhail "swagzor" Vanyushin, also aged 16, competes on the Tier-2 Valorant scene.

Achievements of swagzor

IAC Playground 2024: Season 1 - Levant and North Africa 1 $2,000

VALORANT Challengers 2024 MENA: Resilience Split 2 - Levant and North Africa 6 $825

VALORANT Challengers 2024 MENA: Resilience Split 1 - Levant and North Africa 6 $825

READ MORE: Top 10 oldest Valorant pro players

5 – Sayonara

The 16-year-old Moldovan player Ștefan "Sayonara" Mîtc is a standout on this list, having been invited to one of the most decorated teams in the EMEA region, Fnatic. Team representatives call him a prodigy and recruited him to represent the team during the 2024 offseason.

Achievements of Sayonara

4 – mimier

Another female player on this list is 16-year-old Havva "mimier" Özdin, who debuted in September 2024 as a substitute for GIANTX GC. Since then, she has played just one match in the VCT 2024: Game Changers EMEA Stage 2, finishing in first place on her team’s post-match table. GIANTX GC finished the tournament in 3rd place, which was a strong result, and mimier may continue her career with the Spanish organization.

Achievements of mimier

3 – MiradaNinja

The third player from Furious Gaming on this list, 16-year-old Waldo "MiradaNinja" Barahona, started with Leviatán Academy and later joined Furious Gaming. Interestingly, Leviatán's academy serves as a training ground for young players who often move on to other teams rather than joining Leviatán’s main roster.

Achievements of MiradaNinja

2 – exa

Representing Korea, 16-year-old Kim "exa" E-hwan plays for T1 Academy. Starting his professional Valorant journey in 2022, he mostly competed in small Tier-3 tournaments until joining T1’s academy roster a month ago. Though his debut match is yet to come, at 15, he was ranked 1st among the top 500 players in his region.

Achievements of exa

1 – ion2x

Closing our list is ion2x, the youngest player here. This American talent only recently turned 15 but has already ranked 1st among the top 500 players in his region. Alongside other young talents, he continues to win small Tier-3 tournaments and is poised for a future invitation to the Tier-2 Challengers scene, which seems inevitable given his current performance.

Achievements of ion2x