VALORANT patch notes 12.03 reveals Skirmish 2v2 and Gekko buffs

VALORANT patch notes 12.03 have revealed a new limited-time mode called Skirmish: 2v2, an update to the Esports Hub, and balance changes to Gekko.

In addition to this, Riot Mobile multi-factor authentication (MFA) will also be rolling out in the APAC region with this update. 

VALORANT patch 12.03 is scheduled to release on February 17th, and fans can check out everything it has in store below.

Skirmish has been well-received by the community and has also been used during the map selection process in VCT matches. The mode was only available in custom games; however, it will now support matchmaking through a 2v2 queue for a limited period of time.

The goal will remain the same, which is to race to 10 rounds with abilities disabled. That said, players will be able to choose their weapon each round without worrying about the economy.

All three Skirmish maps – Skirmish A, Skirmish B, Skirmish C – will be available in the 2v2 version, though it will be selected randomly.

Gekko was previously nerfed in VALORANT patch 11.08, and according to Riot Games, player feedback suggested the agent had become significantly weaker compared to other initiators.

This was evident from the fact that the agent wasn’t picked even once during the 2026 VCT Kickoff Pacific and Americas, while having less than a 5% pick rate in EMEA and China.

As a result, the publisher has buffed Gekko slightly to “unify the ruleset for how all of Gekko’s abilities work, give him more flexibility in reclaiming his Globules, and provide a slight power buff overall.”

That said, Gekko is still expected to have a hard time finding its place in the current meta.

Starting with patch 12.03, players in the APAC region who have been flagged for account sharing, along with those ranked above Ascendent, will have to enable MFA to play Ranked. Moreover, player stats will also be accessible on the Esports Hub Teams page.

Before the top 12 teams from across the world battle at Masters Santiago for the first international VCT trophy of the year, fans will be able to submit their predictions to win exclusive rewards.

From February 19th, head to the Esports section in-game or the official VCT Pick’Ems website to finalise the predictions. Depending on the participation and match results, the following items will be awarded:

VALORANT Masters Santiago will run from February 28th to March 15th, and all matches will be streamed live on VCT’s official Twitch and YouTube channels.