What is HRTF in Valorant? How to enable this option from Settings

Valorant has incorporated a suite of features that offer an incredibly immersive and lifelike gaming experience. One of the most notable features is the HRTF.

HRTF stands for Head-Related Transfer Function and it’s a technology implemented in Valorant that aims to improve the game’s audio experience for players using headphones.

It is an advanced audio technology that enables players to get accurate positional audio cues from their environment. This means that players can hear exactly where enemies are coming from on the map and react accordingly.

How it works?

HRTF simulates how sound interacts with your head, ears, and torso before reaching your eardrums. This creates a more realistic representation of sound direction and distance in the game world.
Valorant uses different HRTF profiles based on the type of headphones you’re using (e.g., on-ear, over-ear, open-back, closed-back). This ensures the sound is optimized for your specific equipment.

Benefits of using HRTF in Valorant

Improved positional audio: You can more accurately pinpoint the location of footsteps, gunshots, and other sounds in the game, giving you a significant advantage in terms of awareness and reaction time. This means that sounds will appear to be coming from specific locations in the game world, making it easier to identify where enemies are and giving you a competitive advantage.
Enhanced immersion: HRTF creates a more realistic and immersive audio experience, making you feel more like you’re actually inside the game world.
Competitive edge: Many professional Valorant players consider HRTF to be a crucial tool for success, especially in high-stakes situations.

However, there are also some drawbacks to using HRTF

Learning curve: It may take some time to adjust to the new audio cues and learn how to interpret them effectively.
Performance impact: HRTF can be computationally expensive, so you may experience a slight decrease in frame rate if your hardware is not high-end.
Personal preference: Some players simply prefer the traditional stereo audio and find HRTF to be too artificial.

How to enable this option from Settings

Open the Valorant client. On the top right corner, click on the gear icon to access the settings menu.
Under the settings menu, click on the Audio tab on the left side.
Scroll down to the HRTF section.
Select the HRTF Enabled option from the dropdown menu.
Click Apply to save your changes.

Conclusion

Overall, HRTF is a powerful tool that can significantly improve your Valorant gaming experience¹, but it’s important to weigh the pros and cons and experiment to see if it works for you.

Although this feature is disabled by default, so as not to give any player an unfair advantage over another, it’s worth noting that if enabled correctly it could make all the difference when trying to get ahead in Valorant.