You cannot fully hide your username in Valorant, but you can limit who sees it
Valorant displays your username to everyone in your match — both teammates and opponents — and there is no in-game setting to remove it from the scoreboard or nameplate above your character. However, you can control who plays with you and sees your name by adjusting your party and friend settings, and you can change your username itself if you want a different one displayed.
If your goal is privacy from strangers, the most direct path is to play in a five-stack (a full team of people you know) or limit matchmaking to friends only. If you want a different name shown instead, you would change your Riot username through your account settings — which affects all Riot games, not just Valorant.
Key Takeaways
- Your username appears on the scoreboard and above your character model to all players in the match, and no setting removes it.
- Playing in a full five-stack with friends is the only way to prevent your name from being seen by strangers during a match.
- You can change your Riot username through your account settings, but this changes the name shown across all Riot games.
- Muting all-chat and team chat does not hide your username — it only prevents you from seeing messages from other players.
Why your username is always visible in matches
Valorant needs to display usernames so teammates can call out positions and opponents can identify who killed them. The scoreboard, the nameplate above each player, and the kill feed all show your username by design. Riot does not offer a toggle to hide this information because the game requires it for basic communication and gameplay.
This is different from changing your username itself. Your username is your identity in Valorant and across all Riot games — it is not a cosmetic you can toggle on and off during a match.
Playing in a five-stack to control who sees your name
The only way to prevent strangers from seeing your username during a match is to queue with a full team of five players you know. When you play in a five-stack, you are matched against other five-stacks, and your name is still visible — but only to people you chose to play with.
To start a five-stack, open Valorant and invite four friends to your party before queuing for a match. You can do this through the party menu on the left side of the main screen. Once all five players are in the party, queue for a competitive or unrated match together.
Adjusting your friend and party settings
You can set your party to "Friends Only" so that only people on your friends list can join you. Open Valorant, look at your party settings (usually shown near your username), and select the privacy option. This does not hide your username from matches — it just controls who can send you party invites.
If you want to prevent random players from adding you as a friend, you can also set your friend requests to "Friends Only" in your account settings on the Riot website. Go to your account page, find the privacy section, and choose who can send you friend requests. This keeps your username from being added by people you do not know, but does not hide it during matches you are already in.
Changing your username if you want a different name displayed
If you want a different name shown in Valorant, you can change your Riot username through your account settings. This is separate from your in-game display name — your Riot username is what appears in matches and on your profile.
To change it, log into your Riot account on the Riot Games website, go to Account Settings, and look for the Username section. You can change your username once every 30 days at no cost. The new username will appear in Valorant and in all other Riot games you play.
What muting chat does and does not do
Muting all-chat or team chat prevents you from seeing messages from other players, but it does not hide your username from them. Your name still appears on the scoreboard and above your character. Muting only affects what you see, not what others see.
If you want to avoid communication with strangers during a match, muting is useful — but it is not a privacy tool for your username.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hide my username from the scoreboard?
No. Your username appears on the scoreboard to all players in the match, and there is no setting to remove it. The only way to prevent strangers from seeing it is to play in a full five-stack with people you know.
Does changing my Riot username hide my old name?
Yes. When you change your Riot username, the new name replaces the old one everywhere — in Valorant, on your profile, and in all other Riot games. Your old username is no longer displayed, though it may still appear in match history or chat logs from before the change.
Can I use a fake name or nickname in Valorant?
Your Valorant username is your Riot account username, so it must follow Riot's naming policy. You cannot use a completely different name or nickname — you can only change your Riot username to something else that meets their guidelines. Riot does not allow usernames with slurs, impersonation, or spam.
If I block someone, can they still see my username?
Yes. Blocking a player prevents them from messaging you and removes them from your friends list, but they can still see your username if you are matched against them in a game. Blocking is not a privacy tool for your username — it only controls communication.
Does turning off my profile visibility hide my username in matches?
No. Your profile visibility setting controls whether other players can view your rank, match history, and stats on your profile page. It does not hide your username during matches — that is always visible to everyone in the game.