How to find your best VALORANT sensitivity settings and DPI

Finding the right balance with your sensitivity is key to improving in VALORANT.

Killjoy holding a vandal
Screenshot by Dot Esports

Your mouse sensitivity is one of the most important settings in VALORANT. Precision matters, and the sensitivity can define how snappy or terrible your aim is.

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If your sensitivity is too high, you’ll have a hard time accurately clicking on your opponent’s heads. If it’s too low, reacting to a shot, a flank, or a flash can be equally demanding. Finding the right balance with your sensitivity is key to improving your mechanics, so here are the best VALORANT sensitivity and dots per inch (DPI) settings.

Sensitivity, DPI, and eDPI, explained

a close up of killjoy reading a computer screen
The math behind them is simple. Image via Riot Games

To set up sensitivity in VALORANT (or any other game), you should know three main terms: sensitivity, DPI, and eDPI. Knowing them allows you to tailor the VALORANT settings to perfection without affecting your general PC use.

Here are the terms and what they mean:

  • Sensitivity: VALORANT‘s in-game sensitivity setting. You can tinker with it in the settings to be between 0.01 and 10, and it only affects the mouse speed in the game.
  • DPI (dots per inch): This is your mouse setting. Your DPI dictates the speed at which your mouse cursor moves on your screen. It’s the basis for everything you do on your computer, from browsing the internet to playing a game. Most mice have DPI buttons and dedicated software to change the settings.
  • eDPI (effective dots per inch): Sensitivity multiplied by DPI. It describes your final in-game sensitivity and allows you to make adjustments depending on your DPI.

Best sensitivity and DPI settings for VALORANT

Valorant settings menu
You can always go to extremes. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The best sensitivity settings for VALORANT depend on you and your playstyle, but I recommend starting with a 0.40 sensitivity and 800 DPI or 320 eDPI. The general rule of thumb is to maintain an eDPI around 300 and lower. It’s on the lower side of the scale and might take some time to get used to, but it’s not so low that it impairs your movement.

If you prefer to have a higher or lower DPI on your mouse when using your PC outside of VALORANT, adjust the sensitivity to result in the same eDPI. I recommend using the eDPI calculator, where you can enter your DPI and target eDPI to determine the sensitivity you have to set in VALORANT.

High or low sensitivity: What should you choose?

Cypher playing chess in VALORANT
Stay ahead of the game. Image via Riot Games

High sensitivity allows you to react to enemies and their utility quickly. On the other hand, lower sensitivity gives more control and precision. You must find a balance between the two depending on the agents you play, the guns you prefer, and your mechanical skill.

mouse space:

If you have limited space on your desk or a small mousepad, bump up your sensitivity to compensate. Feel free to experiment with a lower sensitivity if you have plenty of space. As a rule of thumb, you should be able to do a 180-degree turn with your mouse in one movement.

High sensitivity

Higher sensitivity is great for duelists and entry-fragging agents. You must be quick to react when entering a site to check for enemy positions and create space for your team. Agents that adopt the spray-and-pray style with an Odin or a Phantom benefit from higher sensitivity, too.

Agents like Jett, Yoru, Neon, and Raze thrive on unpredictable movement mechanics and cater to higher sensitivities. You’ll need to satchel, dash, and teleport into sites and engage in close-quarter fights, and may be required to land flick shots frequently. Lower sensitivity doesn’t allow you to move that freely.

Low sensitivity

Lower sensitivity is better if you play a more defensive and stationary role, like sentinel or controller. Agents like Killjoy, Viper, and Brimstone often support their teams with utility and hold a dedicated line or an angle.

Lower sensitivity also gives you more control when using weapons like the Vandal, which relies on precise headshots to be the most effective. With enough mouse space on your desk, you can be as effective in the match as if you were using a higher sensitivity but with added precision and accuracy.

How to find your perfect VALORANT sensitivity

Practice in the range

Vyse standing in the range with the vandal in VALORANT
Always go for the head. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Finding your perfect sensitivity takes time, as you must develop muscle memory by playing the game and monitoring your performance. Load up into the training range and shoot bots for 5 to 10 minutes after setting a new sensitivity to see if it suits you. Alternatively, play a couple of deathmatch games to see how well you fare in heated engagements.

When playing, identify if you’re over-flicking or under-flicking when moving the crosshair towards the enemy. Constant over-flicking means you might want to lower your sensitivity, while under-flicking means you want to increase your sensitivity.

Use AimLabs sensitivity tool

AimLabs analyze menu
No need to pay. Screenshot by Dot Esports

AimLabs is a great tool to practice your aim in FPS games, but it also offers modes for you to tailor your sensitivity. While there are paid tools to find the perfect sensitivity, a free one is enough to get you started. Install AimLabs and head to the Analyze tab, where you can find the Basic assessment.

Enter your DPI and complete a series of tasks. AimLabs will give you the same tasks on different sensitivities and monitor your performance to find the one that suits you best. You can then use it as a baseline and adjust it as you play VALORANT.

Dot Esports’ VALORANT DPI and sensitivity settings recommendation

DPI800In-game Sensitivity0.4
eDPI320Scoped Sensitivity1
Polling Rate1,000Windows Sensitivity6

I use a Logitech G Pro X Superlight wireless gaming mouse and have plenty of space on my desk. This allows me to lower my sensitivity, giving me a tad more accuracy when I’m scoping in with the Operator. This is generally the DPI and sensitivity I go for, but I sometimes bump it up or down after going on a frustrating loss streak.

Pro VALORANT DPI and sensitivity settings

TenZ sits at his PC adjusting his monitor at a VALORANT tournament.
Learn from the best. Photo by Colin Young-Wolff via Riot Games

Of course, pros know it best, so I get that you’d like to take it from them. Since it depends largely on playstyle, most VALORANT pros have starkly different sensitivity preferences from each other.

Here are some notable examples of sensitivity preferences from the esports scene:

PlayerSensetivityDPIeDPI
TenZ0.2751,600440
Yay0.191,600304
ScreaM0.1961,600313.6
Demon10.11,600160
Aspas0.4800320
cNed0.3800240
something0.65800520
nAts0.49800392
Jinggg0.21,600320
Zekken0.1751,600280
f0rsakeN0.602800481.6
Mindfreak0.7400280
Cryocells0.151,600240
Derke0.74400296

Author
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Jerome Heath
Senior editor at Dot Esports. Jerome has been in and around the gaming industry for the last eight years, and he's not going anywhere anytime soon.
Author
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Sharmila Ganguly
Freelance Writer at Dot Esports. An enthusiastic gamer who bumped into the intricacies of video game journalism in 2021 and has been hustling ever since. Obsessed with first-person shooter titles, especially VALORANT. Contact: sharmila@dotesports.com
Author
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Edward Strazd
Freelance News and SEO Writer for Dot Esports, covering everything from live service games like Destiny 2 and Fortnite to new releases. Writing about games since 2021. When he's not writing, he's probably grinding for loot in Destiny 2.