A soft boot, within the context of Valorant (often shortened to “Val” by players), refers to restarting the game client without fully shutting down the operating system. This action closes the Valorant application and its associated background processes, then relaunches it. For example, if a player experiences persistent lag or a graphical glitch within Valorant, performing this restart can often resolve the issue without necessitating a complete system reboot.
The significance of this procedure lies in its ability to quickly address temporary software conflicts or performance hiccups specific to the game. It is a less disruptive solution compared to a full system restart, saving time and minimizing interruption to gameplay. Historically, similar client-side restarts have been utilized in numerous online games to address similar issues, highlighting its established value in managing game stability and performance.