Waylay’s been pulled from all VALORANT queues as of July 31, 2026, after Riot discovered a bug related to her Refract ability.
The Duelist is officially disabled until they ship a fix, with a confirmation of her return once the issue is resolved. At the time of writing, there’s no exact ETA, but if everything goes well, you may see her back in the next patch or hotfix.
Quick summary
- Waylay is disabled in all queues (Competitive, Unrated, Swiftplay, custom games) due to a Refract bug.
- The bug causes incorrect visual information that breaks competitive integrity.
- No fixed date for her return yet. Riot will re-enable her in a future update.
Why was Waylay disabled in VALORANT
Riot Games moved quickly to disable Waylay after players reported a visual glitch that gave her an unfair advantage. According to the official statement on X, the bug causes Waylay to see incorrect visual information after using Refract. It’s her signature repositioning tool that lets her dash back to a light beacon while invulnerable.
The bug specifically triggers after Refract activation, making her vision unreliable. If that move glitches her sightlines, it creates scenarios where she can peek, shoot, or reposition with info no one else has.
Don't miss her too much pic.twitter.com/p0wttpPvNE
— VALORANT (@VALORANT) July 31, 2026
In a tactical shooter like VALORANT, minor visual discrepancies like this can swing rounds and ruin competitive integrity. If Waylay’s screen shows enemies in the wrong spot, or hides them entirely, it breaks the core loop of fair play.
Riot said: “We’re aware of a bug that’s causing Waylay to see incorrect visual information after using her Refract ability. Due to the implications on competitive integrity, she has been disabled.” They added that an update will roll out once she’s safe to play again.
Can you still play Waylay in other modes?
For now, no. When Riot disables an agent for competitive integrity, it’s across all queues until the fix arrives. That includes Unrated, Swiftplay, and even custom games. Once she’s back, you’ll be able to pick her everywhere again.
In the meantime, you can swap to other duelists like Jett, Raze, and Neon to cover for her entry fragging. Until then, watch for the patch and keep your rank safe if you want, as there’s still some time left for the current VALORANT Act (Season 2026 Act 4) to end, which is on Aug. 19, 2026. Back in March, Riot put the brakes on Waylay with a small but meaningful change.
