Masters London Pick’Ems Are Live: Dates, Rewards and How to Win

Masters London Pick’Ems are open. If you want free in-game rewards for guessing how the bracket shakes out, this is your second shot at it this VCT season. Riot opened picks on May 27, and there are buddies and titles on the line depending on how sharp your reads are.

Twelve teams head to London for the second international event of 2026. Everything you need to lock your picks and actually earn the rewards is below.

How Masters London Pick’Ems work

The concept is straightforward. You predict the results of matches, and the more you get right, the more points you earn. Whether you are a stats grinder, a die-hard fan, or someone picking purely on vibes, the system is the same for everyone.

There are two stages to predict. For the Swiss Stage, you guess which teams advance out of the eight-team Swiss Groups. There is a bonus on offer too: try to call a team that makes it through flawlessly with a 2-0 record for extra points. The Playoffs stage opens later once the bracket draw is set.

You make your picks either in the VALORANT client or on the web at valorantesports.com/pickems, and you can change them right up until each lock time. Riot’s official Masters London Pick’Ems page is where you lock them in.

The dates you actually need

Timing is everything here, because once a stage locks, that is it. Here are the windows.

Swiss Stage Pick’Ems opened May 27 at 9:00 AM PT and lock June 6 at 8:00 AM PT, right as the Groups begin. Playoffs Pick’Ems open June 10 after the draw and schedule are out, estimated around 6:00 PM PT, and lock June 12 at 8:00 AM PT when Playoffs start.

So the immediate deadline is June 6. Get your Swiss picks in before then or you miss that whole stage’s points.

The rewards, from easy to flex

This is the part most people care about, so the full ladder, from easiest to hardest:

Make your first picks and you earn the “Bossman” title just for showing up. Land in the top 50% of eligible participants and you get the “REF?!?” buddy. Crack the top 20% and that buddy turns golden. And if you somehow nail a perfect bracket with 100% correct picks, you earn the ultra-rare “100%” title, which is the real flex here.

So there is something for everyone, from “I clicked some buttons” to “I am a VALORANT oracle.” The golden buddy in the top 20% is the realistic goal to aim for if you actually know the teams.

One eligibility note. Pick’Ems is available in most regions, but Riot lists exceptions including China, Quebec, and several sanctioned territories, and prize eligibility can vary by local regulation. If you are in one of those regions, check before you count on the rewards.

A quick word on the field

The picks are only as good as your read on the teams, and this is a stacked event. Twelve teams from VCT Americas, Pacific, EMEA and China are competing, with the top three from each region’s Stage 1 qualifying. Paper Rex come in as one of the Pacific’s most popular and dangerous rosters, having swept their way through to qualify, while G2 arrive off an Americas title.

For the full team-by-team picture and how the bracket sets up, our VALORANT news hub is tracking the road to London. The event itself runs June 6 to 21.

How to actually do well

Pick’Ems are free, take two minutes, and hand you a title just for participating, so there is no reason not to play. The only real decision is how much effort you put into the predictions.

My advice: do not overthink the Swiss flawless bonus. Calling a clean 2-0 run is hard, and a wrong swing there can cost you more than a safe pick would have earned. If you are chasing the top 20% golden buddy, prioritize getting the advancing teams right over hero-picking upsets.

The Pick’Ems shipped alongside VALORANT Patch 12.10, which added replay sharing and new Skirmish maps. I covered that in our Patch 12.10 notes breakdown.

June 6 is the wall. Get your Swiss picks in before then, and trust your gut on the rest.