Valorant

Hear every footstep
in Valorant.

Valorant's audio engine blends footsteps with ability sounds, reloads, and ambient effects. Most headphones mask the exact frequencies where enemy movement lives. StepFreq fixes that with headphone-corrected EQ tuned specifically for Valorant.

Generate Your Valorant EQ Profile → ← Back to StepFreq
200–500 Hz
Movement weight zone
1.5–3.5 kHz
Ability + footstep texture
4–6 kHz
Hard surface definition
Valorant Audio Science

Where Valorant footsteps actually live

Valorant's footstep audio is compressed into a narrower frequency range than CS2 — intentional design to differentiate game sounds. StepFreq's Valorant profile targets the zones that ability sounds and footsteps share, without turning every Sage wall into a headache.

20 Hz 200 Hz 1.5 kHz 4 kHz 10 kHz 20 kHz
Character Weight
200 – 500 Hz
Footfall impact across Valorant's tile floors and outdoor terrain. Heavier agents move with more presence in this band. Key for distinguishing running vs. walking.
Ability + Footstep
1.5 – 3.5 kHz
The most crowded zone in Valorant — footstep textures share space with ability audio. StepFreq's Valorant profile boosts this range without making abilities ear-fatiguing.
Hard Surface Edge
4 – 6 kHz
Knife scrapes, hard floor clicks, and the distinct tap of Valorant's tile maps. Boosting this zone makes planting/defusing audio and hard-surface footsteps sharper.
How it works

Valorant EQ profile in 30 seconds

Two EQ layers: your headphones corrected first, then Valorant footstep boost applied on top. The combined profile is flat and accurate — with the three footstep zones pulled forward.

01

Headphone correction first

Every headphone colors audio differently. StepFreq's first EQ layer inverts your headphones' frequency response — Sony XM5s, DT 990 Pros, whatever — making them neutral before anything else.

02

Valorant footstep layer

A second parametric EQ layer is added specifically for Valorant. It boosts the three footstep zones and applies a slight cut around 800 Hz where Valorant ability audio clusters most aggressively.

03

Auto-game switching

StepFreq's desktop app detects when Valorant launches and switches to the Valorant profile automatically. Switch to CS2 — it switches again. No manual swapping.

Other Games

EQ profiles for every FPS

Valorant footsteps aren't the same as CS2 or Apex. Each game gets its own tuning profile.

CS2 → Apex Legends → All games →
Free Download

Get your Valorant config file

Pick your headphone, enter your email, and get the Equalizer APO config file tuned for Valorant footsteps. Drop it in and you're done.

Equalizer APO config · Windows only · No account needed

Common questions

Valorant audio — what you're actually asking

Does Valorant have built-in audio settings for footsteps?

Valorant has a basic audio mixer (Music, SFX, Voice) but no EQ controls. It doesn't boost specific footstep frequencies. StepFreq runs at the system level via Equalizer APO, outside Valorant entirely — the game never knows it's there.

What headphones work best for Valorant footsteps?

With correction applied, most mid-range headphones perform similarly. Sennheiser HD 560S and Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro have measurement data that corrects cleanly. If you're running IEMs, StepFreq supports Crinacle's measurement database for IEM corrections.

Will boosting 1.5–3.5 kHz make Sage walls and Skye flashes too loud?

StepFreq's Valorant profile is tuned conservatively at +3–4 dB in that range, not +10. The goal is to bring footsteps forward from the noise floor, not blow out abilities. If you want more or less, download the config and adjust in Equalizer APO directly.

Does this work on Valorant's anti-cheat (Vanguard)?

Yes. Equalizer APO and StepFreq operate at the Windows audio driver level, before any game process. Vanguard monitors game memory and process behavior — it has no visibility into system audio routing. Thousands of players use Equalizer APO with Valorant without issues.

Featured Guide
Read the full guide

How to EQ for Footsteps in FPS Games

Why do the same EQ settings feel different across CS2, Valorant, and Apex? Because each game has a distinct footstep frequency signature. This guide breaks down the science — and why generic EQ presets fail.

Read the guide →
Also worth reading

Best EQ Settings for CS2, Valorant & Apex

Per-game frequency tables, surface-type breakdowns, and Why Generic EQ Presets Fail — plus the full FAQ.

View all game guides →
Headphone-Specific Presets

Valorant EQ settings for your headphone

Each page below combines the headphone correction profile with the Valorant footstep boost — one combined config, ready to download.

DT 990 Pro + Valorant → HD 560S + Valorant → HD 6XX + Valorant → ATH-M50x + Valorant → G Pro X + Valorant → Arctis Nova Pro + Valorant → BlackShark V2 + Valorant → 7Hz Timeless AE + Valorant → Moondrop Aria + Valorant → Sennheiser IE 300 + Valorant →

Stop losing duels you should have heard coming.

One-click EQ. Free. No account needed. Works with Equalizer APO.

Generate Your Valorant EQ Profile →