Should I Enable HRTF in Valorant? (2023)

When you play a game for a while, especially FPS games, you automatically start to look at the settings, mainly because you need more performance or just want to know what’s behind the settings options.

We’ve already covered various settings options on our blog, and you can find our previous articles on these topics here.

In Valorant, there is the “Enable HRTF” option in the audio settings. But what is it, and how does it affect my system?

Let’s go!

Note: This article was written in English. Translations into other languages may not provide the same linguistic quality. We apologize for grammatical and semantic errors.

What Does HRTF Mean in Gaming?

HRTF stands for Head Related Transfer Function and is an audio effect that allows you to locate 360-degree sound effects such as footsteps or gunshots with headphones.

Don’t get me wrong, even without HRTF, you can locate the direction of sound effects, but HRTF allows a much more precise location.

You can see/hear the difference between HRTF on and off wonderfully in this short Youtube video.

How Do You Activate HRTF in Valorant?

To enable HRTF, you can simply check “Enable HRTF” in Valorant’s audio settings, and the effect will be enabled in-game immediately.

Valorant audio settings – enable HRTF
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Does HRTF Affect Your System?

HRTF is an additional effect that has to be calculated by your system on top of the typical audio effects, and I have read reports that HRTF has caused FPS drops in other games for players with low-end systems.

However, my tests with HRTF in Valorant and various other games like PUBG did not show any performance differences, and I could not notice any FPS drops.

If you are interested in what hardware I use, I have listed it here for you.

Final Thoughts – Should I Enable HRTF in Valorant?

HRTF is the most important audio setting available in gaming. While all other settings, like volume for music, effects, or whatever, are a matter of taste, you need HRTF to be able to locate your opponents precisely and, for example, fire before they come around the corner. Every competitive player I know uses this feature.

Especially with in-ear headphones like the Bose QuietComfort 20, which I use, the precision of the steps and other sound effects are enormous and can decide some fights for you.

However, to use the full potential of HRTF in Valorant, you need to turn off existing audio enhancements. So disable all audio programs if you use any, and also disable all audio enhancements in Windows 10/11.

This can be done as follows:

  1. Click the Windows 10/11 start button and then type Sound
  2. In the Playback tab, right-click the audio device you would like to disable the audio enhancements for, and then select Properties.
  3. Click on the Enhancements tab to display all the available audio enhancements.
  4. Click the Disable all enhancements checkbox.

If you have a question about the post or pro gaming in general, write us: contact@raiseyourskillz.com.

Masakari – moep, moep and out!

Former pro gamer Andreas "Masakari" Mamerow has been an active gamer for over 35 years, more than 20 of them in the competitive scene (Esports). In CS 1.5/1.6, PUBG and Valorant, he has led and coached teams at the highest level.
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