In VALORANT, what wins a round is often not aim but the right buy decision. A team that does not understand the economy can buy rifles for everyone in one round and then spend the next two with nothing. In this guide we collected the credit rules from Riot Games' official wiki, rechecked on October 11, 2026, and summarized the buying logic that follows from those numbers in plain language. The figures are those Riot publishes; they can change with patches, so confirm the current version in-game as well.
How Many Credits Do You Earn per Round?
In Unrated and Competitive, income works like this:
- 200 credits for every kill.
- 300 credits for planting the Spike (attackers only).
- 3,000 credits for winning the round.
- 1,900 credits for losing the round; 2,400 for a second loss in a row and 2,900 for a third and later losses.
- Players who survive a lost round (attackers who lose without planting, or defenders who survive after the Spike detonates) receive only 1,000 credits instead of the loss credits.
So staying alive in a round you lost is not always a good idea: a player who dies receives the loss credits, while the one who "saves" may get less.
The Cap and the Resets
The most credits a player can hold is 9,000. At the first round of each half everyone starts with 800 credits. In overtime (Overtime in Competitive, Endgame in Unrated) everyone receives 5,000 credits every round. Surviving players carry their weapons into the next round; players who die return to a Classic but keep their unused abilities.
Weapon and Shield Prices
The prices used most often in buy decisions are these:
- Sidearms: Classic is free, Ghost costs 500 and Sheriff 800 credits.
- Spectre (SMG): 1,600 credits.
- The Phantom, Vandal and Warden rifles: 2,900 credits each.
- Operator (sniper): 4,700 credits.
Armor costs 400 for Light Armor, 650 for the Regen Shield and 1,000 for Heavy Armor. A simple sum follows: a rifle with Heavy Armor costs 3,900 and a rifle with Light Armor costs 3,300 credits, with abilities on top.
Eco, Force and Full Buy
In general practice, three kinds of rounds are distinguished. In a full buy everyone gets a rifle, armor and abilities, and it should be a round most of the team can afford. In an eco you buy nothing or only a cheap sidearm to bank credits, aiming to start the next round strong. A force buy spends whatever you have; it usually works in a round the opponent does not expect and when the team decides together. The most important rule is that the team makes the same call: five players half-buying produce the worst result for both the round and the next one.
Loss Streaks and the Buy Plan
The loss-streak bonus gives a team that keeps losing 2,400 and then 2,900 credits in the following rounds. That is why ecoing a round is often a smaller loss than "saving" one: your income continues, your credits accumulate and your chance of a full buy next round rises. When credits differ between players, the one with more dropping a weapon makes the whole round plan easier.
To learn how to play as a team, see our beginner's guide, and to see how the rank system works, our rank system article.