At the center of every VALORANT round is the Spike: attackers try to plant it and defenders try to defuse it. Knowing how many seconds planting takes, how the half defuse works or what happens at each second of the countdown is the easiest way to win round endings. In this guide we collected the Spike information from Riot Games' official wiki, rechecked on October 11, 2026. The numbers are those Riot publishes; they can change with patches, so confirm the current version in-game as well.
Who Carries the Spike?
The Spike belongs to the attacking team; only attackers can pick it up. The carrier can drop it, and a teammate picks it up by running over it or pressing F. A dropped Spike shows on the minimap to attackers, while defenders see it only while they have sight of it. If it lands on structures that are hard to reach, it bounces along until it hits the ground.
Planting the Spike
These are the things to know when planting:
- Planting takes 4 seconds and gives the enemy an audio cue each time it starts.
- The planter is rooted while planting but can cancel at any time.
- The Spike must stay inside the outlined area of the site; it cannot be planted outside it.
Four seconds is long: securing the area around the target with abilities and teammates before planting is much safer than trying to plant alone.
Defusing and the Half Defuse
Defenders can neutralize a planted Spike:
- A full defuse takes 7 seconds and gives an audio cue the moment it starts; the player is rooted while defusing but can cancel.
- Half defuse: progress of 3.5 seconds is saved. If you cancel after that, progress stays at 3.5 seconds, the casing only drops halfway and the audio pitch rises.
- If you cancel without saved progress, starting again takes a full 7 seconds.
During a defuse the Spike's lights change from blue to red. The half defuse is useful for a short escape when the enemy pressures you: stepping back and returning saves 3.5 seconds.
The Countdown and the Detonation
The Spike's detonation timer is 45 seconds and the beeping speeds up as time runs down. There is a double beep at 20 seconds and a triple beep at 10 seconds. In the last 7 seconds a white sphere closes in around the Spike; if it is visible when a defuse starts, there is not enough time for a full defuse, but if progress is already at the half-defuse checkpoint, the remaining time may be enough. The detonation creates a black sphere that instantly kills the players it touches; its range is roughly the same as player audio range.
Practical Tips
For attackers: clear the target before planting, and after planting wait for the defenders from crossfire positions; even if the round has already been decided, completing a plant brings credits and ultimate points. For defenders: count the time as soon as you hear the plant, account for the 7 seconds and the noise of a defuse, and defuse under your team's line of sight when possible. For the economy see our economy guide, and for agent choice our agent roles guide.