Raw Accel is something of a buzz phrase that’s been bouncing around the VALORANT sphere. Some people love it, others hate it, while others think using it should be a bannable offense. What is Raw Accel, though, and what does it have to do with VALORANT?
We’re here to explain just that. We’ll run you through what Raw Accel is, what it does, and how that applies to competitive VALORANT. In the right player’s hands, this program can be the difference between placing in silver/gold or platinum/diamond.
VALORANT – Raw Accel Explained
Raw Accel is a third-party program that changes how your computer handles mouse acceleration. Traditionally, Windows has minimal mouse acceleration features – so limited that almost every single serious VALORANT player disables it before they start playing the game.
Typically, Windows’ default acceleration causes your mouse sensitivity to increase as you move it. Needless to say, this causes massive issues in-game and makes your aim inconsistent. Despite that, customizable acceleration has its perks, hence why Accel has become so popular.
Related: Best VALORANT to CS:GO Sensitivity Converter
With Raw Accel, players aren’t limited to one acceleration like they are by default. Instead, they are capable of creating their own acceleration curve based on their mouse’s DPI. What that means is that you could effectively have a different sensitivity for when you’re flicking in-game, and when you’re micro-adjusting during a gunfight. It lets you get the best of both worlds in terms of the sensitivity scale.
The program can be set up to read when your mouse is only making minor movements, and it will scale your sensitivity accordingly. It can also do the same when you’re making large movements. So, your flicks will be incredibly fast, while your micro-adjustments won’t suffer from having a high sensitivity.
That’s the long and short of what Raw Accel is in VALORANT. It’s a program that lets you create your own acceleration curve, and by extension dynamically change your sensitivity in-game to respond to certain situations. It’s not for everyone – but it can be the difference between silver and diamond in the right hands.
