VCT Pacific sets new series and Thai viewership records for Paper Rex vs. FULL SENSE final
The VCT 2026: Pacific Stage 1 reached 553,883 Peak Viewers during the grand final, where Paper Rex claimed their fourth VCT Pacific title with a clean 3:0 sweep. This series-record result was also driven by an over-110,000 Thai peak, a new record for Valorant esports.
The Pacific enjoyed this record-breaking viewership following poor Group Stage viewership. Despite the records, both total watch time and average concurrent viewers remain in the red for the league.
Paper Rex’s win drove the VCT 2026 Pacific Stage 1 to record high viewerships
During the VCT Pacific Stage 1 Playoffs, Paper Rex had to play from the lower-bracket after being knocked down by Global Esports in their opening match. With PRX constantly on the verge of elimination, viewership increased dramatically for all of their following playoffs matches.
This culminated in the series-record 553,883 Peak Viewers for their grand final against FULL SENSE. The Thai roster had emerged from their Group Omega with a 3:2 record, they entered a different gear for playoffs, winning three upper-bracket matches in a row, without dropping a single map. FULL SENSE steamrolled through DRX, T1, and Global Esports, but they met their match against PRX in the grand final; Paper Rex emerged victorious 3:0, looking surprisingly disciplined despite their usually aggressive playstyle.
While the Playoffs was highly-watched, it could not even out the poor Group Stage result for the VCT 2026 Pacific Stage 1. By the end of the Playoffs, Average Viewers for the Pacific still maintained a 5.3% drop. Korean viewership also failed to activate during the Playoffs, failing to improve its previous Group Stage peak despite both DRX and T1 fighting in the bracket.
Comparing the full results of the Pacific Stage 1, including playoffs, the Korean Peak in 2026 fell by over 107% compared to 2025. However, there is a silver lining for the Pacific: other audience groups increased dramatically in size.
The grand finals peak was fuelled by a large increase in English-language viewership. The English Peak increased by over 41% year-on-year, highlighting the international pull of Paper Rex. Some major Asian demographics also recorded significant peak viewership increases year-on-year, including Japanese and Vietnamese audiences.
Thai viewership exploded in size for FULL SENSE’s first Pacific finals appearance. Despite the Thai roster unfortunately experiencing a 0:3 loss, the Thai Peak recorded during this final was over 109% higher than last year’s result.
If FULL SENSE can continue to excite Thai fans, this could become a major audience for Valorant. Conversely, this could follow the story of the Korean demographic, which previously reached similar heights during Gen.G’s 2024 dominance, but has since fallen to previous levels.
Paper Rex’s Playoffs run at the Pacific Stage 1 dominated viewership
The event nearly produced a new VCT Pacific viewership record even before the grand final. Paper Rex’s 2:1 win over T1 in the lower bracket semifinal peaked at over 485,300 viewers, finishing just around 1,000 short of the previous regional record.
The VCT 2026: Pacific Stage 1 Playoffs helped make up for the event’s weaker Group Stage performance, with both local and international audiences growing during the final matches. Paper Rex won their fourth VCT Pacific title and qualified for both the Esports World Cup and Valorant Masters London 2026, while FULL SENSE and Global Esports also secured Masters London spots and will start in the Swiss Stage on June 6.
