Bring Me the Horizon and Spiritbox Stars Join Grabbitz for VALORANT Champions 2026 Anthem
Oli Sykes and Courtney LaPlante are teaming up with longtime VALORANT collaborator Grabbitz for “If The Sun Burns Out Tonight,” the official anthem for this year’s VALORANT Champions Tour.
Riot Games has announced that Bring Me the Horizon frontman Oli Sykes and Spiritbox vocalist Courtney LaPlante will join electronic artist Grabbitz on the 2026 VALORANT Champions anthem. Titled “If The Sun Burns Out Tonight,” the track is set to arrive on major streaming platforms this fall.
Grabbitz wrote and produced the song, marking his fourth collaboration with VALORANT. Fans can pre-save the anthem here.
Riot has also released a promotional trailer offering a behind-the-scenes look at the track’s creation. The video follows the song as ideas, demos and performances move between the three artists, with each collaborator adding their own style along the way. You can watch the trailer on YouTube.
A Heavy-Hitting Collaboration
The 2026 anthem brings together three artists with distinctly different musical backgrounds. Sykes is best known as the frontman of the two-time GRAMMY-nominated, multi-platinum rock band Bring Me the Horizon, while LaPlante leads the progressive metal group Spiritbox.
For LaPlante, this is her second project with Riot Games. She previously performed “Ties That Bind” for 2XKO. The collaboration also marks Sykes’ first project with Riot and his introduction to the VALORANT universe.
Grabbitz, meanwhile, has become one of the most familiar names in VALORANT’s music history. His previous collaborations include 2021’s “Die For You,” 2022’s “Fire Again,” performed by Ashnikko, and 2023’s “Ticking Away,” featuring bbno$. Together, those tracks have surpassed 350 million streams worldwide.
“The best collaborations happen when everyone brings a different perspective to the room—and that’s what makes this record so exciting to me,” Grabbitz said. “Oli, Courtney and I came together from different corners of the globe, and landed on a track that sits effortlessly between my electronic world and the heavy landscapes of Bring Me The Horizon and Spiritbox.”
Grabbitz added that the three artists “just clicked” creatively, calling the result what he believes is “the best VALORANT anthem to date.”
That is a bold claim, especially considering the series’ history of pairing major artists with the high-stakes spectacle of the VALORANT Champions stage. Still, the combination of Grabbitz’s electronic production, Bring Me the Horizon’s dramatic rock sound and Spiritbox’s heavier edge certainly gives this year’s anthem an intriguing starting point.
Sykes and LaPlante Share Their Excitement
Sykes said that he has always been interested in projects that blur the line between music and storytelling, making a collaboration with Riot Games feel like a natural fit.
“I’ve always been drawn to projects that blur the lines between storytelling and music, so working with Riot Games, alongside Grabbitz and Courtney, and becoming part of the VALORANT world felt like a really natural fit,” Sykes said.
LaPlante also revealed that the song represents a long-awaited opportunity to work with Sykes in the studio. According to the Spiritbox vocalist, Sykes has invited her to perform live with Bring Me the Horizon several times over the years, but the two are only now debuting a project they created together.
“I cannot wait to release this song!” LaPlante said. “Grabbitz produced such a great atmosphere and a song tailored to all three of our voices, and Oli went in right away and made it a true collaboration.”
VALORANT Champions Heads to Shanghai
The anthem will accompany the 2026 VALORANT Champions tournament, which will take place in Shanghai from September 24 through October 18. The event will bring together 16 of the best teams in the world for the sixth edition of VALORANT’s biggest competitive tournament.
Since the inaugural Champions event in 2021, the tournament has traveled to Berlin, Istanbul, Los Angeles, Seoul and Paris. This year’s Shanghai finals will continue that global tradition while giving “If The Sun Burns Out Tonight” its first major competitive showcase.
The annual Champions anthem has become an important part of VALORANT’s esports identity. Previous releases include “SUPERPOWER” by Julie and Natty of Kiss of Life and Mark Tuan, Grabbitz and bbno$’s “Ticking Away,” Ashnikko’s “Fire Again,” Grabbitz’s “Die For You” and templuv’s “LAST SHOT,” featuring 347aidan.
Whether “If The Sun Burns Out Tonight” ultimately becomes a new fan favorite remains to be seen, but Riot is clearly leaning into the heavier side of its music partnerships this year. With Sykes, LaPlante and Grabbitz sharing the spotlight, VALORANT’s next competitive anthem could bring a very different kind of energy to the Champions stage.