If you boil Valorant down to one simple goal, it's to control the Spike. The Spike is Valorant's equivalent of the Bomb in most shooters with a similar mode. The attackers carry the Spike, trying to get it to land at a bomb site, while the defenders try to stop them.
The start of the game is about trying to make predictions about where the other team will go or trying to deceive and distract. If the attackers can plant the Spike and protect it until it explodes, they win. If they can take out all of the defenders, they win. If the defenders can eliminate all attacks, or disable the Spike if it's planted, then they win.
How the Spike works
At the start of each round, the Spike will be awarded to a random member of the attacking team. If they don't want to wear the Spike, they can drop it by pressing the G key.
It's a good idea to decide who is wearing the Spike before the turn begins, and then quickly swap when it starts. Who exactly wears the Spike will depend on the charges, tactics and skill of the players.
You can only plant the spike at the bomb sites, which will be highlighted in yellow on the map, and they can be planted by pressing the 4 key. Once planted, it takes 45 seconds to explode and you have to defend it for This time. It's important to place the spike somewhere that allows you to defend it well, so having an intimate knowledge of all the bomb sites in the game, and shooting angels to and from them is a good idea.
Once dropped, the Spike will appear on the minimap and can be sent with the Z button.
If a defender can get to a planted Spike, it will take seven of the longest seconds of their life to disarm it. During this time, they are vulnerable to enemies, so ideally they will know where those enemies are or have friends to offer them cover fire.
