How To Install Riot Vanguard For Valorant

You are staring at a locked Play button or a persistent 'Vanguard Required' error, and you just want to get back into your game. The problem is almost always a corrupted leftover file or service from a previous installation that is blocking the Riot Client from setting up the anti-cheat correctly.

Why this happens

Riot Vanguard is a kernel-level driver that doesn't always uninstall cleanly. When fragments of the old vgc or vgk services remain, the Riot Client thinks it is already installed and fails to trigger a fresh, working setup.

Steps

1. 01
   Open the Start menu, go to Settings, select Apps, and then Installed apps.
2. 02
   Search for 'Vanguard' and uninstall it if it appears to remove any corrupted remnants.
3. 03
   Open the Start menu, search for cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
4. 04
   Type sc delete vgc and press Enter to remove the anti-cheat service.
5. 05
   Type sc delete vgk and press Enter to remove the driver service.
6. 06
   Restart your computer to fully flush the services from memory.
7. 07
   Open the Riot Client, sign in, and navigate to your Games list.
8. 08
   Select Valorant and click the Update button to trigger a fresh download and install of Vanguard.
9. 09
   Restart your computer one more time; the game will not launch until this final reboot is complete.
10. 10
    Launch Valorant and look for the red Riot shield icon in your system tray to confirm Vanguard is running.

Still not working?

If you are on Windows 11 and still see VAN9001, VAN9003, or VAN9090 errors, your hardware settings are the culprit. You must enter your BIOS/UEFI settings and ensure that TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are enabled, as Vanguard requires these for platform integrity.

Frequently asked questions

Will uninstalling Vanguard delete my game files?

No, uninstalling Vanguard through the Windows settings or deleting its services only removes the anti-cheat component. Your game data remains intact.

Do I really need to restart my PC twice?

Yes, the first restart clears the corrupted services, and the second restart is required for Windows to initialize the newly installed driver services correctly.

Why does Vanguard require Secure Boot and TPM 2.0?

These are Windows 11 security requirements that Vanguard enforces to prevent unauthorized software from tampering with your game at a low system level.

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