Riot Vanguard VAN 0
What is this error?
Riot Vanguard anti-cheat is not initialized. Vanguard requires a system restart to fully load its kernel driver.
Common causes
- PC not restarted after Vanguard install
- Vanguard service disabled
- Vanguard removed by antivirus
- Secure Boot disabled
- TPM 2.0 not available
How to fix it
- Restart your PC
- ensure Vanguard tray icon is present
- enable Secure Boot and TPM 2
- 0 in BIOS
Too many steps? Crashless can diagnose this automatically — checks your drivers, temps, VRAM, and 400+ known error patterns.
Get free AI diagnosis Detailed analysis
VAN 0 in Valorant means Riot Vanguard hasn't loaded yet. Vanguard is a kernel-level anti-cheat that starts when Windows boots — it needs a full restart to initialize after installation.
This is the most common Valorant error for new players.
How to fix it:
- Restart your PC — not just sleep/wake, a full restart. Vanguard loads at boot time and won't work without a restart
- After restarting, look for the Vanguard icon in your system tray (bottom-right of taskbar). If it's there, Vanguard is running
- If there's no Vanguard icon, open Services (services.msc), find 'vgc', set it to Automatic, and click Start
- Make sure Secure Boot is enabled in BIOS — Vanguard requires it on Windows 11
- TPM 2.0 must be enabled in BIOS — check via Start Menu > 'tpm.msc'
- If your antivirus removed Vanguard, add Vanguard to exclusions and reinstall Valorant
- If VAN 0 persists after restart, uninstall Vanguard from Apps & Features, then reinstall Valorant
When to seek help
If this error keeps happening after trying the fixes above, it may point to a deeper hardware or system issue. Consider professional help if:
- The crash occurs across multiple games or applications
- You see the same error after a clean Windows install
- Your PC is less than a year old (could be a warranty issue)
- You smell burning or hear unusual sounds from your PC
Or let Crashless do the deep analysis for you -- our AI checks drivers, temps, event logs, and 400+ known patterns automatically.
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