Valorant Error Code VAL 57
What is this error?
Vanguard anti-cheat is not running. Valorant requires Vanguard to be active before the game can start.
Common causes
- Vanguard service stopped
- PC not restarted after Vanguard install
- Vanguard disabled by user or software
- Vanguard corrupted
How to fix it
- Restart PC
- start Vanguard service manually
- reinstall Vanguard if needed
Too many steps? Crashless can diagnose this automatically — checks your drivers, temps, VRAM, and 400+ known error patterns.
Get free AI diagnosis Detailed analysis
Valorant Error VAL 57 means the Vanguard anti-cheat isn't running. Valorant won't launch without Vanguard active — it's not optional.
How to fix it:
- Restart your PC — Vanguard starts at boot time, and a restart is the fastest fix
- After restart, check for the Vanguard shield icon in your system tray (bottom-right)
- If no icon, open Services (Win+R > services.msc), find 'vgc', right-click > Properties, set Startup Type to Automatic, click Start
- If the service fails to start, reinstall Vanguard: go to Apps & Features, uninstall 'Riot Vanguard', then relaunch Valorant — it will reinstall Vanguard
- Check if your antivirus is blocking Vanguard — add 'C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard\' to your antivirus exclusions
- Make sure Windows Defender isn't blocking vgc.exe or vgk.sys through Controlled Folder Access
- If Vanguard keeps stopping, check Event Viewer > System for errors related to 'vgc' or 'vgk' to identify the root cause
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.
Chat with AI about Valorant Error Code VAL 57
Describe your setup and get a personalized diagnosis in seconds. Free, no signup needed.
Get AI diagnosis Chat with AI about this error
Describe your setup and what you were doing when the crash happened. Our AI checks against 400+ known crash patterns — free, no download needed.
Let Crashless handle it
The desktop app scans your drivers, temps, VRAM, event logs, and 400+ known patterns — then walks you through the fix step by step.
