Valorant VAN Error Codes in 2026: What Each One Means and How to Fix It

A VAN error comes from Riot Vanguard, not from Valorant, and almost every one of the roughly fifty codes Riot lists falls into one of five buckets: a Windows security feature is missing, Vanguard is not running, Vanguard lost its session mid-game, your hardware or drivers are not accepted, or your machine is banned. Find your number in the tables below, read what Vanguard is actually complaining about, and do only the fix for that family. The generic ritual — reinstall Vanguard, reinstall the game, restart — is the last resort for most codes and the wrong move for several of them.

First: VAN or VAL?

Riot puts this warning at the top of its own error index, which tells you how often people get it wrong. VAN errors come from Vanguard. VAL errors come from Valorant. Same number, different meaning:

Code	Source	Meaning
VAL 5	Valorant	Account was logged in elsewhere — log out from all devices
VAN 5	Vanguard	An anti-cheat error, unrelated to logins
VAL 44	Valorant	Vanguard not initialised — restart the Riot Client
VAL 45	Valorant	Vanguard reboot required
VAL 29	Valorant	Network issue — let Valorant through your firewall
VAL 39 / 46	Valorant	Server unavailable or planned downtime; nothing to fix on your side

If your message starts with VAL, none of the Vanguard sections below apply to you.

The security requirement family (VAN 9000 and above)

These are the ones that appear out of nowhere after a Windows update or a new PC. None of them are bans, and none of them are fixed by reinstalling anything.

Code	What Vanguard says is missing	Fix
VAN 9001	TPM 2.0 required, not detected	Enable TPM 2.0 in BIOS/UEFI
VAN 9002	Windows Exploit Protection is off	Set every system-level protection back to "Use default", remove any Riot entries from Program settings, restart
VAN 9003	Secure Boot not enabled	Enable Secure Boot
VAN 9004 / 9006	Windows older than 10 20H1	Install all Windows updates
VAN 9005	TPM 2.0 + UEFI firmware for Virtualization-based Security	Check TPM 2.0, Secure Boot and Memory Integrity, in that order
VAN 9090	TPM 2.0 initialisation failure after the TPM was cleared	Re-enable and reinitialise TPM 2.0
VAN 9100	Running in a virtual machine	Vanguard is not supported in VMs; use a normal Windows install
VAN 9101	Could not fully verify the system state	Update drivers, unplug non-essential USB devices, clean boot

The VAN 9002 fix is the fiddly one. Riot's list of protections that must be set to "Use default" is: Control flow guard, Data Execution Prevention, Force randomization for images, Randomized memory allocation, High entropy ASLR, Validate exception chains and Validate heap integrity. Then, in the Program settings tab, delete every entry that mentions Riot, and only then restart.

VAN: RESTRICTION, with and without a number

This family exploded across r/ValorantTechSupport through 2026, and the reason so many threads end without an answer is that people treat them as one error. They are not.

Message	What it checks	Fix
VAN: RESTRICTION (no number)	A Windows update or a security setting named in your message	Read the message: build 19045 or newer means install updates; build 26100 or newer means Windows 11
VAN: RESTRICTION: 1	Secure Boot cannot be verified — off, non-UEFI mode, or old firmware	Enable Secure Boot, then update the BIOS if it is already on
VAN: RESTRICTION: 3	The game is not on the same internal drive as Windows	Reinstall the game on the Windows drive, usually C:
VAN: RESTRICTION: 4	Secure Boot configuration could not be verified	Enable Secure Boot and restart
VAN: RESTRICTION: 5	Memory Integrity (HVCI/VBS) is not running	Enable Memory Integrity in Windows Core Isolation, which may also need BIOS changes

RESTRICTION 3 is the one nobody guesses. If you moved Valorant to a second SSD or an external drive to save space, Vanguard cannot validate it from there. There is no setting to override this — the game has to live on the Windows drive.

VAN: STATUS_SB_POLICY is a close relative: Secure Boot is on, but Vanguard cannot verify the policy. Riot's answer is to reset the Secure Boot keys to factory defaults, not to toggle Secure Boot off and on. Players hitting this in mid-2026 threads often connect it to Secure Boot certificate changes on their board, which is exactly the situation a key reset is meant for.

Drivers and software Vanguard refuses

Two named errors point at a specific file rather than a setting, and both tell you the filename in the message itself.

VAN: INCOMPATIBLE SOFTWARE shows a path such as C:\Windows\System32\SomeDriver.sys. Screenshot it, uninstall the program that installed it, restart, and only delete the .sys file directly if the program cannot be uninstalled.

VAN: INCOMPATIBLE OEM DRIVER names a driver that does not meet Vanguard's security requirements. Riot's own examples are worth knowing, because these are stock drivers on popular laptops:

Driver file	Device	What Riot says
`iastorvd.sys`	Intel VMD / Rapid Storage	Wait for the updated Intel driver that meets the requirement
`secnvme.sys`, `solidnvm.sys`	NVMe SSD	Replace with the Microsoft "NVM Express Controller" driver
`asstahci64.sys`	SATA AHCI	Replace with "Standard SATA AHCI Controller"
`mtkwl6ex.sys`	MediaTek RZ616 Wi-Fi 6E	Follow the Wi-Fi driver section of that article

VAN: STATUS_VMD_9001 is the same neighbourhood: Vanguard could not talk to the Intel Volume Management Device controller, and the fix is a fresh Intel Rapid Storage driver from your laptop manufacturer's support page rather than a generic one, if your model still gets updates.

The "Vanguard is not running" and "Vanguard lost its session" families

This is where the everyday codes live. The meanings below are Riot's own wording, condensed.

Codes	What it means	Where to start
VAN 57, VAN Missing -117	Vanguard is not running or could not start	Set the Vanguard (vgc) service to Automatic, then restart the PC
VAN -1	Vanguard could not start or a required service is unavailable	Reinstall Vanguard, then set vgc to Automatic
VAN 0, 6, 84, 133, 135, 2266	Vanguard could not verify the PC is ready, or failed while initialising	Install Windows updates, set vgc to Automatic, then reinstall Vanguard
VAN 25, 128	A startup or system trust check failed	Restore Windows security to a normal state; for 128 also turn off debug memory dumps
VAN -72, -79, -81, -92, -104, 68	Vanguard is having trouble starting, staying connected or confirming readiness	Restart the PC, then check your Windows date, time and time zone
VAN 59, 148, 193, 1067	Unexpected issue while starting or talking to the Riot Client	Close extra Riot Client instances, run the client as administrator, reinstall Vanguard
VAN 140	Startup or connection issue between game, client and Vanguard	Windows updates, then compatibility settings: disable fullscreen optimisations, run as administrator, override high DPI
VAN 185	A session or connection issue between game, client and Vanguard	Check the minimum requirements, unplug controllers, restart the client, log out on other devices
VAN 138	Running in a virtual machine or unsupported virtualised environment	Play from a normal Windows installation
VAN -101	The system does not meet the game's requirements	Nothing to fix in Vanguard; the machine is below spec

That Windows clock step under the -72/-79/-81 family looks like filler and is not. Vanguard's checks rely on secure connections, and a clock that drifted by a few minutes breaks them before the game window even appears.

VAN 185 was the single most-posted code on r/ValorantTechSupport through mid-2026, usually as a mid-match disconnect, and it is worth noting what Riot's list puts first for it: minimum requirements and a connected controller. Two of the most common "fixes" players report to each other — unplugging a gamepad and logging out of the Riot Client on a second PC — are literally steps two and four of the official article.

VAN 152: the one that is a ban

VAN 152 means the device you are playing on is restricted because of a hardware ID ban. Riot's article says outright that reinstalling Vanguard, reinstalling the game, changing your connection or restarting the PC will not lift it, and points to their hardware ID ban explainer for how and when such bans can be reviewed.

Two things follow from that. First, it attaches to the machine, so a fresh account on the same PC hits the same wall — players in a June 2026 thread describe accounts being lost after logging in on a restricted machine. Second, and this is the part nobody expects, second-hand hardware carries it: one user in that thread bought a used motherboard-and-CPU bundle that turned out to be restricted, and found out only when their account was banned. If you are buying used parts, that risk is real and it is not visible in any listing.

The only legitimate route is a Player Support ticket with your logs attached. Anything advertised as a spoofer, unbanner or HWID cleaner is a Terms of Service violation in itself and a good way to turn a temporary problem into a permanent one — that is not a route this guide will help with.

The order Riot actually recommends

When your code is in the generic families and the message does not name a setting, Riot's articles repeat the same ladder. Do it in this order and launch the game after each step:

Install all Windows updates and restart.
Set the Vanguard (vgc) service to Automatic, unless you use Vanguard Pre-Check to run it on demand.
Restart the PC if the service was already set correctly.
Unplug controllers and non-essential USB devices.
Uninstall Vanguard manually, restart, and let the game reinstall it on launch.
Clean boot to find the background app that is interfering.
Reinstall the game — replacing files is near the bottom of the list, not the top.
Submit a ticket with your logs from the Riot Repair Tool.

Test in the Practice Tool or a custom game between steps rather than in matchmaking. Riot suggests it explicitly, for a practical reason: if the error hits again you eat a queue penalty for something that is not your fault.

Codes that are not on Riot's list

Riot's index, last updated 22 May 2026, covers the named errors, the negative codes down to -117, VAN 0 through 99, VAN 100 through 8999 and the 9000 series. Players do post codes that are not in it — VAN 293 came up repeatedly in July 2026 threads, for example — and for those there is no official meaning to quote. Treat an unlisted code as the generic family: update Windows, check the Vanguard service, then open a ticket with logs, and do not trust a random YouTube "fix" for a number Riot has not documented.

After a reinstall, before you queue

Reinstalling Valorant or Vanguard is the one repair step that quietly changes how the game feels: your video settings and sensitivity can come back at defaults, and muscle memory notices immediately. If you have to rebuild your config, put your old number through the sensitivity converter instead of eyeballing it — Valorant's yaw is 0.07, so it converts cleanly to and from CS2 and Apex — and check the result against the pro range with the eDPI calculator.

And if you are only now getting back in after two days of BIOS menus, the random agent picker is a decent way to shake off the rust in unrated, or find out which role you actually fit with the agent quiz.

FAQ

What does VAN 9001 mean in Valorant?

Riot's article is one sentence long: Vanguard currently requires TPM 2.0 and does not detect TPM 2.0 as enabled on your PC. It is not a ban and not a corrupt install. You enable TPM 2.0 in your BIOS or UEFI, restart, and the error is gone. On the same machine VAN 9090 means the opposite problem: TPM exists but failed to initialise, usually because it was recently cleared.

What is VAN 1067 and how do I fix it?

Riot describes VAN 1067 as Vanguard running into an unexpected issue while starting or checking in with your system. Their listed order is: install all Windows updates and restart, unplug controllers and other non-essential USB devices, run the Riot Client as administrator, then set the Vanguard (vgc) service to start automatically. If it survives all of that, reinstall Vanguard and attach your logs to a ticket.

Is VAN 152 a ban?

Yes. VAN 152 means the device you are using is restricted because of a hardware ID ban, and Riot states plainly that reinstalling Vanguard, reinstalling the game, changing your connection or restarting the PC will not remove it. It follows the machine, not the account, which is why players who buy second-hand parts sometimes inherit one.

What is the difference between VAN and VAL errors?

VAN comes from Riot Vanguard, the anti-cheat. VAL comes from Valorant itself. They have separate lists and separate meanings: VAL 5 means your account was logged in elsewhere, while VAN 5 is an anti-cheat error. Riot puts a warning about exactly this mix-up at the top of its own error index.

Why do I get VAN: RESTRICTION even though Secure Boot is on?

Because RESTRICTION comes in numbered flavours that check different things. RESTRICTION 1 and 4 are Secure Boot, RESTRICTION 5 is Memory Integrity (HVCI/VBS), RESTRICTION 3 is the game being installed on a drive other than the Windows drive, and plain RESTRICTION with no number is usually a Windows build requirement. Read the number in your message before you touch anything.