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ValorantCheating can ruin any online game. Players who use special programs to win can make fair games feel pointless. Valorant, a popular shooter by Riot Games, has a big problem with cheaters. To fight back, Riot made something called Vanguard. This system tries to keep Valorant fair for everyone.
But how does it work? Is it safe? And why do some players worry about it? This guide explains it all in a way anyone can understand.
Vanguard is the anti-cheat tool for Valorant. It started in 2020, the same year Valorant launched. Later, Riot added Vanguard to League of Legends and even to the console version of Valorant.
Vanguard has two main parts:
These two parts work together to find and block cheating.
When you start Valorant, Vanguard checks for any cheating programs running at the same time. It looks for things like:
Vanguard tries to catch these cheats before they can change your game.
The kernel driver part of Vanguard is special. It has deep access to your computer. This helps it catch very sneaky cheats—even ones that try to hide from normal anti-cheat tools.
But this deep access worries some people. If Vanguard had a big mistake, it could make your computer crash. Some people worry it might be able to see too much or cause problems with other programs. Riot says they built Vanguard to be safe, and they offer money to anyone who finds a problem with it.
“Riot Vanguard is a special system… a client that is active while VALORANT is running, as well as a driver that runs in kernel mode.”
– Official Riot Statement
Some experts compare Vanguard to “rootkits.” A rootkit is a kind of program that hides deep in your system. While Vanguard is not made to be bad, this kind of tool always needs extra checking.
A few players have seen their games crash, their computers get blue screens, or even their internet stop working because of Vanguard. Usually, restarting or reinstalling fixes it.
Some fear Vanguard might watch what they do on their PC. Riot says it only checks for cheats and does not send private info.
Some newer cheats try to get around Vanguard by using special hardware (DMA devices) or even AI to read the screen. Vanguard is always updating to fight these, too.
Vanguard is very strict. Since 2020, it has banned more than 3.6 million cheaters in Valorant alone. That’s about one ban every 37 seconds! These bans can be:
If Riot banned every cheater right away, cheat makers would easily learn how Vanguard finds them. Sometimes, Vanguard waits before banning, so cheat developers can’t test new cheats so quickly. This helps keep cheats from spreading.
Sometimes, Vanguard finds players who act suspicious but doesn’t ban them right away. Instead, it may ask them to:
These steps make it even harder to cheat. Riot is testing new ways to block hardware cheats, too.
On consoles (PlayStation, Xbox), cheating is harder, but some try to fool the system with gadgets that let them use mouse and keyboard. This can be unfair because of aim assist.
Riot’s team even tried cheating in their own tests to collect data and build better anti-cheat for console. Vanguard on console can now spot and ban players who use these fake devices.
Most players have no problems, but a few have seen:
Riot has added a way to pause Vanguard from the system tray when you are not playing. They also offer fixes and support if things go wrong.
Riot says Vanguard doesn’t read your personal data. They let security experts test Vanguard, and they pay rewards if someone finds a real problem. Vanguard’s driver is also checked and signed by Microsoft to help make sure it is safe.
Riot is working on a Ranked Rollback feature. If a cheater ruins your game and is later banned, you may get back your lost rank points.
About 4% of bans were found to be from hacked accounts (not real cheaters). To protect yourself, use a strong password and turn on two-factor authentication on your Riot account.
No. It does run deep in your system, but Riot says it only checks for cheats.
Some try. They use special hardware or new AI tricks. Vanguard keeps updating to stop them.
Maybe, but only for a small number of players. Most people don’t notice.
Yes, but you won’t be able to play Valorant or League of Legends if you do.
Cheaters often use unfair software to climb the ladder and get a better rank in Valorant. This not only makes games less fun but can also harm players who want to reach higher ranks fairly.Because of this, some players look for safe and legit ways to improve their rank, like our Valorant rank boosting. Always use trusted and fair options if you want to improve your rank.
Vanguard stops many cheaters and keeps games more fair. But it also has risks because of its deep access to your PC. Riot is always working to improve it and make it safer. If you want to play Valorant, you need to use Vanguard, but you can also take steps to keep your account safe and your PC running smoothly.
