League of Legends Vanguard Errors: Every VAN Code, What It Means, and How to Fix It

League of Legends Vanguard errors block you from launching the game, and they almost always show up as a “VAN” code on your screen. Riot’s kernel-level anti-cheat, Vanguard, has been mandatory since mid-2024. It keeps cheaters out of ranked (mostly), but it also breaks your game when your system doesn’t cooperate. I put together this guide with every known VAN error code as of 2026 Season 1: what triggers each one, and the exact steps to get past it.

I’ve personally dealt with VAN 57 and VAN 128 more times than I’d like to admit. Both hit me after routine Windows updates, and both had the same root cause: the anti-cheat service stopped running after the reboot. So if you’re panicking right now, take a breath. Most of these are fixable in under five minutes.

What Is Riot Vanguard and Why Does It Cause Errors?

Riot Vanguard is Riot Games’ anti-cheat. Unlike most anti-cheats that run alongside the game, this one runs at the kernel level of your OS, which is as deep as software can go. Riot first shipped it with VALORANT, then bolted it onto League of Legends in Patch 14.9 back in 2024. Once installed, it runs as a background service called vgc that boots with Windows and stays on the entire time your PC is running.

Because it sits that deep in your system, it’s picky about everything. BIOS settings, antivirus software, Windows updates, background processes, driver conflicts, even your firewall configuration. Any of these can get in the way of Vanguard verifying system integrity or reaching Riot’s authentication servers. And when something blocks it? VAN error. Game won’t launch. You stare at your screen wondering what broke this time.

The core files sit in C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard, plus a kernel driver called vgk.sys in your System32 folder. Don’t touch either of these manually. Messing with them means a full reinstall through the Riot Client, and that’s more time not playing.

Four Types of League of Legends Vanguard Errors

Here’s the thing: not every VAN code means the same thing. Some are network issues, some are your BIOS being wrong, some mean Riot literally banned your motherboard. Figuring out which category you’re dealing with saves you an hour of trying random fixes from 2-year-old forum posts.

Category	Error Codes	Root Cause	Typical Fix
Connection	VAN 0, VAN 6, VAN 68, VAN 84	Network timeout or Riot Client left open too long	Restart client, flush DNS, check internet
Service	VAN 57, VAN -81, VAN -102, VAN -104, VAN 1067	Vanguard service (vgc) not running or crashed	Restart vgc service or reinstall Vanguard
System Settings	VAN 128, VAN 9001, VAN 9002, VAN 9005, VAN 9006	BIOS/Windows settings misconfigured (TPM, Secure Boot, VBS)	Enable required settings in BIOS
Hardware/Environment	VAN 138, VAN 152, VAN 185	VM usage, hardware ban, or multi-login	Use physical Windows, contact Riot Support

Most people hitting League of Legends Vanguard errors are dealing with connection or service issues, and those are usually 5-minute fixes. System errors take longer because you’re messing with BIOS, which feels scary if you’ve never done it. Hardware errors are the nightmare tier. VAN 152 means Riot flagged your actual motherboard, and at that point your options are basically “contact support and pray.”

Every League of Legends Vanguard Error Code (Full List)

Every known VAN code in LoL, what it actually means, and the fix that works. Bookmark this page. You’ll be back the next time a Windows update breaks something.

VAN -1: Uninstall Failed

Rare but annoying. VAN -1 pops up when the anti-cheat can’t remove itself properly. Go to Add or Remove Programs, uninstall Riot Vanguard manually, and reboot. If it still won’t budge, open Command Prompt as admin and run sc delete vgc, then restart and reinstall through the Riot Client. Still stuck? Submit a ticket to Riot Support’s Vanguard troubleshooting page.

VAN 0 and VAN 6: Client Left Open Too Long

Connection timeout. You left the Riot Client or League sitting idle for hours and the session expired. Dead simple fix: close everything (League, Riot Client, check Task Manager for lingering Riot processes) and relaunch. That’s it.

VAN 68: Network-Related LoL Vanguard Error

Your browser loads pages fine but League won’t connect? Yeah, that’s VAN 68. The anti-cheat needs its own clean connection to Riot’s servers, and your regular internet being “fine” doesn’t matter. Even tiny packet drops during the handshake can kill it.

Here’s what fixed it for me: open CMD as admin. Type ipconfig /flushdns, hit enter. Then ipconfig /release, wait like 5 seconds, then ipconfig /renew. If your ISP has garbage DNS (and most do), switch to Google’s at 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, or Cloudflare at 1.1.1.1. Kill the Riot Client, reopen, try again.

On WiFi? Plug in a cable. I’m not being dramatic. I had VAN 68 popping up every other day until I grabbed a $5 ethernet cable from Amazon. Plugged it in. Error gone. Never came back. The WiFi packet loss during authentication was the whole problem.

VAN 57: The #1 League of Legends Vanguard Error

Probably the most common of all League of Legends Vanguard errors. I’ve seen VAN 57 pop up on Reddit and Discord more than any other VAN code. It means the vgc background service either didn’t start or crashed before League could connect to it. Tons of summoners hit this one right after a Windows update.

Quick fix: Windows + R, type services.msc, find vgc in the list. Right-click it, Properties, flip Startup Type to Automatic, smash Start, hit Apply. Open League. Should load.

No dice? Nuke the whole thing. Add or Remove Programs, uninstall Vanguard, reboot, open the Riot Client and let it reinstall everything from scratch. Wipes out corrupted files, broken registrations, all of it. I’ve had to do this three times on my main PC after bad shutdowns. Three for three success rate. Not fun, but reliable.

VAN -81, VAN -102, VAN -104: Persistent Service Failures

Basically VAN 57’s angrier cousins. Same root cause (Vanguard service not working), but these stick around even after a normal restart. For these, skip the gentle approach and go straight to a clean reinstall. Rip out Vanguard and League from Add or Remove Programs, delete whatever’s left in C:\Riot Games and C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard, reboot, and install the Riot Client fresh from the official site.

Still broken after all that? Your Windows might have corrupted system files. Open CMD as admin and run sfc /scannow. I know it sounds unrelated, but damaged Windows files can prevent Vanguard from registering its service correctly. This fixed a VAN -102 for me after nothing else worked.

VAN 84: Connection Handshake Failure

Same family as VAN 68, but specifically tied to the authentication handshake between your client and Riot’s servers. The DNS flush steps from the VAN 68 section apply here too. Keep seeing it? Kill any VPN or proxy you have running. Riot has been pretty vocal about VPNs interfering with the handshake process, and VAN 84 is usually the result.

VAN 128: Nastiest League of Legends Vanguard Error

Ask any summoner about VAN 128 and watch them cringe. Out of all League of Legends Vanguard errors, this one is the most dreaded. It’s a system integrity check that can fail for multiple reasons at once, which makes it way harder to pin down than other codes.

Riot’s troubleshooting page has a specific checklist for this one. You need to run two commands in CMD (as admin): bcdedit /set testsigning off to kill Test Signing Mode, and bcdedit /set nointegritychecks off to make sure Driver Signature Enforcement is active. There’s also a crash dump thing that trips people up: open sysdm.cpl, hit Advanced tab, Startup and Recovery, Settings, and change the debug info dropdown to (none). Reboot. I know it’s a lot of steps, but VAN 128 is that kind of error.

Another known culprit is software called Fasoo (common on Korean PCs and some corporate machines). Fasoo’s DRM software conflicts with Vanguard at the kernel level and causes an infinite reconnect loop. Uninstall Fasoo if you have it.

VAN 138: Virtual Machine Detected

Running League inside VMware, VirtualBox, or Hyper-V? That’s why. Riot’s anti-cheat flat out refuses to work on virtual machines. No workaround, no exception. Install Windows and League on actual hardware or you’re not playing. Harsh, but that’s how they designed it.

VAN 152: Hardware Ban (HWID)

Bad news. VAN 152 means Riot banned your hardware ID. Not your account. Your actual PC. Motherboard, CPU, whatever hardware fingerprints they pull have been flagged for serious rule violations, usually cheating or multiple banned accounts on the same machine. You can submit a support ticket, sure. But I’m not gonna sugarcoat it: Riot almost never reverses these. The few people I’ve seen get unbanned on Reddit all had very specific extenuating circumstances.

VAN 185: Multiple Logins or Idle Client

Logged into the Riot Client on your phone and your PC at the same time? That’ll do it. Or maybe you left the client sitting idle for hours and your session expired. Either way, fix is easy: sign out on every device, close everything Riot-related, reboot, log in fresh. Done.

VAN 1067: Crash-Type LoL Vanguard Error

So vgc started but then just… died. Something on your PC picked a fight with it. Nine times out of ten it’s either malware or some sketchy “PC optimizer” app that loads at startup. Pull up Windows Security (or Malwarebytes if you have it), full scan, nuke anything suspicious. Check Task Manager too. If you see random processes you don’t recognize eating CPU, kill them and Google what they are.

Still crashing? Time for a Clean Boot. Windows + R, type msconfig, Services tab, tick “Hide all Microsoft services,” hit Disable All. Reboot. If League loads clean, start turning services back on one at a time. When the error comes back, that last thing you turned on is your problem. Tedious but it works.

VAN 9001: Windows 11 LoL Vanguard Error

Windows 11 only. Your PC needs TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module) turned on, and it probably isn’t. Reboot, mash DEL or F2 to get into your motherboard firmware, find Security or TPM, flip it on, save, exit. That should be it.

Don’t know if your board even has TPM? Hit Windows + R, type tpm.msc. Says “Compatible TPM cannot be found”? Might be labeled differently. Intel calls theirs PTT. AMD calls it fTPM. Same chip, different marketing. Dig through your BIOS settings and you’ll find it.

VAN 9002: Exploit Protection Disabled

Easiest fix on this entire page. Vanguard wants Windows Exploit Protection turned on, and yours is off. Open Windows Security, go to App & Browser Control, find Exploit Protection Settings, flip it to On. Reboot. Done. Takes 30 seconds.

VAN 9005: VBS Issue

Two things need to be on for this one: VBS (Virtualization-Based Security) and TPM 2.0. Get into your BIOS, find the virtualization toggle (Intel labels it VT-x, AMD calls it AMD-V), turn it on, save, reboot. Windows 11 should have VBS on by default, but I’ve seen custom builds and older boards ship with it disabled. Worth checking.

VAN 9006: Windows Version Too Old

Vanguard requires Windows 10 version 1803 or later. Still running something older? Go to Settings → Windows Update and install everything available. Come on. There’s no reason to be running a Windows build from 2017 in 2026.

“Vanguard Session Is Initializing” (No Code)

Sometimes there’s no VAN code at all. The client just sits on a “Waiting for Vanguard to start” screen forever. Nothing happens. No error number, no crash, just… nothing. The vgc service hung on startup. Same fix as VAN 57: open services.msc, find vgc, set it to Automatic, manually start it. Still stuck? Go to C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard, run vgtray.exe by hand, then open the Riot Client. That usually kicks things into gear.

Universal Fixes for League of Legends Vanguard Errors

Before you start Googling your specific error code, run through this checklist. From my experience, roughly 80% of all league of legends vanguard errors get solved by one of these six steps. No joke.

1. Full restart. I mean a real one. Shut the whole PC down, wait 10 seconds, boot it back up. Sleep mode and hibernate don’t count. The vgc service needs a clean start from zero.
2. Check vgc in services. Windows + R, type services.msc, scroll to vgc. Is it set to Automatic? Is it actually running? If not, that’s your problem right there.
3. Windows Update. Settings → Windows Update → Check for Updates. Install everything. Yes, even the optional ones. I know they’re annoying.
4. Kill your antivirus for a minute. Norton, Kaspersky, Bitdefender, Avast, McAfee. They all fight Vanguard at some point. Windows Defender plays nice with it. Also peek at your Firewall rules and make sure nothing’s blocking Riot.
5. BIOS check. TPM 2.0 on, Secure Boot on, UEFI mode (not Legacy or CSM). If any of these are off, certain VAN codes will keep coming back no matter what else you do.
6. Nuclear option: reinstall Vanguard. Add or Remove Programs → uninstall → reboot → open Riot Client → it reinstalls itself.

No luck? Then go to the specific error code section above for targeted fixes.

Why Do League of Legends Vanguard Errors Keep Coming Back?

Here’s what really bugs me. You fix a VAN error, grind ranked for a week straight, and then boom, same error after the next patch or Windows update. League of Legends Vanguard errors keep coming back for three main reasons.

Windows updates mess with everything. Microsoft pushes a major update, and suddenly the driver gets invalidated and needs a fresh install. Riot has acknowledged this on their support forums, and honestly there’s not much either side can do about it. Two separate companies maintaining kernel-level software on the same OS is always going to cause friction.

Patch days are a classic. Riot pushes a League update that includes new anti-cheat files. The old driver gets swapped out. But if that swap doesn’t finish cleanly (power outage, flaky internet, some random process holding a file lock), you end up with half-installed garbage. Only fix: rip it out, reboot, let the client set things up again from scratch.

Third-party software is the sneakiest. Some antivirus programs quietly reinstall their own kernel drivers during auto-updates, and those drivers start fighting Vanguard at the system level. You have zero warning until you try to launch League and eat a VAN 128 or VAN 1067 out of nowhere. If you notice a pattern where errors appear right after your antivirus updates itself, add C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard to the exclusion list immediately.

What to Do When No Vanguard Error Fix Works

Tried everything on this page and you’re still locked out? First, check your account status and rule out a ban or restriction. VAN 152 aside, sometimes what looks like an anti-cheat error is actually an account-level problem.

If it’s not an account thing, open a ticket with Riot. Go to their League support site, pick “Technical Issues,” and don’t be lazy with the description. Dump your error code, every fix you already tried, your system specs, and logs from C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard\Logs. The more you give them upfront, the less back-and-forth emails you’ll deal with.

Actually wait. Before you even submit that ticket, run these two commands. They catch stuff that a regular Vanguard reinstall can’t fix because the corruption is in Windows itself, not in Riot’s files. Open CMD as admin:

Type sfc /scannow and let it run. Takes about 10 minutes, don’t close the window. When it finishes, run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. That one patches the Windows image. Same deal, 10ish minutes, go get coffee. I’ve personally seen SFC fix a VAN 1067 that survived three separate Vanguard reinstalls. The problem was a corrupted Windows DLL the whole time.

How Vanguard Errors Cost You LP (and What to Do About It)

Nobody talks about this enough. League of Legends Vanguard errors don’t just lock you out of the client. When a VAN error crashes you out of a ranked game, Riot’s automated system treats it the same as rage quitting. LeaverBuster penalty. LP gone. MMR tanked. I lost a promo series once because VAN 128 hit me during loading screen. Zero way to get those games back.

And the double punch is brutal. You lose LP from the crashed game, then sit in a low-priority queue for 5 to 20 minutes on your next few games. Your teammates? They got a 4v5 loss that wasn’t their fault either. The Discord calls after that are… not pleasant.

Riot’s official position? They won’t reverse LP losses from technical issues. You’re supposed to keep your system compatible, and if the anti-cheat flagged something, that’s on you. Harsh take, but that’s literally what they say on the support page.

My advice after dealing with this multiple times: got intermittent VAN errors? Do NOT queue ranked. Play 2 or 3 normals first. No crashes? Cool, you’re stable. Go grind. Jumping straight into promos after a “fix” and then crashing again in game 4 is the worst feeling in League, and I’ve been there.

And if the grind back is too painful and you just want a fresh LoL account to play on while you sort things out on your main, that’s an option too. Sometimes a clean account with fresh MMR is less stressful than fighting technical issues and a wrecked rank at the same time.

How to Prevent League of Legends Vanguard Errors

Look, you can’t guarantee you’ll never see League of Legends Vanguard errors again. But these habits cut the odds way down:

• Whitelist Vanguard in your antivirus. Add C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard and C:\Riot Games to the exclusion list. I cannot stress this enough. Half the recurring VAN errors I’ve seen on Reddit trace back to antivirus quarantining a Vanguard file during an auto-update.
• Never kill your PC mid-patch. That League update swapping out the anti-cheat driver? Let it finish. Pulling the plug halfway through is how you get corrupted installs that take an hour to clean up.
• Test with a normal game after every big Windows update. Seriously. Major updates love to silently flip security settings. One normal game confirms everything still works before you put LP on the line.
• One antivirus only. Running Norton and Defender at the same time is asking for kernel-level conflicts. Pick one, ditch the other.
• VPN off before launching. The handshake between your client and Riot’s servers chokes on VPN routing. Turn it off, get into the game, reconnect the VPN after if you need it.

How to Check If Vanguard Is Running

Quick one. System tray, bottom-right of your screen near the clock. See a small red Riot shield icon? That means the anti-cheat is running. Right-click it for options like Exit or Uninstall.

Another way: Task Manager. Hit Ctrl + Shift + Esc, go to the Services tab, search for vgc. Status says “Running”? You’re good. Says “Stopped”? Right-click, hit Start.

Quick TPM check without rebooting into BIOS: Windows + R, type tpm.msc. Shows your TPM status instantly. Handy when you’re troubleshooting VAN 9001 and don’t want to restart again.

Can You Disable or Uninstall Vanguard?

Sure, but you won’t be able to play League or VALORANT after. It’s been mandatory for both games since 2024. Right-clicking the tray icon and selecting Exit stops it, but the Riot Client will refuse to launch any game until you restart your PC and let it boot again.

Full uninstall is also possible from Add or Remove Programs. Some players do this when they’re taking a break and don’t want a kernel-level driver running 24/7. Totally fair. Just know you gotta set everything up again before your next session.

One thing I’ve seen on Reddit: people asking if VAN 57 specifically means the anti-cheat is permanently broken. It doesn’t. Most League of Legends Vanguard errors are temporary service failures. A reinstall fixes VAN 57 in the vast majority of cases.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Vanguard errors in League of Legends?

They’re anti-cheat validation failures that show up as VAN codes when Riot’s security layer can’t start, can’t verify your system, or can’t reach Riot’s servers. League refuses to launch until you resolve whatever triggered the error.

How do I fix the VAN 57 League of Legends Vanguard error?

Go to Add or Remove Programs, uninstall Riot Vanguard, restart your PC. Open the Riot Client and it handles the reinstall on its own. Still not working? Open services.msc, find vgc, set Startup Type to Automatic, click Start.

Why do I keep getting League of Legends Vanguard errors after Windows updates?

Because Windows updates love to mess with BIOS flags and service registrations. After any major update, double-check that TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are still on in your firmware, then let the Riot Client do a fresh Vanguard install.

Can I play League of Legends without Vanguard?

Nope. Riot made it mandatory in 2024 and the game straight up won’t launch without it. You can uninstall Vanguard, but you’ll need to put it back and reboot before you play again.

What does VAN 152 mean in League of Legends?

Your hardware got permanently banned. Riot flagged your motherboard/CPU identifiers for serious rule violations (usually cheating). Only Riot Support can look at HWID bans, and they almost never reverse them.

How do I check if Vanguard is running on my PC?

Look for a red Riot shield icon in your system tray near the clock. Or open Task Manager, go to Services, search for vgc. If it’s not there, reboot your PC and Vanguard should start with Windows.

How do I fix VAN 9001 on Windows 11?

TPM 2.0 isn’t turned on. Reboot, get into BIOS (DEL or F2 during startup), find the Security or TPM section, flip it on, save and exit. Launch League.

Last updated: April 2026