How to Fix Valorant Error Code 57 in 2026
Valorant error code 57 appears when the Valorant client asks Riot Vanguard to confirm it is running and gets no answer. Riot’s error list calls it PlayerAffinityInitFailure and tells you to restart the Riot Client first; the Vanguard article (VAN 57) adds the vgc service, a reboot, a Vanguard reinstall, a clean boot and a game reinstall. PC only. Console players see a different problem under the same number.
Is Valorant error code 57 a VAL error or a VAN error?
Both exist, and Riot documents them in two different places. The Valorant list of error codes and solutions, updated June 2, 2026, has a plain “57: PlayerAffinityInitFailure” entry with a short fix: restart the Riot Client, check the support site banners for a known outage, and open a ticket if nothing changes. The Vanguard side has its own article for VAN 57, and that one says Vanguard “isn’t running or couldn’t start correctly”.
Which one do you have? Look at the prefix in the error window. VAL 57 comes from the game client, VAN 57 from the anti-cheat. In practice the two overlap so much that Riot’s own Valorant list carries a banner saying the list is currently out of date because some errors display the wrong code. So treat the number as the signal and the prefix as a hint, nothing more.
The good news is short: not a ban, not an account problem. Your skins, rank and Valorant Points are untouched, and the whole thing lives on the PC in front of you.
Why Valorant refuses to start without Vanguard
Riot describes Vanguard as two pieces: a client that runs while a Riot game is active, and a kernel-mode driver. The driver is the part that matters here. Riot’s Valorant support page says Vanguard “is usually an on-boot application”, meaning the driver loads while Windows boots, and if you disable it and later decide to play, you have to restart the computer. Valorant checks for that driver the moment you press Play. No driver, no match, code 57.
That design explains the most common way players cause the error themselves. Right-click the Vanguard shield in the system tray and you can switch Vanguard off for the session (handy when some other program complains about it). Riot states plainly that to re-enable Vanguard afterwards you must restart your computer. Open Valorant before that restart and the client finds nothing to talk to. Funny enough, the fix is a reboot.
How do you fix Valorant error code 57 on PC?
Work from the cheapest step to the most expensive one and launch Valorant after each. Riot’s VAL 57 entry covers the first two rows below; the VAN 57 article, updated July 8, 2026, covers the rest.
| Step | What to do | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Close the Riot Client fully and open it again | The client lost its link to Vanguard after an update |
| 2 | Check the Riot support site banner or the Valorant server status | Riot is already working on an outage |
| 3 | Look for the Vanguard shield in the tray; restart the PC if it is missing | Vanguard was switched off or never loaded at boot |
| 4 | Set the vgc service to Automatic | Error comes back after every restart |
| 5 | Uninstall Vanguard and let Valorant reinstall it | Service exists but will not start |
| 6 | Clean boot, then reinstall Valorant | Nothing above worked |
Restart the Riot Client, then the PC
Quit the Riot Client from its tray icon (not just the Valorant window), wait a few seconds and open it again. Still 57? Do a real restart from the Start menu. Sleep and hibernate do not reload the Vanguard driver, so closing a laptop lid overnight counts for nothing here. After the reboot, give Windows a moment to show the shield icon near the clock before you press Play.
Set the vgc service to Automatic
The vgc service is the background piece that brings Vanguard up with Windows. If it is on Manual or Disabled, Vanguard sleeps through every boot and Valorant throws 57 every time. The walkthrough is identical on the League side, so we won’t repeat the screenshots: our guide to the VAN 57 error in League of Legends has the services.msc steps, and they fix Valorant just the same. Skip this step if you use Vanguard Pre-Check; Riot says the service only needs Automatic when Pre-Check is off.
Uninstall Vanguard and let Valorant put it back
Riot’s “Uninstall and Disable Vanguard” page, updated May 30, 2026, gives two routes: right-click the tray icon, choose Advanced, then Uninstall Vanguard; or use Add or remove programs in Windows and remove Riot Vanguard from the list. Restart. Launch Valorant through the Riot Client, and it downloads a fresh Vanguard on its own, then asks for one more restart so the driver can load at boot. Two reboots, roughly five minutes, and a broken install is gone. That’s it.
Clean boot, then reinstall the game
A clean boot starts Windows with Microsoft services only. If Valorant launches in that state, one of your startup programs is blocking Vanguard; turn them back on a few at a time until error 57 returns and you have your culprit. Overlay and tuning apps are the usual suspects, and our article on overlays and Vanguard explains why Riot started blocking memory-reading tools in October 2026. Last on Riot’s list is a full reinstall of Valorant, which replaces damaged game files but leaves your account exactly as it was.
Does Vanguard Pre-Check change the fix?
Only step 4. Vanguard Pre-Check, described in a Riot article from June 24, 2026, is an optional mode where Vanguard starts when you launch a Riot game and shuts down after you stop playing, instead of loading at Windows startup. The requirements are strict (Windows 11 25H2 at minimum, with Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, IOMMU, VBS and HVCI all switched on), and the Vanguard tray tool tells you whether your PC qualifies.
With Pre-Check on, there is no point setting vgc to Automatic, because Vanguard is supposed to be off between sessions. If Valorant still shows 57, go straight to the restart, the reinstall and the clean boot. Honestly, Pre-Check removes one cause of the error, a disabled service, and leaves the rest alone.
Why error 57 keeps coming back in Valorant
Because something resets Vanguard between your sessions. Long story short, three patterns cover almost every repeat case:
- You switch Vanguard off from the tray to run another program, forget to restart, and open Valorant the next day.
- A “PC cleaner” or startup manager flips the vgc service back to Manual after each scan.
- Antivirus quarantines the Vanguard driver after a Vanguard update, so the service exists but cannot start.
The repair is the same each time, plus removing the cause: restart after turning Vanguard back on, tell the optimizer to leave Riot services alone, and add C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard to your antivirus exclusions. Thing is, once nothing fights the service, the error tends not to return at all.
Error code 57 on PS5 and Xbox
Different situation, same number. Riot’s Valorant Console Guide, updated June 2, 2026, lists no Vanguard steps for consoles at all, so services, drivers and clean boots do not apply there. If a console shows error 57, do what the guide asks for any console problem: close the game fully, restart the console, check the Riot support banner for an outage, and if it persists, open a support ticket through the in-game QR code in the Help menu, including your gamertag or PSN ID and what you were doing when it happened.
Two console facts from the same guide are worth keeping in mind. Console players compete only with other console players, never with PC, and your console rank and MMR are separate from your PC rank. So a PC-side Vanguard failure cannot touch your console account, and the other way round.
Which Valorant codes get mistaken for 57?
Several share the “Vanguard didn’t start” symptom, and Riot handles them differently, which is why the number matters more than the wording on screen.
| Code | Riot’s meaning | Riot’s first step |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | Vanguard not initialized | Restart the Riot Client; if it persists, uninstall Vanguard and restart Valorant |
| 45 | Vanguard reboot required | Same as 44 |
| 57 | PlayerAffinityInitFailure / Vanguard not running | Restart the Riot Client, then the VAN 57 steps |
| 128 and 138 | Connection errors | Restart the PC and client; reinstall Vanguard and Valorant if needed |
| VAN 9001 / 9003 | Windows 11 security settings | Enable Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 |
| 152 | Hardware ban, typically 4 months | Not a technical error |
Codes 44 and 45 are the closest relatives: Riot’s own fix for them is restart, then uninstall Vanguard, which is a shortened version of the 57 routine. VAN 9001 and 9003 look similar but come from Secure Boot or TPM being off in the BIOS, and no amount of service toggling helps (the fix is in the BIOS, not in Windows). Our full list of Valorant error codes covers every entry on Riot’s page, from code 1 to the hardware ban.
What to tell Riot Support about Valorant error code 57
Put simply, list what you already did. Say whether the window showed VAL 57 or VAN 57, whether the Vanguard shield appears in the tray after a restart, and which of the six steps you completed. Riot’s VAN 57 article asks for logs gathered by the Riot Repair Tool, so run it before you submit and attach the result. Does that sound like overkill for a launch error? Maybe, but a ticket with logs skips the “please restart your PC” reply and goes straight to the useful one.
For what it’s worth, most people never reach the ticket stage. A proper restart handles the tray-switch case, the vgc fix handles the optimizer case, and a Vanguard reinstall handles the rest. Start at step 1 and Valorant error code 57 usually gives up before step 4.
FAQ
What does Valorant error code 57 mean?
Riot Vanguard was not running when Valorant started. Riot’s Valorant error list names it PlayerAffinityInitFailure; the Vanguard article calls it VAN 57 and says Vanguard isn’t running or couldn’t start correctly.
Is VAL 57 the same as VAN 57?
They point at the same failure. VAL 57 is reported by the Valorant client, VAN 57 by Vanguard. The fix order is the same: restart the Riot Client, restart the PC, set vgc to Automatic, reinstall Vanguard, clean boot, reinstall Valorant.
Why do I get error 57 after turning Vanguard off in the tray?
Riot states that after disabling Vanguard from the system tray you must restart your computer to re-enable it. Until that restart, Valorant cannot find the Vanguard driver.
Can I get Valorant error code 57 on PS5 or Xbox?
Riot’s console guide lists no Vanguard steps for consoles. If a console shows error 57, restart the console, check the Riot support banner, and submit a ticket through the in-game QR code if it continues.
Does reinstalling Vanguard remove my Valorant skins or rank?
No. Vanguard is only the anti-cheat. Skins, rank, Valorant Points and match history stay on your Riot account.
Do I need the vgc service on Automatic if I use Vanguard Pre-Check?
No. Riot says the vgc service only needs to be set to Automatic when you do not use Vanguard Pre-Check.
