When Valorant crashes on startup before the login screen or immediately after clicking Play, the problem is almost always tied to one of three things specific to Riot’s architecture: the Vanguard kernel driver failing to initialize, the Riot Client corrupting or miscommunicating with the Unreal Engine 4 game executable, or a conflict between the game’s anti-tamper checks and a running background process. Unlike generic crashes that occur mid-match, startup failures in VALORANT mean the process never reaches a stable state, which narrows your troubleshooting significantly compared to intermittent freezes during a spike at Ascent.
- Likely Causes
- Fix 1: Close Conflicting Overlays and Background Apps
- Fix 2: Verify Game Files Through the Riot Client
- Fix 3: Reset VALORANT Config Files
- Fix 4: Reinstall Vanguard
- Fix 5: Perform a Clean GPU Driver Install
- Fix 6: Disable Fullscreen Optimizations and Set Compatibility
- Fix 7: Enable Secure Boot and TPM in BIOS
- Fix 8: Full Clean Reinstall
- If Nothing Works
- FAQ
Likely Causes
| Cause | How to confirm | Fix difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Vanguard (vgc) service not running | Open Services (services.msc), check that “vgc” is Running | Low |
| Corrupted game files or config | Verify integrity via Riot Client; check %localappdata%\VALORANT\Saved\Config\ | Low |
| Outdated or conflicting GPU drivers | Windows Event Viewer logs display driver errors; crash occurs right after logo | Moderate |
| Overlay software conflict | Discord, Xbox Game Bar, GeForce Experience overlays active simultaneously | Low |
| Secure Boot or BIOS misconfiguration | Vanguard error VAN-9001 or VAN-68 on Windows 11 systems | Moderate |
| Windows Game Mode or fullscreen optimization interference | Crash only on alt-tab or initial launch with borderless window mode | Low |
Fix 1: Close Conflicting Overlays and Background Apps
How to check
Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and look for processes like Discord.exe, GeForceExperience.exe, RazerCortex.exe, or XboxBar.exe. If your crash occurs within seconds of clicking Play in the Riot Client, overlays are a primary suspect because they inject into the game process before Vanguard finishes its handshake.
What to do
Disable in-game overlays individually: in Discord, go to Settings > Game Overlay and toggle it off. For GeForce Experience, open the app and disable the HUD overlay. For Xbox Game Bar, go to Windows Settings > Gaming > Xbox Game Bar and turn off “Open Xbox Game Bar using this button on a controller.” Close Razer Synapse and similar peripheral suites. Then relaunch VALORANT through the Riot Client.
How to undo it
Re-enable each overlay one at a time to identify which specific one caused the conflict, then leave the problematic overlay disabled while restoring the others.
Fix 2: Verify Game Files Through the Riot Client
How to check
Open the Riot Client, click your profile icon, select Settings, choose VALORANT from the game list, and click Verify. This compares your local files against the manifest server.
What to do
Let the verification complete. If the client reports corrupted or missing files (often flagged for VALORANT-Win64-Shipping.exe or .pak files in ShooterGame/Content/Paks/), it will re-download them automatically. After verification, close the client fully from the system tray and relaunch.
How to undo it
Verification is non-destructive and cannot be undone. If the re-download introduced a new problem, you would need to repeat verification or proceed to a full reinstall.
Fix 3: Reset VALORANT Config Files
How to check
Navigate to %localappdata%\VALORANT\Saved\Config\WindowsClient\ and inspect the .ini files for unusual entries. A corrupted GameUserSettings.ini can cause the engine to fail during initialization.
What to do
Fully close the Riot Client and VALORANT. Delete the contents of the WindowsClient folder (not the folder itself). Relaunch the game; Unreal Engine will regenerate default config files. Note that you will lose custom crosshair, sensitivity, and keybind settings.
How to undo it
Before deleting, copy the WindowsClient folder to your desktop. If resetting does not fix the crash, paste the original files back.
Fix 4: Reinstall Vanguard
How to check
Press Win+R, type services.msc, and confirm the “vgc” service is set to Automatic and currently Running. If it shows Stopped or Disabled, or if you see error code VAN-68 or VAN-9001, Vanguard is the culprit.
What to do
Uninstall Vanguard from Windows Settings > Apps > Installed Apps > Vanguard. Reboot. Then launch the Riot Client; it will detect the missing driver and prompt a Vanguard reinstall. Reboot again after installation completes. Do not skip the reboot, because vgc.sys loads during early boot.
How to undo it
Reinstalling Vanguard is idempotent. There is no harmful state to revert. If the new installation still fails, your issue likely extends to BIOS or Windows-level compatibility.
Fix 5: Perform a Clean GPU Driver Install
How to check
Open Windows Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc) > Windows Logs > System and look for display driver warnings (nvlddmkm for NVIDIA, amdkmdag for AMD) timestamped near your crash. Also check %localappdata%\VALORANT\Saved\Logs\VALORANT.log for references to RHI or D3D initialization failures.
What to do
Download DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller). Boot into Safe Mode, run DDU, select “Clean and restart.” Then install the latest driver from NVIDIA or AMD’s installer rather than Windows Update. Choose the Custom/Advanced install option and select “Perform a clean installation” when prompted.
How to undo it
If the newest driver is the problem rather than fixing it, use DDU again and install a previous version you know worked from the manufacturer’s driver archive page.
Fix 6: Disable Fullscreen Optimizations and Set Compatibility
How to check
Navigate to C:\Riot Games\VALORANT\live\ShooterGame\Binaries\Win64\ and right-click VALORANT-Win64-Shipping.exe. Open Properties > Compatibility tab and see whether “Run this program as an administrator” is checked.
What to do
Check “Disable fullscreen optimizations” and “Run this program as an administrator.” Also check “Override high DPI scaling behavior” and set it to Application. Click Apply. Some users on 2026 Windows 11 builds report that the scaling override resolves a race condition in the engine’s render target creation that manifests as an instant startup crash.
How to undo it
Uncheck all boxes in the Compatibility tab and click Apply.
Fix 7: Enable Secure Boot and TPM in BIOS
How to check
Open Windows Settings > Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Device Security and look for “Secure Boot: On.” Also run tpm.msc to confirm the TPM 2.0 module is present and active. If either is off, Vanguard may refuse to initialize on Windows 11, triggering VAN-9001.
What to do
Restart into BIOS/UEFI (typically Del or F2 at boot). Enable Secure Boot. Set TPM to Enabled or Active. Save and exit. On some boards, you must also set CSM/Boot Mode to UEFI rather than Legacy to satisfy Vanguard’s kernel integrity requirements.
How to undo it
Return to BIOS and revert each setting to its previous value. Be aware that disabling Secure Boot may cause other security warnings in Windows.
Fix 8: Full Clean Reinstall
How to check
If none of the above resolved the crash, residual data in C:\Riot Games or the registry may be conflicting. This is your last resort before contacting support.
What to do
Uninstall VALORANT and Vanguard from Windows Settings. Delete the C:\Riot Games folder if it remains. Delete %localappdata%\VALORANT. Open regedit and search for keys referencing Riot Games or VALORANT under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\. Remove them. Reboot. Reinstall Riot Client from the official site, then install VALORANT fresh.
How to undo it
This fix is terminal. There is no rollback short of restoring a system image taken before deletion.
If Nothing Works
Collect your crash logs from %localappdata%\VALORANT\Saved\Logs\ and your Windows Event Viewer dumps, then submit a ticket through the Riot Support portal at the bottom of the Riot Client settings page. Include your full hardware specs, Windows version (build number), and the exact error string that appears. If Vanguard repeatedly fails to load even after a clean reinstall, the problem may be motherboard-specific—some older boards have known UEFI firmware bugs that break Vanguard’s driver signature verification.
FAQ
Why does Valorant crash on startup only after a Windows Update?
Windows feature updates can reset the vgc service to Manual or disable Secure Boot as part of a firmware compatibility change. After any major update, re-check that services.msc shows vgc running and that Device Security confirms Secure Boot is on.
Does Valorant crashing mean my hardware is failing?
Almost never at startup. Hardware failure typically manifests as mid-session freezes or Blue Screens. Startup crashes point to software, driver, or configuration issues rather than physical component degradation.
Can I play Valorant without Vanguard?
No. Vanguard is mandatory and loads at boot before the game even appears in the Riot Client. If Vanguard is uninstalled or disabled, the game will show an error and refuse to launch entirely.
What does the VAL-46 error mean during startup?
VAL-46 indicates the Riot Client lost communication with the game process before the match client initialized. It commonly appears when antivirus software quarantines a game file or when a pending Windows reboot blocks a driver load. Restart your PC first, then check your antivirus exclusion list for the C:\Riot Games directory.
