How Good Is Vanguard Anti Cheat

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Here is a comprehensive post about Riot Vanguard anti-cheat, its effectiveness, and a step-by-step guide for understanding and managing it.

How Good is Vanguard Anti-Cheat? A Deep Dive into Riot's Game Security System

Hey, fellow gamers! Have you ever been in a match, whether it's the intense tactical combat of Valorant or the strategic battles of League of Legends, and suddenly a player seems to be hitting every single shot with inhuman precision or has an uncanny awareness of the entire map? That sinking feeling in your gut when you suspect cheating is something we've all experienced. It ruins the competitive spirit and makes you question the integrity of the game. That's exactly why Riot Games developed Riot Vanguard, their custom-built anti-cheat system. But how good is it, really? Is it a digital superhero, or does it have a dark side? Let's break it down, step by step.

Step 1: Understanding What Vanguard Is (and Why It's Controversial)

First things first, let's get to the heart of the matter. You've probably heard the term "kernel-level anti-cheat" thrown around. This is the most crucial aspect of Riot Vanguard.

What is a kernel-level driver? Think of your computer's operating system (like Windows) as a city. The user-level applications you interact with every day—your browser, your games, your music player—are like the city's residents. The kernel is the city's governing body, the core that manages everything, from traffic to resources. It has the highest level of privilege and access to all hardware and software. A kernel-level driver operates at this "governing body" level.
Why does Vanguard use it? Cheats, especially the most sophisticated ones, often operate at the kernel level to hide from traditional anti-cheat software that runs at a lower privilege level. By having Vanguard also run at the kernel level, Riot is essentially giving it the same level of access as these cheats, allowing it to detect and block them more effectively. It can see everything happening on your system from the moment you boot your computer.
The controversy: This deep level of access has been a massive point of contention. Many users feel it's an invasion of privacy. The idea that a program is running at the highest level of your system at all times, even when you're not playing a Riot game, makes some people very uncomfortable. It's like having a security guard in your house who never leaves, even when you're sleeping. While Riot insists they only use this access to monitor for cheats and are fully compliant with privacy laws, the potential for misuse, or a security vulnerability being exploited, is a major concern for the tech-savvy community.

Step 2: The Core Functionality - How Vanguard Works

Now that we know what it is, let's look at how it works to combat cheating.

Sub-heading: The Proactive and Reactive Approach

Always-on Monitoring: Vanguard starts with your PC. Unlike other anti-cheat systems that only activate when you launch a game, the Vanguard client and its kernel-mode driver are active from the moment your computer boots up. This is a key part of its proactive strategy, allowing it to prevent cheats from ever loading in the first place. It checks for known vulnerabilities and suspicious software from the start.
Real-time Detection: When you're in a game, Vanguard is constantly monitoring for patterns of cheating. This isn't just about detecting a known cheat signature; it's about analyzing player behavior and system interactions in real-time. If it detects a cheat, it can immediately terminate the game and ban the player, sometimes even in the middle of a match. This is a significant deterrent for "blatant" cheaters who use aimbots or wallhacks.
Hardware and Account Bans: Vanguard doesn't just ban your account; it can also ban your hardware. It identifies unique hardware IDs, making it incredibly difficult for a cheater to simply create a new account and jump back into the game. This is a powerful tool against repeat offenders.

Sub-heading: The Effectiveness

So, with all this firepower, is it effective? The anecdotal evidence from the Valorant community, in particular, suggests that it is one of the most effective anti-cheat systems in the industry. Compared to games with less intrusive anti-cheat, the number of blatant cheaters in Valorant is reportedly much lower. Riot has also publicly shared statistics about the millions of accounts they have banned, a testament to Vanguard's aggressive approach. However, it's not perfect. No anti-cheat ever will be.

Blatant Cheats are rare: Spin-bots and obvious aim-bots are almost non-existent in high-level play due to Vanguard's quick detection.
Subtle Cheats Exist: While blatant cheating is minimized, subtle cheating like low-key wallhacks or trigger bots that are harder to detect still exist, and there are discussions on Reddit and other forums about cheaters who have managed to reach high ranks.
The "Ban Wave" Strategy: Riot also uses ban waves, where they allow cheaters to continue playing for a period to gather more data on their cheat programs before banning a large group of them all at once. This makes it harder for cheat developers to figure out exactly what was detected.

Step 3: Navigating and Managing Vanguard

Even with its power, you can manage Vanguard on your system.

Sub-heading: How to See if it's Running

You'll know Vanguard is running because you'll see a small red V icon in your system tray (the area on the right side of your Windows taskbar).

Sub-heading: How to Temporarily Disable It

If you want to play a non-Riot game that might have a conflict with Vanguard or simply want to close it, you can.

Right-click the Vanguard icon in your system tray.
Select "Exit Vanguard."
You will get a warning that you won't be able to play Riot games without restarting your computer. Click "Yes" to confirm.

Important Note: You must restart your computer to reactivate Vanguard and play any Riot game. Simply launching the game won't work.

Sub-heading: How to Uninstall It

If you've decided you no longer want to play Riot games and wish to completely remove Vanguard from your system, here is a guide.

Open the Control Panel: Search for "Control Panel" in the Windows search bar and open it.
Go to "Programs": Click on "Uninstall a program" under the "Programs" heading.
Find Riot Vanguard: Scroll through the list of installed programs and find "Riot Vanguard."
Uninstall: Right-click on it and select "Uninstall." Follow the on-screen prompts.
Restart Your PC: After the uninstallation is complete, it is critical that you restart your computer to fully remove the kernel-level driver.

Step 4: Troubleshooting Common Vanguard Issues

Sometimes, Vanguard can cause issues with your PC, from game crashes to blue screens of death (BSOD). Here are some steps to troubleshoot.

Sub-heading: The VGC Service

Vanguard relies on a service called 'vgc'. If this service isn't running, you'll encounter errors.

Open Services: Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
Type services.msc and hit Enter.
Find 'vgc': In the Services window, find the 'vgc' service.
Check Status: Make sure its status is set to "Running" and the Startup type is "Automatic." If not, right-click, go to "Properties," and change the settings.
Restart: If it's already running, you can try right-clicking and selecting "Restart."

Sub-heading: TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot

With the advent of Windows 11, Riot has introduced requirements for TPM 2.0 and UEFI Secure Boot. If you're on Windows 11 and getting an error code related to Vanguard (like VAN 57 or VAN 9001), you likely need to enable these settings in your BIOS.

Enter BIOS: The method for this varies by motherboard manufacturer, but it usually involves pressing a key like Del, F2, F10, or F12 as your PC boots up.
Find Security Settings: Navigate to the "Security" or "Boot" section of your BIOS.
Enable TPM and Secure Boot: Find "Trusted Platform Module (TPM)" and "Secure Boot" and enable them.
Save and Exit: Save your changes and exit the BIOS. Your PC will restart.

10 Related FAQs: Quick Answers

How to check if Riot Vanguard is running? Look for the red V icon in your system tray on the taskbar.
How to uninstall Riot Vanguard completely? Go to Control Panel -> Programs and Features -> Uninstall a program, find "Riot Vanguard," and uninstall it. Remember to restart your PC afterward.
How to fix Vanguard if it's causing my PC to crash? Try restarting the 'vgc' service as described in Step 4. If the problem persists, reinstalling Vanguard or checking for conflicting software is recommended.
How to enable TPM 2.0 for Vanguard on Windows 11? Access your PC's BIOS/UEFI settings during startup and enable the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) and Secure Boot options in the security or boot menu.
How to play Riot games without Vanguard? You cannot. Riot Vanguard is a mandatory component for playing games like Valorant and League of Legends.
How to know if Vanguard is spying on me? Riot has stated that Vanguard only monitors for cheating and complies with privacy laws. While it has deep system access, there is no public evidence to suggest it is collecting personal data unrelated to the game.
How to fix Vanguard error VAN 57? This error often indicates a Vanguard connection issue. Try restarting the 'vgc' service, running the Riot client as an administrator, or reinstalling Vanguard.
How to check if my PC supports Vanguard? Vanguard is supported on 64-bit versions of Windows 10 (Build 19041+) and Windows 11. For Windows 11, you need TPM 2.0 and UEFI Secure Boot enabled.
How to resolve conflicts between Vanguard and other software? Disable any third-party antivirus or security software temporarily to see if the conflict is resolved. You may need to add Vanguard and Riot games to your antivirus's whitelist.
How to report a cheater in Valorant if Vanguard doesn't catch them? Use the in-game reporting system. Even if Vanguard doesn't catch a subtle cheat, player reports are a crucial part of the detection process, leading to a review and potential ban.

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