For the Valorant VAN 9003 error, check Secure Boot first. Riot's support page says the code means Secure Boot is not enabled, so open msinfo32, confirm that Secure Boot State reads On, and switch it on in your BIOS if it does not. If the code is VAN 9001, the cause is TPM 2.0 not being detected as enabled, so check tpm.msc and turn on Intel PTT or AMD fTPM in the BIOS. Every other VAN code is in the table below with the cause and first fix that Riot states, all as of September 30, 2026. Riot edits these articles regularly, so read the date as a snapshot rather than a guarantee.
VAN codes, Riot's stated cause and the first fix
| Error code | Cause stated by Riot | First fix |
|---|---|---|
| VAN 9003 | Secure Boot is not enabled. The message says this build of Vanguard requires secure boot in order to play. | Check in msinfo32 that BIOS Mode is UEFI and Secure Boot State is On; if not, set Secure Boot to Enabled in the BIOS |
| VAN 9001 · VAN 9090 | 9001: TPM 2.0 is not detected as enabled. 9090: the TPM was recently cleared and must be reinitialized. | Check tpm.msc, turn on Intel PTT or AMD fTPM in the BIOS, save, restart and relaunch |
| VAN 9005 | Virtualization-based Security (VBS) needs TPM 2.0 and UEFI-compliant firmware. | Enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, check that Memory Integrity is running correctly, and restart after each change |
| VAN 9002 | Control Flow Guard (CFG) is disabled in Windows Exploit Protection. | Set the seven items Riot lists (CFG, DEP, ASLR options, SEHOP, heap integrity) to Use default, remove Riot Games and Riot Vanguard from Program settings, then reboot |
| VAN 9004 · VAN 9006 | Vanguard requires Windows 10 20H1 or newer. | Install all available Windows updates and restart |
| VAN 9101 | Attestation failure: Vanguard could not fully verify the current state of the PC. | Update graphics, chipset and storage drivers through the manufacturer's official software, unplug unneeded USB devices and restart, then try a clean boot |
| VAN 9100 | Vanguard detected a virtual machine or another unsupported virtualized environment. | Use a standard Windows install; if it persists, uninstall Vanguard manually, restart and relaunch to reinstall |
| VAN: STATUS_SB_POLICY | The Secure Boot policy could not be verified, even when Secure Boot looks enabled. | Reset the Secure Boot keys to factory defaults per Riot's Secure Boot guide; if it persists, collect logs with the Riot Repair Tool and submit a ticket |
| VAN: INCOMPATIBLE SOFTWARE · INCOMPATIBLE OEM DRIVER · STATUS_VMD_9001 | Software or a driver that conflicts with Vanguard's security requirements, or an Intel VMD/RST controller error. | Note the file path in the error, uninstall the software behind it and restart; for drivers, replace them as Riot describes, such as a compatible Intel RST driver |
| VAN 0 · 6 · 57 · 84 · 135 · 2266 | Vanguard could not verify the PC is ready or had trouble starting or initializing; for 57, Vanguard is not running or did not start correctly. | Windows update, vgc service to Automatic, reinstall Vanguard, clean boot, reinstall the game; check each code's page for its exact order |
| VAN 68 · 185 · 1067 · -81 | Labeled a connection error by Riot: a lost session or connection, or an unexpected problem while Vanguard starts and checks in; for -81, Vanguard has trouble starting, staying connected or confirming everything is ready. | Start with restart and Windows time settings (68 and -81), minimum requirements and unplugging controllers (185), or Windows update and unplugging USB devices (1067) |
| VAN 25 · 59 · 128 · 193 | Unexpected Vanguard error that closes the client; 193 is trouble starting or communicating with Riot Client. | 25 and 128: restore Windows security settings to normal; 59: fully restart Riot Client; 193: close duplicate Riot Client instances, restart, then set vgc to Automatic |
The short answer: is the code a named setting or a launch failure?
Start by copying the exact code from the error window, including the VAN prefix. Then decide whether Riot's articles tie that code to a specific system condition or treat it as a launch failure. Codes such as VAN 9003, 9001, 9005, 9090, 9002 and 9004 point to Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, Windows exploit protection or the Windows version, so changing that setting is the fix. Low-numbered codes such as VAN 0, 6, 57, 84 and 135 mean Vanguard could not start or could not verify the PC, so they do not narrow down to a single setting; find the matching row in the table above, then open your own code's page from the Vanguard Error Codes index and follow its numbered list, because Riot orders the steps a little differently for each code. Nothing here is based on frequency statistics; it follows the order in which Riot lists the causes.
Fix steps in order
- 1Check UEFI and Secure Boot in msinfo32 — Press Windows key+R, run msinfo32, and look for BIOS Mode = UEFI and Secure Boot State = On. If you are on UEFI and it is off, open the Boot tab in your BIOS, set Secure Boot to Enabled, then save and exit (usually F10). If BIOS Mode says Legacy and the disk is MBR, Riot describes an mbr2gpt conversion with strict conditions: Windows 10 v1703 or later, no more than three partitions, a 64-bit OS, BitLocker or other encryption off, no dual boot, UEFI support in the BIOS, and Secure Boot disabled. In an administrator Command Prompt run mbr2gpt /validate /allowFullOS and then mbr2gpt /convert /allowFullOS, do not reboot in between, and go straight into the BIOS to switch the boot mode to UEFI and disable CSM. Because this touches your disk, back up important files first; this is a general precaution, not a step from Riot's documentation. Re-open msinfo32 afterward to confirm UEFI and On.
- 2Check TPM 2.0 in tpm.msc — Press Windows key+R, run tpm.msc, and look for The TPM is ready for use with Specification Version 2.0. If it is not, go into the BIOS; for Windows 11 Riot lists Settings > System > Recovery > Advanced startup > Restart Now, or pressing Del, F2 or F10 at boot. On Intel systems set Intel Platform Trust Technology (PTT) to Enabled; on AMD systems set AMD fTPM switch or TPM Device Selection to AMD CPU fTPM (Firmware TPM). Save with F10 and verify again in tpm.msc. Menu locations differ between motherboards.
- 3Install every Windows update — VAN 9004 and 9006 mean Vanguard needs Windows 10 20H1 or newer, and the VAN 135 and VAN 1067 articles also start with Windows updates. Install everything that is available, restart, and try to launch Valorant again. Testing after each step tells you which one actually solved it.
- 4Set the vgc service to Automatic — Press Windows key+R, run services.msc, find vgc, double-click it and set Startup type to Automatic. If Service status shows Stopped, click Start, then Apply and OK, and restart the computer. If Vanguard Pre-Check is enabled, Vanguard launches on demand instead of when Windows starts.
- 5Uninstall and reinstall Vanguard — Right-click the Riot Vanguard icon in the system tray and choose Advanced > Uninstall Vanguard, or press the Windows key and use Add or Remove programs to remove Riot Vanguard. Restart, then launch the Riot Client or Valorant and Vanguard installs itself again. If it will not go away, run sc delete vgc and sc delete vgk in an administrator Command Prompt, restart, and delete the leftover Riot Vanguard folder under Program Files on the C drive. Riot notes that most Riot games cannot start without Vanguard.
- 6Run a clean boot — Press Windows key+R, run msconfig, open the Services tab, tick Hide all Microsoft services and click Disable All. Then tick the vgc box again, click Apply and OK, and restart. Afterward only Vanguard should remain active, though Riot points out that antivirus and networking software may ignore a clean boot. If the game starts in this state, one of the programs you disabled is a likely cause.
- 7Delete vgkbootstatus.dat — This step appears in Riot's VAN 193 article. Close the game and Riot Client, open File Explorer, go to the Windows folder on the C drive, search for vgkbootstatus.dat and delete it, approving the permission prompt. It is the first step in Vanguard's launch sequence, so deleting it forces a fresh copy. Restart and try again.
- 8Reinstall the game — If the same code keeps returning after everything above, reinstall the game, which is the last step in many of Riot's launch-error articles. If that fails too, move on to the checklist below and contact Riot support.
If it still fails, check these
- I wrote down the full code from the error window and searched it with Ctrl+F in Riot's Vanguard Error Codes index.
- msinfo32 shows UEFI and Secure Boot On, and tpm.msc shows TPM 2.0 ready for use.
- I restarted and relaunched the game after every single step to see what changed.
- I am on a regular Windows install rather than a virtual machine, VPN and proxy are off, and I checked the software named by the file path in the error.
- If STATUS_SB_POLICY appears while Secure Boot is on, I reset the Secure Boot keys to factory defaults.
- If everything is tried, or the code is not in the index, I submit a Riot support ticket with logs attached.
When you want a video of the problem
DOR is a Windows app that records full Valorant matches automatically and cuts kill and round highlights into clips. It does not fix or avoid Vanguard errors, and because recording starts once the game is running, you should not expect it to capture an error window that appears before launch. Where it helps is trouble that shows up later, inside a match: a disconnect or odd behavior is easier to explain to support with a recording of the whole match, and if you use the microphone, you can talk through what you saw alongside the game sound. See Valorant recording with DOR for what the app supports, and how to clip Valorant for turning a match into a short clip. If the game itself crashes or freezes once recording is on, the step-by-step fix for crashes or freezes while recording covers that separate case.
Official sources and check date
Checked against Riot's support articles on September 30, 2026. Search your exact code in Vanguard Error Codes, read Error VAN 9003 for the Secure Boot message, and follow the Secure Boot guide for the msinfo32 and BIOS steps. Riot changes these pages, so re-check the original if a step no longer matches your screen.
