Valorant Keeps Crashing? The 3-Step Vanguard Fix That Stops Most Startup Crashes in 2026

Valorant crashes come in two kinds: silent launches that close before the menu loads, and Vanguard errors with a VAN code that tells you exactly what’s broken. Most crash guides treat them the same and send you through a generic ten-step list. That wastes time. The right approach is to identify which category your crash falls into, then go straight to the fix that matches it.

This guide covers every active VAN error code, the three-step Vanguard service restart that resolves most silent startup failures, and the Intel 13th and 14th Gen CPU voltage issue behind a wave of vgk.sys BSODs that most crash articles miss entirely. If you’re also dealing with Valorant performance issues beyond crashes, our Valorant hub covers settings optimization and common in-game problems.

Verified against Riot’s current support documentation. April 2026.

Diagnose Your Crash Type First

Jumping straight to fixes without identifying the crash type is the most common mistake. Different crashes need entirely different solutions — throwing GPU driver updates at a VAN 9003 error wastes 45 minutes on the wrong problem.

If Valorant shows a VAN error code: jump to Section 4, find your code, and follow the fix directly. If no error appears and the game just closes, start with the Vanguard service sequence below.

The 3-Step Vanguard Service Fix (Silent Startup Crashes)

Vanguard runs as a Windows service called “vgc.” After a Windows update or a fast-boot session, vgc sometimes gets stuck in a broken state—causing Valorant to close silently before displaying any error. This sequence resets the service without reinstalling anything.

Step 1: Press Win + R, type services.msc, press Enter.

Step 2: Scroll to vgc in the service list. Right-click → Properties. Change Startup type to Automatic. Click Apply.

Step 3: Right-click vgc again → Restart. Close Services and relaunch Valorant.

If vgc is already set to Automatic and showing as running, right-click → Stop, wait five seconds, then Start again. A fresh service start clears corrupted initialization state that an update or abrupt shutdown left behind.

Also disable Fast Startup: Control Panel → Power Options → “Choose what the power buttons do” → uncheck “Turn on fast startup.” Fast boot skips a full Windows shutdown cycle, which can leave vgc in a broken state carried over from the previous session. Disabling it adds a few seconds to boot time and often permanently fixes recurring silent crashes.

Quick Start Checklist

Before entering BIOS or starting a reinstall, run this five-point check. Each takes under two minutes and covers the most commonly overlooked causes:

• Vanguard is running — open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), confirm vgc.exe appears in the Processes list
• GPU drivers updated in the last 30 days — check your current version in NVIDIA App or AMD Adrenalin
• Windows is fully updated — Settings → Windows Update, no pending restarts outstanding
• Overclocking software is fully closed — MSI Afterburner, Intel XTU, EVGA Precision X1 must be closed completely, not minimized to tray
• Antivirus is not blocking Vanguard — temporarily disable real-time protection, test launch, then re-enable

All five passing? The crash is BIOS or driver-level. Continue to the section matching your specific error code.

Crash-to-Fix Table — All Active VAN Error Codes

The table below maps every currently active VAN code to its root cause and fix, sourced from Riot’s official support documentation. “Notes” column flags platform-specific behavior and community-reported patterns—treat these as directional, not guarantees, since individual system configurations vary.

BIOS Fixes — VAN 9001, VAN 9003, VAN 9005 (Windows 11)

These three error codes share one root cause: Vanguard cannot verify your system’s security state because Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, or UEFI mode is not configured correctly. Riot’s support documentation confirms these are mandatory requirements for Vanguard to operate on Windows 11.

Check your state before entering BIOS:

1. Press Win, type msinfo32, Enter. Under System Summary: BIOS Mode should read UEFI and Secure Boot State should read On.
2. Press Win + R, type tpm.msc, Enter. Status should say “ready for use” with Specification Version 2.0.

If either check fails, enter BIOS (typically F2, Delete, or F12 at startup—your motherboard splash screen shows the correct key).

VAN 9001 (Secure Boot off): Navigate to the Boot or Security section → set Secure Boot to Enabled, mode to Standard. If CSM (Compatibility Support Module) is present, disable it—CSM allows Legacy boot support that directly conflicts with Secure Boot.

VAN 9003 (TPM 2.0 off): On Intel systems, look for Intel PTT (Platform Trust Technology) under Security settings. On AMD systems, look for AMD fTPM. Enable it and save. No physical hardware upgrade is needed—this is a firmware toggle on most motherboards made after 2017.

VAN 9005 (Legacy BIOS): Switch to UEFI boot mode. Before doing this, confirm your system drive uses GPT partition style, not MBR. Check via Disk Management (Win + X → Disk Management). Switching to UEFI on an MBR-formatted drive will prevent Windows from booting. Riot’s own guidance states: “incorrectly configuring BIOS settings can cause issues with your computer”—consult your motherboard manual or manufacturer’s support if unfamiliar with these settings.

GPU Driver Reset and In-Game Crashes

In-game crashes—freezes or disconnects mid-match—are almost always a GPU driver issue, not Vanguard itself. A full factory reset of your GPU driver state is more effective than a standard update, because driver updates can carry over stale 3D settings from previous versions that trigger crashes under load.

NVIDIA:

1. Right-click desktop → NVIDIA Control Panel.
2. Manage 3D Settings → Restore Defaults. This step is what most guides skip—a clean baseline eliminates setting conflicts.
3. Update to the latest driver via NVIDIA App. Select Custom Installation and check “Perform a clean installation.”

AMD:

1. Open AMD Adrenalin → Settings → search Factory Reset → select Factory Reset – System Settings.
2. Reinstall the latest Adrenalin driver from AMD’s website.

Memory Integrity conflict: If crashes persist after the driver factory reset, open Windows Security → Device Security → Core isolation → Memory Integrity. If it’s On and flagging an incompatible driver, that driver is the crash source. Update or remove the flagged driver (the name is listed in the warning)—then Memory Integrity can stay enabled. Turning Memory Integrity off resolves the crash but reduces your Windows security posture. Treat it as a diagnostic step, not a permanent fix.

Disable overclocking software completely: MSI Afterburner, EVGA Precision X1, and Intel XTU all modify GPU and CPU behavior at a level that can conflict with Vanguard’s kernel monitoring. They must be fully closed—not just minimized to the system tray—before launching Valorant.

Intel 13th and 14th Gen CPU Crashes (vgk.sys BSOD)

If you own an Intel i9-13900K, i7-14700K, or similar 13th or 14th Gen processor and are getting blue screens with a vgk.sys error, the crash is almost certainly not Vanguard’s fault.

These CPUs had a documented voltage delivery problem where motherboard manufacturers applied aggressive default power delivery settings. Under gaming load, the resulting CPU instability causes memory errors that vgk.sys—Vanguard’s kernel-level driver operating at Ring 0—surfaces as a system integrity violation and triggers a BSOD. The kernel driver is detecting the problem, not causing it.

The fix is resetting your BIOS to Intel’s safe power delivery defaults, not reinstalling Vanguard:

• MSI: BIOS → select Intel Default Settings
• ASUS: BIOS → select Intel Baseline Profile
• Gigabyte: BIOS → select Intel BaseLine

Run Valorant for 20+ minutes after the reset. If BSODs stop, aggressive voltage settings were the issue. If blue screens continue, run Windows Memory Diagnostic (mdsched.exe) to check for RAM damage—sustained voltage instability can cause lasting memory faults on affected units.

Full Clean Reinstall — Last Resort

If the VGC restart, BIOS fixes, and driver factory reset haven’t resolved the crash, do a full Vanguard reinstall. Uninstalling Valorant alone does not remove Vanguard—its kernel driver files persist independently on the system.

Step 1: Settings → Apps → search “Riot Vanguard” → Uninstall. Leave Valorant installed for now.

Step 2: Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run these commands:

sc delete vgc
sc delete vgk

Step 3: Navigate to C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard and delete the folder if it still exists.

Step 4: Restart your PC. Launch Valorant—it reinstalls Vanguard automatically on first run.

If the game itself is also corrupted: use the Riot Client’s Repair function (Settings → select VALORANT → Repair) before committing to a full game reinstall. Repair patches corrupted files without redownloading the entire client, which is faster when the issue is file-level rather than installation-level.

Player-Type Priority Guide

Different situations call for different starting points. Skip to the row that matches your setup:

FAQ

Why does Valorant keep crashing after reinstalling?
Reinstalling Valorant does not remove Vanguard—it persists as an independent Windows driver. If crashes continue after a game reinstall, do the full Vanguard clean reinstall (Steps 1–4 above) rather than reinstalling the game again. The issue is the driver, not the game files.

Does Valorant crash more on Windows 11?
Windows 11’s mandatory TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot requirements align with what Vanguard enforces. If your PC upgraded from Windows 10 with those features disabled, VAN 9001 and VAN 9003 errors are nearly guaranteed. Check msinfo32 before doing anything else—it takes 30 seconds and rules out the most common Windows 11 cause.

Should I disable Memory Integrity to fix crashes?
Turning off Memory Integrity often stops the crash, but it weakens your system’s security. The correct fix is updating or removing the incompatible driver that Memory Integrity is flagging in Device Security—the driver name is listed in the warning. Fix the driver, and Memory Integrity stays on.

Is VAN 152 a permanent ban?
VAN 152 is a hardware ban (HWID ban), typically lasting around four months based on community reports. Riot support can review cases—submit a ticket if you believe the ban was issued in error.

Sources

1. Troubleshooting Game Crashes (PC) — Riot Games / VALORANT Support
2. Vanguard Error Codes — Riot Games / VALORANT Support
3. Error Codes in VALORANT — Riot Games / VALORANT Support
4. Troubleshooting VAN 9001, 9003, and 9090 on Windows 11 — Riot Games / VALORANT Support
5. Fix vgk.sys Blue Screen (Valorant BSoD) & Intel CPU Crash — Stellar Info

Michael R.

I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.