Valorant error codes explained: VAN 9001, VAN 9003, VAN 1067 and more

Valorant has two families of error code. VAN codes come from Riot Vanguard, the anti-cheat that has to be running before the game will start. VAL codes come from the game and the Riot Client, and are mostly about logging in and reaching Riot's servers.

The meanings below are taken from Riot's own support articles. A VAN code is nearly always something on your PC. A VAL code is often Riot's side, so check the servers before you reinstall anything.

Is Valorant down?

Check our Valorant status page for live checks and player reports. Riot posts maintenance and incidents for each region on its service status site at status.riotgames.com. Three codes point straight at Riot's servers: VAL 39 (unavailable server, which Riot says is likely maintenance), VAL 46 (planned platform downtime) and VAL 59 (a problem with the login queue). For those, wait and try again later.

VAN 9001, 9003 and 9005: TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot

• VAN 9001: Vanguard requires TPM 2.0 but doesn't detect it as enabled on your PC.
• VAN 9003: Secure Boot isn't enabled. The message reads "This build of Vanguard requires secure boot to be enabled in order to play."
• VAN 9005: Vanguard needs TPM 2.0 and UEFI firmware so it can use Windows' virtualisation-based security. Riot's order of checks is TPM 2.0, then Secure Boot, then Memory Integrity in Windows Security.

Check where you stand before touching the BIOS. Press Windows+R, type tpm.msc and press Enter. You want The TPM is ready for use with Specification Version 2.0. Then press Windows+R again, type msinfo32, and look at two lines: BIOS Mode should say UEFI and Secure Boot State should say On.

If either is off, you turn it on in your PC's firmware settings. In Windows 11 go to Settings, System, Recovery, and choose Restart now next to Advanced startup, then Troubleshoot, Advanced options, UEFI Firmware Settings. TPM is usually listed as Intel PTT or AMD fTPM. Secure Boot is normally on the Boot tab. Riot's Secure Boot guide links to instructions for each motherboard maker.

Two warnings from Riot. If BIOS Mode says Legacy, don't just switch to UEFI: the Windows drive has to be converted from MBR to GPT first or Windows may not start, and that conversion can't be undone, so back up your files. And if your drive uses BitLocker, have your recovery key ready before changing TPM or Secure Boot settings, or you can be locked out of Windows.

Other VAN codes

• VAN 6: Vanguard couldn't confirm your PC is ready to run the game, or hit a problem while starting.
• VAN 68: Vanguard lost the connection or session it needs while the game was launching or running. Riot's first two steps are to restart the PC and to check that Windows' date, time and time zone are correct.
• VAN 1067: Vanguard ran into an unexpected problem while starting or checking in with your system. Riot's list begins with updating Windows, unplugging controllers and running the Riot Client as administrator.
• VAN -81 and VAN 128: Vanguard's service failed to start, or lost its connection. Restart the PC and the Riot Client. If it carries on, reinstall Vanguard and Valorant.
• VAN 138: the game is running inside a virtual machine, which isn't allowed. Install it on a normal Windows PC.
• VAN 152: the device has a hardware ID (HWID) ban. Riot says reinstalling, restarting or changing your connection won't remove it. Riot's Valorant error list says these bans typically last four months. Riot's HWID ban article explains when one can be reviewed.
• VAN 185: a connection error that Riot links to leaving the client running for more than seven days, or being logged in on several devices. Restart, and log out elsewhere.

Fixes for VAN 6, 68 and 1067, in Riot's order

1. Restart your PC. Vanguard loads when Windows starts, so a restart is a real fix here, not a formality.
2. Install all Windows updates, then restart again.
3. Set the Vanguard service to start automatically. Press Windows+R, type services.msc, find vgc, open it and set Startup type to Automatic.
4. Reinstall Vanguard. Uninstall Riot Vanguard from Windows' installed apps list, restart, then open Valorant. The Riot Client installs a fresh copy, and you'll need one more restart.
5. Try a clean boot to find a background program that clashes with Vanguard. Riot's support site links to Microsoft's instructions.
6. Reinstall Valorant if nothing else has worked.

If the error is still there, Riot asks you to submit a ticket to Player Support with your logs attached.

VAL codes from the game and Riot Client

• VAL 5: your account is logged in somewhere else. Log out of all devices.
• VAL 7: couldn't connect to the session service. Riot says to check your email for an account suspension notice, or its status banners for a platform problem.
• VAL 29: a network problem. Allow Valorant through your firewall.
• VAL 43: a system timed out. Restart the Riot Client.
• VAL 44 and 45: Vanguard isn't initialised, or needs a reboot. Restart the Riot Client, then the PC.
• VAL 61: the account is banned from playing Valorant. Only a support ticket can address it.
• VAL 62: the game couldn't find game servers to measure your connection against. Riot treats it as a network problem: restart the Riot Client.

For almost every other VAL number, Riot's listed fix is the same: restart the Riot Client.

Why Valorant cares about TPM and Secure Boot

Vanguard runs at a deeper level of Windows than most anti-cheat software, and it starts when the PC boots. TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are features of the PC itself that let Windows prove it started up without being tampered with. Vanguard checks for them so that cheats can't load before it does. That's why these errors can appear on a PC that has run Valorant for years: nothing broke, but a BIOS update, a reset to default settings or a new motherboard switched one of the features off.

What not to do

• Don't look for ways to run Valorant without Vanguard. There aren't any that work, and tools that claim to do it are a route to a ban or to malware. Riot's fixes involve restarting or reinstalling Vanguard, never bypassing it.
• Don't change BIOS settings you don't recognise. Riot's own guide warns that wrong settings can stop a PC starting, and suggests contacting the PC or motherboard maker if you're unsure.
• Don't turn off AMD fTPM to cure stuttering. Riot's advice for that problem is a BIOS update, because without TPM the game won't launch.
• Don't expect a reinstall to lift VAN 152. It's a ban on the hardware, not a fault.

Riot's error list has a health warning

Riot's main Valorant error-code page currently carries a notice that the list is out of date because of an issue causing some errors to display incorrectly. If your code isn't in this guide, or the fix doesn't match what you see, restart the Riot Client first, then check the banners on Riot's support site for a known problem before trying anything more drastic.

Signs it's Riot and not your PC

You were playing normally, then a VAL code appeared mid-session or at login. Friends in the same region have it too. The Riot Client itself opens but the game won't get past the loading screen. In those cases look at our Valorant status page and Riot's status site. Patch days bring short planned maintenance, and VAL 39 and VAL 46 are the codes Riot uses for it.

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