Riot Vanguard

By Riot Games · Kernel-level · In use since 2020 · Uses a kernel driver

Vanguard is a kernel-mode anti-cheat that loads at Windows boot through the vgc.exe service and the vgk.sys driver. Because the driver is active before any user-space software, the fingerprint snapshot is taken in a state where most runtime tampering tools cannot intervene. Riot has stated publicly that hardware bans are permanent, machine-bound and not subject to expiration.

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Restriction tiers

Account suspension
Time-limited or permanent restriction on the Riot account itself.
Hardware (HWID) ban
Restriction matched against the device fingerprint; affects every Riot account on the same machine.
Cross-title application
A Vanguard restriction in Valorant typically also applies to League of Legends and vice versa.

What it checks

How Riot Vanguard looks for cheats, as far as this is publicly known.

Kernel driver (vgk.sys) loaded at boot via the vgc.exe service
Continuous integrity monitoring while Windows is running
Memory and signature scanning of running processes
Behavioural detection layered on top of signature matches
Cross-title correlation between Valorant and League of Legends

Identifiers it can use

Data that can tie a ban to your device rather than only to your account.

SMBIOS values: system UUID, board serial, chassis serial, BIOS version
Disk drive serial numbers across NVMe, SATA and external storage
CPU identifiers exposed via CPUID
MAC addresses of physical network adapters
TPM 2.0 endorsement key and platform certificate
Windows MachineGUID, hardware profile GUID and computer SID

Points an appeal can make

Arguments that can matter in an appeal, depending on your facts.

Establish ownership chain and primary-user evidence for shared-household devices
Document the install timeline of any flagged third-party utility versus the date of the action
Submit a GDPR Art. 15 access request to surface the underlying signal where the account is held by an EU resident
Where applicable, raise DSA Art. 17 / 20 / 21 to require a reasoned decision and an internal complaint route

How appeals are handled

Where appeals go and what to expect from the process.

Riot publishes a single appeal channel; multiple submissions on the same account often produce template denials
Internal review windows are not published; expect a multi-week process
EU residents retain their statutory rights regardless of the publisher policy

Evidence to collect

Keep these before you send anything to the publisher.

Full publisher notice (screenshot and raw text)
Inventory of overlay, capture and driver software with versions and install dates
DXDiag report and Vanguard log directory
Account purchase receipts and original payment-method statement

Games that use Riot Vanguard

This page summarises public information. Anti-cheat vendors do not publish every detail of how their systems work, so read it as background, not as an explanation of how your own case was decided.

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