Addressing cheating in VALORANT

VALORANT uses many approaches to prevent and address cheating in game.

Vanguard

Our anti-cheat and security software that runs perpetually to block cheat software and detect cheat hardware. 

Bans and punishments

Cheating in game by using auto-clickers, aimbots, and other unauthorized hardware or software that gives players an unfair advantage in game will get that player’s account permanently banned

Queuing with cheaters will get those players banned for 180 days

The best way to report potential cheaters is to do so in-game during or after a match.

Removing support for older, vulnerable versions of Windows

The world has largely moved away from these older systems, including Microsoft itself–Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and some older versions of Windows 10 are no longer supported by Microsoft, which allows cheaters to bypass certain security features that enable us to keep VALORANT safe. It strangles our development time trying to work with deprecated, vulnerable infrastructure. So, to focus the team's energy into more worthy VALORANT and Vanguard tech endeavors, we're removing these older systems from the equation. 

Riot Vanguard Alerts and Reminders

Players on these older versions of Windows will receive the following reminder notifications until they upgrade to a compatible version:

Riot-Vanguard-system-tray.pngVAN9006: This version of Vanguard requires Windows 20H1 or later and may not function as expected

Windows 7/8/8.1

These versions of Windows will no longer be supported starting March 14, 2023.

To upgrade, see https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows10

Windows 10 (Version 1909 and earlier)

We are ending support for the following older Windows 10 Versions (19H2 and earlier), starting December 1, 2023:

Version Codename Build
1803 Redstone 4 17134
1809 Redstone 5 17763
1903 19H1 18362
1909 19H2 18363

We ended support for the following older Windows 10 Versions (Redstone 3 and earlier), starting November 28, 2022: 

Version Codename Build
1507 Threshold 10240
1511 Threshold 2 10586
1607 Redstone 14393
1703 Redstone 2 15063
1709 Redstone 3 16299

For context, see Windows 10 version history (Wikipedia).

Where to find your Windows 10 version number

How to update Windows 10 

Was this article helpful?

Can’t find what you’re looking for?

From tech to tilt, we're here to help you! Submit a Ticket! So long as it doesn't fall through a portal, we'll get back to you soon.

/ Submit a Ticket
Powered by Zendesk