Riot Vanguard FAQ (League of Legends)

What is Vanguard?

Riot Vanguard is Riot Games’ custom game security software, designed to uphold the highest levels of competitive integrity for our offerings. It consists of a client that runs while League of Legends is active and a kernel mode driver.

The client and the driver of Riot Vanguard were developed in-house with a priority on both game safety and personal computer safety. We’ve made this commitment through extensive testing and by reviewing the product internally and with external security audits by industry experts.

Our commitment to safety includes honoring your privacy. Riot Vanguard was made with Riot Games' dedication to data privacy specifically in mind, and we worked with our legal and compliance teams to ensure it adheres to regional data privacy laws. Specifics on what data we use and collect are available here.

With all that in mind, we've prioritized making Vanguard's integration with your computer transparent and controllable while maintaining all its security features. That's why you'll be able to find Riot Vanguard's icon in your System Tray to see when it's running. You'll also be able to turn it off by right-clicking that icon and selecting Exit Vanguard if it's interfering with any of your computer's other processes. Additionally, you can uninstall Vanguard by selecting More… followed by Uninstall Vanguard. For more details, check out our guide uninstalling and disabling Vanguard. Just know that Vanguard must be running to use League of Legends, so disabling/uninstalling it will prevent you from playing.

When it's running, Vanguard will inform you what vulnerable vectors are being affected through a Windows notification.

Why is Vanguard coming to League of Legends?

Fair play is vital to any competitive pastime, and League is no exception. While we've always worked to stay ahead of scripters, bots, and bot-leveled accounts, this became particularly challenging after the security breach in early 2023. The problem was further exacerbated by League's continued support in some operating systems that no longer received security updates from their developers.

Given these issues along with Vanguard's success in VALORANT, we determined bringing this software over to League was the best way to protect the player experience.

Can I still play League if I disable or uninstall Vanguard?

To ensure the integrity of players’ games, Riot Vanguard must be active during League of Legends gameplay and any time the League Client is open. Attempting to uninstall, exit, or interact with Riot Vanguard in an unsanctioned way will prevent you from playing the game.

Should you wish to uninstall Riot Vanguard, you should consult the Uninstalling or Disabling Riot Vanguard guide. Please keep in mind that uninstalling League of Legends will not uninstall Riot Vanguard if you also have VALORANT installed, as VALORANT also requires Vanguard. Vanguard will only be automatically removed if you uninstall all software that requires it.

Finally, Riot Vanguard is an on-boot application. That means if you do choose to disable it and later decide you’d like to play League of Legends, you will have to restart your computer.

Do I need Vanguard if I'm only playing Teamfight Tactics (TFT) on PC?

Yes—Vanguard works in tandem with the League Client, so it will need to be running for Teamfight Tactics PC as well. 

I'm getting a Vanguard error and can't play League of Legends

If your PC is found to be too vulnerable (e.g., because of outdated Windows or specific configurations that make it susceptible to unfair third-party applications), you may be restricted from playing League of Legends. If that happens and you're getting a Vanguard-related error when booting League, there may be adjustments you can make to your system that will allow Vanguard to work properly and thus enable you to continue playing. We also have a list of possible Vanguard error codes and their solutions that should have what you need to get back in the game.

If you've gone through this checklist and tried the solution to your error code but still can't run League, make sure you've completed any required Windows Updates. If your computer is up-to-date, then try a full reboot. Should that not resolve the issue, perform a clean re-install of League of Legends/Vanguard.

Still need help? Our agents are standing by.