Riot Vanguard was unleashed to League of Legends (LoL) players worldwide in an ongoing effort to rid Summoner’s Rift of cheaters. However, per an official post from the developers, the release of this custom game security software has caused concern and confusion for some gamers, primarily due to the spread of misinformation.
Take a seat, champions of Runeterra, and learn all about Riot Vanguard, how the anti-cheat functions, its impact on LoL, privacy concerns, and even how to uninstall it.
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LoL Vanguard: All You Need To Know
What Is Riot Vanguard?
Riot Vanguard is anti-cheat software developed in-house by Riot Games, first released with the launch of VALORANT on June 2, 2020. In May 2024, the developer added the kernel-level anti-cheat software to LoL and Teamfight Tactics (TFT). This dealt a massive blow to cheaters, including those who use unsanctioned third-party software or scripts to give themselves an advantage.
Created to “uphold the highest levels of competitive integrity,” Riot Vanguard starts running as soon as you boot up your computer and it passively monitors your operating system. Active monitoring for any cheating software occurs when you run LoL, TFT, VALORANT, or just the Riot Client.
The goal is to clean up Summoner’s Rift by preventing scripting, botting, and any other advantage bad actors aim to achieve. With Riot Vanguard, accounts of those using unsavory programs can get slapped with a permanent ban. Plus, the device fingerprinting feature means that bad actors can’t just buy another account. Instead, they can get banned on a hardware level, requiring the purchase of a new PC or laptop.
According to the developer, “almost thirty” people are working on Riot Vanguard. That’s a massive increase from the three people working on the in-house anti-cheat software when it all began back in 2014. Riot Games says the team’s success is because of the “raw, unrelenting effort” in the fight against cheaters.
When Did Riot Add Vanguard To LoL?
Riot Games first added Vanguard to LoL only in the Philippines on April 17, 2024, with the release of patch 14.8. After ensuring everything worked as intended, Riot Vanguard rolled out to all other regions with patch 14.9 on May 1, 2024.
How Does Vanguard Impact LoL? Is It Safe?
To the best of our knowledge, Riot Vanguard is safe to use. After all, Riot Games has already handled the fight against cheaters in VALORANT by using Vanguard as their weapon of choice.
Please note: Thunderpick is not responsible for any issues from installing any software, including Riot Vanguard and LoL.
At the start of this guide, we called Riot Vanguard “kernel-level anti-cheat software.” While the term anti-cheat is obvious, many gamers may not know what it means when an anti-cheat is “kernel-level.” Riot Vanguard consists of a kernel driver and a client running while LoL is active on a PC.
The most basic explanation of a kernel-level anti-cheat is that the software runs at the deepest level of security on your operating system. It can and will detect cheat programs on your computer and take action with its full security authority.
How To Fix LoL Vanguard Errors
Some gamers on Windows 11 may run into a Vanguard-related error (VAN9001) while launching LoL. To fix this issue, you must enable Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0, a security technology for Windows 11. Thankfully, Riot Games has you covered with a guide on enabling TMP 2.0, thereby fixing the VAN9001 error. Some gamers are also running into a VAN 128 error. Check out Riot Games’ VAN 128 error code troubleshooting guide.
The other negative impact is that Linux gamers can’t play LoL anymore. Riot Vanguard does not function on Linux, and you can’t play LoL without the anti-cheat running, which brings us to the next section of this guide.
What About Privacy Concerns?
While Riot Vanguard may not bother a majority of players, some have an issue with what they consider an “invasion of privacy.” Riot Games explained its commitment to user safety and privacy in a FAQ about Vanguard in LoL, stating:
“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.”
Want to know more? Do some further reading and research, including learning about Riot Games’ stance on protecting player data and the specifics on how they use and collect data via the official Privacy Policy.
How To Disable And Uninstall Vanguard
First and foremost, you need to remember that if you disable, turn off, install, or even interact with Riot Vanguard in “an unsanctioned way,” it will prevent you from playing LoL. The anti-cheat must be running unhindered while you play the game.
With the disclaimer out of the way, you can temporarily disable Riot Vanguard, essentially turning it off, by heading to your Windows desktop, right-clicking on its System Tray icon, and then clicking on “Exit Vanguard.” If you want to enable the anti-cheat again, just restart your PC.
To completely uninstall Riot Vanguard from your Windows 10 or Windows 11 device, follow the steps below:
- On your taskbar, click the “Windows” icon or press the “Windows” key on your keyboard.
- Type in the following: “Add or remove programs,” and then press the Enter key.
- Find “Riot Vanguard” in the list of apps, or use the search function to locate it.
- Click on “Riot Vanguard” and then click on “Uninstall.”
- Click “Yes” to allow the app to make changes to your device, then click “Yes” again on the following prompt to uninstall Riot Vanguard.
There are ways to manually remove the anti-cheat software, which requires more technical knowledge. To dive into your PC’s system files, check out developer Riot Games’ complete guide to uninstalling Vanguard.
You can also uninstall the LoL client, which will automatically uninstall Riot Vanguard. The caveat is that Riot Vanguard will only uninstall with LoL if no other programs on your computer require the anti-cheat software. For example, if you have VALORANT installed and you uninstall LoL, Riot Vanguard won’t automatically uninstall.
Closing Thoughts On Riot Vanguard: Your Ally In Fair Play
More than just an anti-cheat tool, Vanguard is Riot’s commitment to preserving the integrity of their games. By understanding how Vanguard operates, from its kernel-level monitoring to its privacy safeguards, you may start to appreciate it over time. While some players have concerns about privacy and system compatibility, the benefits of a cheat-free Summoner’s Rift are undeniable.
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