Valorant Anti-Cheat

What anti-cheat does Valorant use?

Valorant uses Riot Vanguard, a kernel-level anti-cheat that loads a Windows driver with deep system access. Caught cheaters get a hardware (HWID) ban on top of the account ban, and our database rates its detection strength very high. The guide below covers how it detects, what a ban really costs and what kind of build survives.

How Vanguard works in Valorant

Because Vanguard starts with the operating system, it can inspect drivers and memory the moment they load. It can refuse to let the game run if it sees something it distrusts - unsigned drivers, test-signing mode, known cheat patterns. It runs continuously in the background, not just while Valorant is open.

That boot-time, ring-0 vantage point is what makes ordinary external and internal cheats unviable here. The only architectures with a realistic survival window are hardware DMA setups that read memory from a second machine. Even those live and die by how current and quiet they are.

What a Valorant ban actually means

Vanguard bans reach the hardware. A confirmed detection can blacklist hardware identifiers, so a fresh Riot account on the same PC is still locked out. That is why an HWID spoofer is part of the conversation for Valorant in a way it never is for CS2.

Bans are also frequently delivered in waves, so a build can look "safe" for a while and then a batch of accounts and machines drop together. Plan for the hardware cost, not just the account cost.

Detection track record

Valorant sits at the very top of our detection scale - "Very High" - and earns it. Vanguard updates aggressively and has repeatedly closed off cheat methods that worked for months. Public, cheap, or "free" Valorant cheats are detection bait. They are the fastest route to an HWID ban.

The honest framing is that there is no low-risk way to cheat in Valorant. Every method here is a moving target against a vendor that has made anti-cheat a core product. So currency and discretion matter more than in any other title.

Cheating in Valorant safely

If you cheat in Valorant, the realistic path is a current, well-maintained DMA build paired with hardware-ID hygiene. Add a legit playstyle that does not invite manual review. Rage configs and visible aimlock in a ranked lobby are how machines get flagged.

Be clear-eyed: this is the riskiest game we stock cheats for. If avoiding a hardware ban is your priority, a lighter-anti-cheat title is the safer place to cheat. What we list for Valorant is the subset built specifically against Vanguard - check the current status before you buy.

Valorant anti-cheat FAQ

Is Riot Vanguard kernel-level?

Yes. Vanguard installs a kernel-mode driver that starts at boot and runs continuously, which is why Valorant will not launch without it and why it can see far more than VAC.

Does Valorant ban your hardware?

Yes. Vanguard can issue HWID bans that lock the machine, not just the account, so a new account alone is not enough to get back in - this is where an HWID spoofer comes in.

Are free Valorant cheats safe?

No. Public and free Valorant cheats are the most heavily targeted and the quickest path to a hardware ban. Valorant is the highest-risk game on our detection scale.

Sources

Official pages for the systems this guide describes. They are the primary sources for how Vanguard works and how bans are issued; the detection ratings and build guidance are our own editorial assessment, explained in the editorial policy.

• What is Vanguard? - Riot Games Support (opens in a new tab)