Valorant is Riot Games’ free-to-play 5v5 tactical shooter. It runs on Windows PC with Riot’s Vanguard anti-cheat, and on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Riot’s playvalorant.com is what the panel above tests. A remote server requests it and returns the status, the latency and the certificate it saw.
Vanguard first, servers second
On PC, a large share of Valorant problems never reach Riot’s servers. Vanguard must start with Windows and verify the system before the game is allowed to connect. When it fails, the client shows a VAN error and the game looks offline, even though Riot is fine.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| VAN 9001 | TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot is off on Windows 11 | Turn both on in the UEFI settings |
| Vanguard not initialized | PC not restarted after install or update | Restart Windows |
| VAN error after a Windows update | Vanguard service stopped or blocked | Restart, then reinstall Vanguard |
| Riot Client cannot sign in | Riot account service problem or network block | Check the result above and Riot’s status page |
| Stuck in queue for a long time | Matchmaking slow in your region or rank | Wait, or check the status page for your region |
What playvalorant.com tells you
A reachable result means Riot’s official Valorant site is up. Matches, sign-in and the store run on separate services and regional shards, so a working website does not prove that your region is healthy. A slow or unreachable result is a stronger sign of a wider Riot issue.
For the game itself, open status.riotgames.com, select Valorant and your region. Riot lists maintenance and incidents there, and they often affect only one region.
Getting back into matches
- Restart the PC
This is the one fix that solves most Vanguard errors, because the anti-cheat loads at boot.
- Run the Riot Client as administrator once
This lets it repair its own files and the Vanguard service.
- Repair the game
In the Riot Client, open the Valorant settings and use the repair option to fix damaged files.
- Check the firmware settings
On Windows 11, confirm that TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are enabled in the UEFI setup.
- Use a cable
A tactical shooter is unforgiving of packet loss; a wired connection removes the most common local cause of lag and drops.
Patch days and new seasons
Riot releases Valorant patches on a regular schedule, and each one usually comes with a short maintenance window in which the game is offline in a given region. The start of a new act or season brings larger updates and busier servers. Evenings and weekends in each region are the normal peak for ranked queues.
On console, add the platform network to the list of things to check. PlayStation Network or Xbox network trouble blocks sign-in before Riot’s services are even reached, and the error looks the same to the player. If PC friends can play and console friends cannot, the console network is the first suspect. If nobody in your region can play, the Riot status page usually confirms it within minutes.
Reading the VAN codes
The number after VAN is the most useful clue a Valorant player gets, so write it down before you click anything. Two codes come up again and again.
VAN -81 shows up when Riot Vanguard has trouble starting, staying connected or confirming that it is ready while the game launches. Riot has a support page on the VAN -81 error, and its first advice is the obvious one: fully restart the Riot Client and the PC.
VAN 9001, along with its relatives VAN 9003 and VAN 9090, belongs to Windows 11 and points to the security features Vanguard requires there, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot. The fix sits in the PC’s firmware settings, not in the game. One warning before you change anything: if the drive uses BitLocker encryption, switching Secure Boot or TPM options can make Windows ask for the BitLocker recovery key at the next start. Find that key in your Microsoft account first.
Neither code means Riot’s servers are down. They are local by nature, which is why a friend on the same internet connection can play while your PC cannot.
The Riot Client between you and the game
Valorant starts through the Riot Client, which also handles the Riot account sign-in and patching for Riot’s other PC games. If the client itself will not sign in, every Riot game on that PC fails together, and the cause is the account service or your connection rather than Valorant. A client that signs in but cannot download a patch often has a security program or a full drive in its way. When the client, the website and status.riotgames.com all look fine and only your machine fails, the routine in the guide on checking whether a problem is just yours or everyone’s helps you rule out the home network before you reinstall.
Official Valorant help
- Valorant Supportsupport.riotgames.com
- Riot Games Support on X@RiotSupport
- Valorant on X@PlayVALORANT
Questions about Valorant
What does VAN 9001 mean in Valorant?
VAN 9001 appears on Windows 11 when the PC does not meet Vanguard's security requirements, usually because TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot is turned off in the BIOS or UEFI settings. It is a local setting, not a server outage. Turn both on in the firmware settings, restart, and launch the game again.
Why do I get a VAN error even though my internet works?
VAN errors come from Vanguard, Riot's anti-cheat, which must be running before the game connects. A recent Windows update, a disabled service or a blocked driver can stop it. Restart the PC so Vanguard can load at boot, and reinstall Vanguard if the error repeats.
Why does Valorant need a restart after installing?
Vanguard's kernel driver starts when Windows boots. After a fresh install or a Vanguard update, the game will not run until the PC has been restarted once. The tray icon shows whether Vanguard is active.
Does Valorant have a server status page?
Riot runs a status page at status.riotgames.com where you choose Valorant and your region to see incidents and maintenance. The Riot Support account on X and the in-client notice banner carry the same information. The check here adds an outside view of playvalorant.com.
Why is Valorant down only in my region?
Valorant runs separate shards for regions such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Korea. Maintenance and incidents are often limited to one of them. If friends in other regions can play and the status page lists a problem in yours, waiting is the only option.
Is Valorant on console affected by the same outages?
Console players use the same Riot account and many of the same services, so a Riot-side outage affects them too. They also depend on PlayStation Network or Xbox network for sign-in, which adds a second possible cause that PC players do not have.