GameHow to Fix Valorant Error Code 57: Vanguard Not Initialized
You're ready to queue for ranked, you hit Play on the Riot Client — and instead of the agent select screen, you get Error Code 57: Vanguard Not Initialized. No match, no lobby, just a cryptic error box. The frustrating part? It often shows up out of nowhere, right after a Windows update or a patch, on a PC where Valorant worked perfectly the night before.
The good news: Error Code 57 is one of the easiest Valorant errors to fix. It has nothing to do with your account, your rank, or your hardware. It simply means Riot's Vanguard anti-cheat didn't start with Windows, and Valorant refuses to run without it. Work through the fixes below in order — for most players, this is over within five minutes.
What does Error Code 57 actually mean?
In plain English, Error Code 57 means Vanguard failed to initialize when your PC booted up. Vanguard is a kernel-level anti-cheat: it loads early in the Windows startup sequence, watches for cheats at the deepest level of the system, and Valorant checks for it before letting you launch. If Windows didn't load Vanguard cleanly — or something blocked it — the game has no choice but to stop you at the door.
This is a PC-side startup problem, not a server problem and definitely not a ban. Your account, your rank, and your inventory are all untouched. The fixes are all about getting Vanguard to start the way it is supposed to.
What causes Valorant Error 57?
The pattern behind this error is well understood by now:
- A glitchy Windows startup — the number one cause. Sleep, hibernation, and Windows Fast Startup can all prevent Vanguard's driver from loading properly at boot.
- Vanguard disabled in startup apps — if Vanguard (or its
vgcservice) is turned off in Task Manager's startup list, it never gets a chance to initialize. - Corrupted Vanguard files — a bad update, an interrupted patch, or an antivirus quarantine can damage the Vanguard installation.
- Antivirus or firewall interference — security software can block or quarantine Vanguard's kernel driver, since it behaves a lot like the rootkits antivirus tools are trained to kill.
- Conflicting software — other anti-cheat clients (like FACEIT AC) and some third-party game tools fight with Vanguard over the same kernel hooks.
- Launching without admin rights — Vanguard needs elevated permissions to load its driver; a non-admin launch can leave it uninitialized.
- Outdated Windows — Vanguard depends on current Windows security components, and a behind-on-updates system can fail to load it.
1Restart your PC properly
This is Riot's own first recommendation, and it works more often than you'd expect. Use Start → Power → Restart, not Shut Down: on many systems, shutting down and powering back on uses Fast Startup, which restores a saved system state instead of truly rebooting — and that's exactly the kind of boot where Vanguard fails to initialize. A real restart forces Windows to reload everything, including Vanguard's driver. When the desktop comes back, launch Valorant immediately, before opening other heavy apps.
If you frequently put your PC to sleep or hibernate instead of shutting down, consider this your sign to restart weekly. Error 57 loves PCs that haven't truly rebooted in weeks.
2Run the Riot Client as administrator
Vanguard's driver operates at kernel level, which means it needs elevated permissions to load. If the Riot Client launches without those permissions, Vanguard can stay uninitialized and hand you Error 57. Close Valorant completely, then right-click the Riot Client shortcut and choose Run as administrator. Accept the prompt and try launching again.
If this works, you can make it permanent: right-click the shortcut, open Properties → Compatibility, and check Run this program as an administrator. Just remember that you'll get the permission prompt on every launch.
3Make sure Vanguard runs at startup
Vanguard is supposed to start with Windows. If something turned it off — a cleanup tool, a Windows update, or you disabling it yourself to "speed up boot times" — Valorant will never launch. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, switch to the Startup apps tab, and look for Vanguard. If its status is Disabled, right-click it and choose Enable, then restart your PC.
While you're at it, check the underlying service: press Windows + R, type services.msc, and find vgc in the list. Double-click it and make sure the Startup type is set to Automatic and the service status shows Running. If it's stopped, start it, then restart the PC.
4Reinstall Vanguard
If Vanguard's files are corrupted, no amount of restarting will help — the component itself needs replacing. Luckily, a Vanguard reinstall is quick and doesn't touch your game download:
- Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps and find Riot Vanguard.
- Click it, choose Uninstall, and confirm.
- Restart your PC — this is essential so Windows fully releases the old driver.
- Launch the Riot Client. It will detect that Vanguard is missing and install a fresh copy automatically, then ask you to restart once more.
After that second restart, Vanguard initializes cleanly at boot. This is the fix that ends Error 57 when the cause was a corrupted Vanguard install rather than a one-time startup glitch.
5Check antivirus exclusions and conflicting software
Vanguard's kernel driver looks suspicious to security software by design — it hooks deep into Windows, which is also what rootkits do. Open your antivirus (Windows Security counts) and add the entire Riot Games folder and the Valorant folder to the exclusions list. Also check the antivirus quarantine: if it already grabbed a Vanguard file, restore it and then add the exclusion.
Next, close anything that fights Vanguard for kernel access. Known conflicts include other anti-cheat clients like FACEIT AC (uninstall or fully disable it when playing Valorant), and any third-party tools that inject into games — RGB utilities with overlays, "game boosters", and cheat-adjacent software. You don't need to delete them forever; just confirm they're fully closed when you launch Valorant and see whether Error 57 disappears.
6Update Windows and your drivers
Vanguard leans on current Windows security components, and an out-of-date system can fail to load it. Open Settings → Windows Update and install every pending update, including the optional driver updates. Then grab the latest GPU driver from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel directly — the clean way, with a fresh install rather than an express update if you're troubleshooting. After both updates, do one more full restart and test the game.
7Clean-reinstall Valorant as a last resort
If Error 57 survives everything above, the client installation itself is the last suspect. Uninstall both Valorant and the Riot Client (Riot Vanguard goes along for the ride), restart your PC, then download a fresh Riot Client installer from the official Riot Games site and reinstall everything. Sign back in, let the client reinstall Vanguard, restart when asked, and launch the game. A clean slate clears any client-side state the targeted fixes couldn't reach.
Quick checklist to keep Error 57 away
- Restart your PC at least once a week — don't rely on sleep and hibernate forever.
- Never disable Vanguard in Task Manager's Startup apps; it has to boot with Windows.
- Keep the Riot Games and Valorant folders in your antivirus exclusions permanently.
- Close or uninstall other anti-cheat clients (like FACEIT AC) before launching Valorant.
- Install Windows updates promptly — Vanguard depends on current security components.
- After any Vanguard or Windows update, launch Valorant once before match day to catch startup errors early.
Frequently asked questions
What does Valorant Error Code 57 mean in plain English?
It means Vanguard, Riot's anti-cheat, didn't start when your PC booted. Valorant can't launch without it, so the game stops you with Error 57. It's a startup problem — not a ban, not a server issue, and your account is completely safe.
Will Error Code 57 get my account banned?
No. Error 57 has nothing to do with cheating detection. It's Vanguard failing to initialize, which is a technical issue on your PC. Your rank, skins, and account standing are untouched, and the error clears as soon as Vanguard starts properly.
Why does Error 57 keep coming back after updates?
Windows updates, Vanguard updates, and driver updates can all reset Vanguard's startup state or break its driver loading. That's why this error is most common right after patches. The restart and reinstall fixes in this guide address exactly that cycle.
Can I just disable Vanguard to skip the error?
No — Valorant refuses to launch without Vanguard, so disabling it just replaces one error with another. The right approach is to get Vanguard initializing properly again using the restart, startup, and reinstall steps above.
Does a full restart really fix Error Code 57?
Yes, for most players. Vanguard is designed to initialize at boot, and Error 57 most often follows a glitchy startup — sleep, hibernation, or Fast Startup skipping the driver load. A proper restart (Start, Power, Restart) re-runs that step cleanly, and it's Riot's own first recommended fix.
Should I reinstall Valorant first?
No — reinstalling first wastes a huge download on a problem that lives in Vanguard's startup, not in the game files. Do the restart, admin launch, startup check, and Vanguard reinstall first. Keep the full game reinstall as your last resort (Fix 7).
For most players, Error Code 57 ends at Fix 1 — a proper restart gets Vanguard initializing at boot again, and you're in the lobby within minutes. The pattern is consistent: Vanguard missed its startup, something blocked its driver, or its files corrupted. Fix the startup, check the blocks, and 57 stays gone. And if you ever want a quick queue-time break without launchers and anti-cheats, the free browser games here on GameAdda start with a single click. 🎮