Valorant Not Updating | Error Code Van 79 Valorant

Valorant Not Updating because Valorant Patch 12.02 just rolled out (released around February 3/4, 2026), and it is causing a traffic jam on the servers.

Error Code VAN 79 is a specific connection handshake failure. It means the Riot Client downloaded the update, but your computer’s “Vanguard” (Anti-Cheat) service failed to restart itself to verify the new files.

Here is the step-by-step fix to force the update through.

Step-By-Step Fix

1. The “vgc” Service Fix (The Golden Fix)

This is the most common reason for VAN 79. The update turns off the Anti-Cheat to patch it, but fails to turn it back on.

• Close Valorant and the Riot Client completely.

• Press Windows Key + R, type services.msc, and hit Enter.

• Scroll down to find vgc (this is Vanguard).

• Right-click it and select Properties.

• Change the “Startup type” to Automatic and click Start if the service is stopped.

• Click Apply and OK.

• Try launching the game now.

2. The “Stuck at 0%” Update Fix

If the download bar is stuck (or showing 0.1 kb/s), the Riot Client is “deadlocking” with another background process.

• Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).

• Go to the Details tab.

• End the task for every process that starts with Riot or Valorant (e.g., RiotClientServices.exe, Valorant.exe, UnrealCEFSubProcess.exe).

• Important: Also look for and end Discord. Discord’s overlay often conflicts with the Riot Client during patching.

• Restart the Riot Client as Administrator (Right-click > Run as Administrator).

Also Read : What is Zoom Bombing | How It Happens

3. The “Nuclear” Vanguard Reset (CMD)

If the above didn’t work, your Vanguard installation is corrupted. You need to force-delete it so the client re-downloads a fresh version.

• Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

• Type these commands one by one and hit Enter after each:

  1. sc delete vgc

  2. sc delete vgk

• Restart your computer immediately.

• Open the Riot Client. It will say “Vanguard Missing” and download a fresh copy.

4. Network Flush

Since you are connecting from India, you might be having a routing issue to the Mumbai server nodes.

• Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

• Type: ipconfig /flushdns and hit Enter.

• Type: netsh winsock reset and hit Enter.

• Restart your PC.

Quick Check:

If you recently updated Windows, VAN 79 can sometimes trigger if “Secure Boot” was accidentally disabled in your BIOS, though usually that gives a VAN 9003 error. Stick to the “vgc” service fix first.