Why is My Valorant Not Opening | Is Valorant Down

If your Valorant game is not opening, the issue is likely on your end (Client-Side). This is a very common problem usually caused by the anti-cheat system (Vanguard) failing to start or a “stuck” background process.

Valorant servers appear to be operational. Unlike the Roblox outage you may have heard about, there is no widespread server failure reported for Riot Games right now.

Here is how to fix it:

1. The “Stuck Process” Fix (Most Likely Cause)

Sometimes the Riot Client thinks the game is already running.

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.

• Look for any processes named Valorant, Riot Client, or Vanguard.

• Right-click them and select End Task.

• Try launching the game again.

2. The Vanguard Restart

Valorant cannot launch if the Vanguard anti-cheat isn’t running perfectly.

• Restart your computer. (Do not just shut down and turn it back on; select Restart from the Windows menu).

• This forces Vanguard to re-initialize from scratch.

Also Read : Palworld Update Patch Notes v0.7

3. Run as Administrator

• Right-click the Valorant shortcut on your desktop.

• Select Run as Administrator.

• This resolves permission issues that sometimes block the game from launching.

4. Check for “Vanguard Not Initialized”

If you see a specific error code (like VAN 9001, VAN 1067), it often means a BIOS setting issue (Secure Boot or TPM 2.0) which is common on Windows 11.

Do you see a black screen

This is a very common issue with Valorant, often caused by the game struggling to render in fullscreen mode or a conflict with the anti-cheat.

Here is the step-by-step fix, ordered from easiest to most effective.

1. The “Alt + Enter” Trick (Try this first)

Sometimes the game loads but gets stuck between windowed and fullscreen mode.

• Launch Valorant.

• When you see the Black Screen, wait a few seconds (so the game is technically “focused”).

• Press Alt + Enter on your keyboard.

• Why? This forces the game to switch to Windowed Mode. If the menu suddenly appears, go to Settings > Video and change your resolution back to Fullscreen.

2. Run as Administrator & Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

Windows might be blocking the game’s graphics priority.

1. Right-click the Valorant shortcut on your desktop and select Properties.

2. Go to the Compatibility tab.

3. Check the box: Disable fullscreen optimizations.

4. Check the box: Run this program as an administrator.

5. Click Apply and try launching again.

3. The “VGC” Service Fix

This restarts the specific background service that Vanguard uses. If this service is “stopped,” you get a black screen or a crash.

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

2. Scroll down the list until you find vgc.

3. Right-click it and select Properties.

4. Change “Startup type” to Automatic.

5. Click Start (if the button is clickable), then Apply.

6. Restart your computer and launch Valorant.

4. Uninstall Riot Vanguard (Not the game)

If the anti-cheat is corrupted, it will black-screen the game immediately.

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps.

2. Find Riot Vanguard (NOT Valorant) and uninstall it.

3. Launch the Riot Client (or Valorant).

4. It will say “Vanguard Missing” and ask to reinstall it. Let it reinstall.

5. Restart your PC (mandatory) and play.