Riot Vanguard Anti-Cheat Explained: What Runs on Your PC

Riot Vanguard no longer has to start with Windows on every eligible PC. On June 24, 2026, Riot announced optional Vanguard On-Demand, which allows its driver to start with a Riot game and stop after gameplay on systems that pass Vanguard Pre-Check. That changes the answer to a common question about Vanguard: when does it actually run?

The underlying purpose remains the same. Riot Vanguard is Riot Games’ anti-cheat software, designed to detect cheating and help establish a trusted environment for competitive play. Understanding its Windows driver, security requirements, and player controls makes it easier to decide what you are installing and interpret problems when they appear.

What does Riot Vanguard do?

Vanguard helps protect games against unauthorized interference, including cheating tools that manipulate the game or access information they should not use. Riot’s Vanguard overview describes a game-facing client and a kernel-mode driver. Its architecture explanation also identifies a supporting platform.

• Client: performs anti-cheat detection work while the game is running.
• Driver: helps validate memory and system state and checks that the client has not been tampered with.
• Platform: communicates with the client as part of Riot’s anti-cheat operation.

Vanguard’s goal is competitive integrity. It cannot promise that every match is free of cheating, and an individual player’s good or bad experience does not measure the system’s overall effectiveness.

Why does Vanguard use a kernel driver?

The kernel is the core of the operating system. Microsoft’s explanation of user mode and kernel mode distinguishes ordinary applications from code running with deeper operating-system access.

Riot’s rationale is that a cheat operating at a higher privilege level can conceal activity from an anti-cheat application with less access. Vanguard’s Windows driver gives its anti-cheat system a way to assess that deeper environment.

That access also matters for stability and trust. Microsoft explains that kernel-mode code shares an address space with the operating system and other drivers; a faulty driver can affect the whole system. This does not establish that Vanguard caused a particular crash, but it explains why driver compatibility and software maintenance matter.

Which games use Vanguard?

Familiar Windows examples include VALORANT, League of Legends, and Teamfight Tactics through the League Client. Riot’s League Vanguard FAQ confirms that TFT on PC needs Vanguard and that League requires it while the League Client is open as well as during gameplay. That distinction matters when you have finished a match but left the client running.

Platform details differ. Riot’s League patch 25.S1.2 notes introduced Embedded Vanguard for Mac, with cheat detection built into the game client and no separate new installation required for that rollout. Windows driver instructions should therefore not be applied to League’s Mac implementation.

Does Vanguard run all the time?

The answer depends on your configuration. Riot’s June 2026 On-Demand announcement makes the newer mode optional.

On-Demand changes the driver’s operating schedule. It still provides anti-cheat protection during supported game sessions. Check Vanguard’s status rather than assuming that installing a recent update automatically changed your mode.

What does Vanguard Pre-Check require?

Riot’s Pre-Check support page lists these requirements for the optional On-Demand mode:

• Windows 11 version 25H2 or newer
• Secure Boot
• Trusted Platform Module 2.0, or TPM 2.0
• Input-Output Memory Management Unit, or IOMMU
• Virtualization-Based Security, or VBS
• Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity, or HVCI

The Vanguard system-tray tool, VGTray, can assess eligibility and identify requirements that need attention. These are the published conditions for On-Demand; they should not be presented as a universal minimum-specification list for every Riot game.

Riot’s security-requirements guide explains the main features in practical terms:

Firmware menus vary by manufacturer. If Pre-Check identifies a missing setting, follow the linked Riot guidance and your computer or motherboard manufacturer’s documentation. Riot warns against making unfamiliar BIOS/UEFI changes without checking the vendor’s instructions.

What about privacy and security?

Installing a kernel driver involves trusting software with significant access. Riot says it develops and reviews Vanguard internally and uses external security audits, but that statement is not a guarantee against every vulnerability or compatibility problem.

Riot’s 2020 architecture statement says the driver component does not collect or send information about the computer to Riot. That component-specific statement should be read alongside the company’s current, broader Privacy Notice, last modified April 28, 2026.

The notice describes Riot Services processing device information, identifiers, service activity, and gameplay-related information, including for fair-play enforcement. It does not mean that every listed category is collected by the Vanguard driver itself. Assess the privileges you are granting and Riot’s stated data practices together; neither a blanket assurance of zero risk nor an unsupported accusation explains the software accurately.

Will Vanguard block overlays or other applications?

Compatibility depends on how a tool works. Riot’s FAQ for third-party developers says overlays and tools using supported API-based approaches are expected to continue functioning, while external tools that read game memory must change their approach. It also says there is no Vanguard allow list for developers.

This is not a promise that every overlay or utility will work. If a problem appears after an update, record the application name, version, exact error, and any blocked-file notification. Use that evidence with Riot Support and the software developer rather than assuming every background program is prohibited.

Can you disable or uninstall Vanguard?

Yes. Riot’s disable and uninstall guide provides supported controls, including Exit Vanguard from its tray icon and removal through Windows’ installed-app settings. Close Riot games and the Riot Client before using the documented exit procedure.

Games that require Vanguard will not run normally with it unavailable. In the standard startup configuration, re-enabling it for play generally requires a restart; eligible On-Demand systems have a supported alternative. Uninstalling only one Riot game may leave Vanguard installed if another game still needs it.

How should you interpret a Vanguard warning?

Read the exact message. Riot documents security restrictions that can require changes to Windows or firmware settings, and VGTray can link to the relevant explanation. An unmet Pre-Check requirement means the optional mode needs attention; a game-launch restriction needs the guidance for that specific warning.

If a crash or blocked-file message persists, preserve the error and relevant logs for support. Vanguard’s launch behavior, hardware requirements, and compatibility can evolve, so use the current official page linked to your message. The useful outcome is a supported, working configuration with clearly understood permissions and controls.