Safety guide · Updated 8 October 2026
Vanguard in League of Legends: Anti-Cheat and Anti-Boost
Vanguard is Riot's anti-cheat, and League won't run on Windows without it. Since September 2025 it has also carried an anti-boost system. On 17 September 2026 Riot said that system had actioned 296,416 accounts across League and VALORANT. Here's what each part does, what your PC needs, and what happens to a boosted account.
What is Vanguard in League of Legends?
Vanguard is Riot's own game security software. It pairs a kernel-mode driver with a client that runs while League is open. Riot's Vanguard FAQ is blunt about it: Vanguard must be running to use League, and exiting or removing it stops you playing until it's back.
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Kernel driver (vgk.sys) | Loads with Windows and watches for cheats at the lowest level of the system |
| Vanguard client | Runs whenever the League client or a game is open |
| Anti-boost system | Looks at how accounts gain rank and flags rank manipulation |
Kernel access is what makes Vanguard effective against cheats, and it's also why some players don't like it. Riot says it went through extensive testing and external security audits. Whether that's enough is your call.
Vanguard requirements: TPM 2.0, Secure Boot and Pre-Check
Standard Vanguard loads at boot. On Windows 11 it can ask for TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, and Riot's Vanguard error code guide tells you which one a VAN code points to. The stricter list below only applies if you want Pre-Check, the optional on-demand mode Riot launched on 24 June 2026.
| Needed for Pre-Check | Status |
|---|---|
| Windows 11 version 25H2 or newer | Required |
| Secure Boot | Required |
| TPM 2.0 | Required |
| IOMMU | Required |
| Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) | Required |
| Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity (HVCI) | Required |
Source: Riot Games Support, Vanguard Pre-Check, June 2026.
With Pre-Check on, Vanguard starts when you launch a Riot game and shuts down after you finish, instead of running from boot. The Vanguard tray icon tells you whether your PC qualifies. Some of these settings live in the BIOS, so check your motherboard's manual before changing them.
How Vanguard anti-boost works
Riot launched the anti-boost system quietly in League in September 2025, then took it to VALORANT. In its 17 September 2026 post, written by Phillip Koskinas, Riot listed the behaviour it looks for:
| What Riot looks for | In practice |
|---|---|
| Account sharing with a boosting service | Someone else logs in and plays |
| A big gap between the owner’s skill and the current player’s | Performance that doesn’t match the account’s history |
| Location changes | Logins from places that point to a different player |
| Queueing with lower-rated players to lift their rank | Hitchhiking |
| Buying or borrowing low-rated accounts | Smurf and bought-account use |
| Paying boosters to queue with you on their secondary accounts | Paid duo with a smurf |
Riot keeps the thresholds to itself. Anyone selling you an exact detection formula is guessing. As for 296,416: that's League and VALORANT added together, counted from late 2025, and Riot didn't give a League split.
What happens when an account is flagged for boosting
First time caught, you lose the rank the boost gave you and sit out at least three days. Get caught again and the suspension grows. Bought accounts get no second chance.
| Account | Riot's stated action |
|---|---|
| Boosted account, first offence | LP gained through boosting revoked, plus a suspension starting at 3 days |
| Repeat offences | Suspensions escalate ("all the way up to three centuries") |
| Purchased or ownerless account | Permanent ban |
| The booster’s main account | Escalating suspensions |
| Hitchhikers | Undeserved rank removed, even if gained unknowingly |
Note the hitchhiker line. Party often enough with a booster or a smurf and Riot takes the rank back, and saying you had no idea doesn't help. Don't confuse any of this with a VAN error code, by the way, which only means Vanguard can't start. For the full history of Riot's ladders, see our guide to Riot's boosting penalties.
Can Vanguard detect solo and duo boosting?
Yes, both. Solo boosting means a booster logs into your account, which trips the account sharing, location and skill-gap signals. Duo boosting means you play while a stronger partner queues with you, which Riot covers under hitchhiking and paid duo on a secondary account. Our own 2026 orders show how differently the two get caught:
| Order type | Caught on our 2026 orders | Signals Riot names |
|---|---|---|
| Solo (booster logs in) | 12 to 32% | Account sharing, location, skill gap |
| Duo (you play, partner queues with you) | 5 to 8% | Hitchhiking, paid duo on a secondary account |
Source: DuoBoost.net order records, 2026. Our numbers, not Riot data.
When an order was caught, the usual result was a 3-day suspension and the LP since detection removed. Heavier penalties remain possible, and the risk grows with the size of the climb. We go through the numbers and what they mean in how safe duo boosting is in 2026.
Does playing on your own account lower the risk?
It lowers it, on our numbers, but it doesn't make boosting allowed. Keeping your login means no stranger has your password and none of the account-sharing signals fire. Riot can still look at how the rank was gained. That's why our own-account duo comes out at 5 to 8% caught rather than 0.
Riot's own advice is to play ranked on your own account, partied only with players who are also on theirs. If staying fully inside the rules matters most to you, coaching and ordinary duo with a friend are the ways to climb with no penalty risk.
FAQ
Is League of Legends using Vanguard?
Yes. Since 2024, League on Windows has required Riot Vanguard. It has to be running whenever the League client is open, and the game won't start without it.
How does Vanguard anticheat work?
A kernel-mode driver (vgk.sys) checks the system for cheats from the lowest level, and a client runs while League is open. Riot doesn't publish its detection rules, for cheats or for boosting.
Is Vanguard anti-cheat always running?
By default, yes: Vanguard loads when Windows starts. Since 24 June 2026, PCs that meet the Pre-Check requirements can switch it to on-demand, so it starts with a Riot game and shuts down after.
Is LoL Vanguard safe?
Riot says Vanguard went through extensive testing and external security audits by industry experts. It's still kernel-level software with deep access to your PC, so read Riot's FAQ and decide for yourself.
How do I get Vanguard for League of Legends?
Install League through the Riot Client and Vanguard comes with it. Restart the PC afterwards, because the driver loads at boot. If you removed it, launching League reinstalls it.
How to fix a Vanguard error in League of Legends?
Note the VAN code the client shows, restart the PC, then look the code up in Riot's Vanguard error code guide. Some fixes need TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot switched on in your BIOS.
Does Vanguard detect duo boosting?
Yes. Riot names paying boosters to queue with you on their secondary accounts, and hitchhikers lose the rank they gained. On our 2026 orders, about 5 to 8% of duo orders were caught, against 12 to 32% of solo orders.
What happens if Vanguard flags my account?
If it's a technical error, fix the VAN code and play on. If the anti-boost system flags you, Riot revokes the LP gained through boosting and suspends the account, starting at 3 days and escalating after that.
Is Vanguard the best anti-cheat in the world?
No independent ranking settles that. Vanguard is one of the most intrusive anti-cheats in gaming because it runs at kernel level, but no one publishes comparable detection and false-positive rates.
Is boosting banned in VALORANT?
Yes. VALORANT uses the same anti-boost system, which League tested first. Riot's 296,416 accounts actioned covers both games together.
