Vanguard loads the moment you turn on your PC, not just when you launch VALORANT. This allows it to catch bootkits before they can hide. However, even Vanguard had a blind spot. A sophisticated attacker could still flash a malicious driver into the (the software that boots your motherboard). If the cheat lives in the BIOS itself, even a kernel driver is helpless.
Without Secure Boot, a cheat could load a rootkit into the UEFI. Vanguard would look at the running system, see no anomalies, and let the cheater play. With Secure Boot on, that UEFI rootkit is stopped before it ever reaches the RAM. The backlash against the Secure Boot requirement was fierce. Players took to Reddit and Twitter with valid concerns: valorant secure boot
Check if you are running "Custom Mode" for Secure Boot. Switch it to "Standard Mode". Also, ensure your boot drive is GPT formatted (not MBR). The Future: Is This the New Normal? The Secure Boot requirement for VALORANT is not an anomaly—it is the canary in the coal mine. Microsoft already requires it for Windows 11. Epic Games is experimenting with stricter kernel enforcement for Fortnite. Even Call of Duty ’s Ricochet anti-cheat is moving toward firmware-level checks. Vanguard loads the moment you turn on your
There is a philosophical objection here. Many gamers argue that a video game should not have the authority to enforce system-wide security policies. They worry that if Riot can mandate Secure Boot, what happens if a bad actor exploits Vanguard’s kernel access? The Reality Check: It’s Working Despite the outrage, the data is undeniable. Before Vanguard and Secure Boot, VALORANT had a visible cheating problem—especially in high-ranked Immortal and Radiant lobbies. Post-implementation, public cheat forums have largely given up on developing public, undetected cheats for the game. A sophisticated attacker could still flash a malicious
Your motherboard is likely from 2011-2015 and uses Legacy BIOS. Unfortunately, you cannot play VALORANT on this hardware. Windows 11 also requires Secure Boot, so it is time to upgrade.