You can finally turn Riot’s Vanguard anti-cheat off when you’re not playing a game
Riot Games has updated its controversial Vanguard anti-cheat system to address long-standing privacy concerns. The system, previously criticized for being kernel-mode software that runs constantly in the background after PC startup, will now operate on an on-demand basis through a new feature called “Vanguard Pre-Check.”
Starting today, League of Legends and Valorant players on compatible hardware can opt into the new system, which will only launch the anti-cheat driver when playing a game rather than at boot time. The feature requires players to enable pre-boot security mechanisms and rely on Windows’ native protection features.
Vanguard’s always-on nature had been controversial since its 2020 launch, with critics pointing out that kernel-level access provided Riot with deep system permissions. The change represents a significant response to these privacy concerns, though not all players will have the hardware requirements to use the new on-demand functionality.
Riot achieved this change after collaboration with Microsoft’s Xbox OS Security Team, indicating an industry effort toward balancing anti-cheat effectiveness with user privacy and system access concerns.