Trending Now - Riot Clarifies Valorant Update Won't Damage Players' Pcs

WHO:

Kotaku - Riot Games is the developer of Valorant and its anti-cheat software Vanguard.

PCGamesN - High-profile streamer Nick 'LS' De Cesare experienced issues with Vanguard.

WHAT:

Kotaku - Riot Games implemented an update to Vanguard that detects and disables DMA cheating tools used for Valorant.

Kotaku - Players have reported that Vanguard is falsely detecting cheating software and causing serious PC problems.

Kotaku - Riot tweeted about the update, showcasing “bricked” DMA cards and referred to them as “$6k paperweights.”

Kotaku - Riot clarified that Vanguard does not brick PCs or PC components, stating, “Vanguard now makes those devices worthless for VAL, but does not in any way brick PCs or PC components or PC software.”

PCGamesN - Vanguard's latest update is alleged to block "the majority of DMA firmwares using SATA/NVMe," rendering them unusable.

PCGamesN - Players claim that the only fix for issues caused by Vanguard is a full OS reinstall.

WHERE:

Kotaku - Complaints about Vanguard are prevalent on the Riot subreddit.

WHEN:

Kotaku - Riot tweeted about the update on May 21, 2026.

Kotaku - Riot clarified the situation in a tweet on May 22, 2026.

WHY:

Kotaku - Players are concerned that Vanguard's aggressive detection methods are affecting legitimate users, not just cheaters.

PCGamesN - Vanguard operates at a kernel level to prevent cheating in games like Valorant and League of Legends.

HOW:

Kotaku - Vanguard operates by detecting and disabling DMA tools, even when the game is not running.

PCGamesN - Vanguard's aggressive update is said to trigger issues with DMA firmware, leading to system malfunctions.

(UPDATED May 23, 2026 01:34 UTC)

Riot Games has rolled out an update to its anti-cheat software, Vanguard, aimed at detecting and disabling DMA cheating tools used in Valorant, but players are reporting significant issues, including false detections that can lead to serious PC problems. High-profile streamer Nick 'LS' De Cesare has also experienced these issues, and many players are claiming that the only solution is a complete operating system reinstall. Riot has clarified that while the update makes certain devices unusable for Valorant, it does not brick PCs or their components, and they have addressed the situation on social media following the complaints surfacing on the Riot subreddit.