VALORANT stuck on a loading screen? – Try These Fixes

VALORANT will not be able to get past the loading screen when it cannot initialize the Riot Vanguard, the official anti-cheat engine of VALORANT which; if not running will prevent VALORANT from starting. The problem mainly occurs following a major VALORANT update.

Valorant Stuck at Map Loading Screen
Valorant Stuck at Map Loading Screen

This issue can also occur on a map loading screen. In this case, lock your FPS to 30 or lower before going into a matchmaking queue. Once you enter the game, change the FPS settings back to normal. This helps alleviate the load from your CPU when you are on loading screen. If this fixes the issue for you, it’s suggested to upgrade your CPU that can better deliver consistent frames. Please visit our guide on “Best CPU for Valorant” to learn more.

IssueCannot get past loading screen in VALORANT
Also Known AsVALORANT stuck on a loading screen
Often Caused ByCorrupted Vanguard Files
Misconfigured Manifest Files
Installed VALORANT on hard drive
Interference from Windows Firewall
Not having appropriate permissions
Common SolutionsRestart Device
Reinstall Vanguard
Create Manifest Files
Transfer VALORANT to SSD
What you could faceDespite not being able to pass the loading screen, you may also get stuck on a loading before and after agent selection screen.

1. Reinstall Riot Vanguard to re-initialize its services

It is impossible to play VALORANT without Riot Vanguard, as it is an anti-cheat system for VALORANT. If Riot Vanguard has some corrupted files preventing it from loading, VALORANT won’t load unless your reinstall the Riot Vanguard.

  1. To reinstall Riot Vanguard, press the Win + R keys together to open the Run program.
  2. Enter appwiz.CPL in the input box and click OK.
    Opening Apps and features
    Opening Apps and features
  3. Now double-click on the Riot Vanguard to uninstall.
    Selecting Riot Vanguard to uninstall
    Selecting Riot Vanguard to uninstall
  4. Click Yes to uninstall Riot Vanguard. 
    Uninstalling Riot Vanguard
    Uninstalling Riot Vanguard
  5. Once done, open Riot Games to install Vanguard.
  6. Wait for it to install, and then restart your Windows.
  7. Once done, launch VALORANT to check if the issue persists.

2. Delete the misconfigured Manifest Files

Manifest files contain information about resources that must be loaded to run VALORANT properly, such as Dynamic Link Library (DLL) files, fonts, etc. If these files get misconfigured, this issue will occur. Therefore, try deleting them to create new ones. These files will automatically create once you launch the VALORANT.

  1. To delete manifest files, go to the following directory.
    C:\Riot Games\VALORANT\live

    Note: If you installed VALORANT on a different driver, replace C with your drive while pasting the past in the Windows file explorer address bar.

  2. Select both manifest files. Then, right-click and select Delete.
    Deleting Manifest files
    Deleting Manifest files
  3. Once the files are removed, launch VALORANT and check VALORANT stuck on a loading screen issue is fixed.

3. Run VALORANT as administrator

If VALORANT does not have the appropriate permissions to access the required components, you will encounter the following issue. However, if you run it as an administrator, the VALORANT will have all the access to run the required DLL and components. Therefore, if you have not tried to run it as an administrator, do it by following the steps.

  1. To run the VALORANT as an administrator, right-click the VALORANT from the desktop, select Run as administrator, or press the Windows key and type VALORANT.
  2. Right-click on it and select Run as administrator.
    Running VALORANT as administrator
    Running VALORANT as administrator
  3. Wait for VALORANT to launch.
  4. Then, check if the issue is fixed or not.

4. Transfer VALORANT to SSD

If you have VALORANT in the hard drive, we recommend you transfer it to the Solid State Drive (SSD). Because hard drives are very slow compared to SSDs. Hard drives use spinning platters to read and write data, while SSDs use memory chips to store data, which makes SSDs much faster. Hence, transferring VALORANT to the SSD will fix this issue.

5. Allow VALORANT from Windows Firewall

If there is an incompatibility between a Windows Firewall and a Riot Vanguard, VALORANT won’t load the map, as the Windows Firewall will prevent it. To ensure that, you will have to allow VALORANT, Riot Client, and Riot Vanguard from the firewall settings. So it won’t interfere again.

  1. To do so, press the Windows key and type Control Panel.
    Opening Control Panel from Start Menu
    Opening Control Panel from Start Menu
  2. Open the control panel and go to System and Security > Windows Defender Firewall.
  3. Click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall from the left sidebar.
    Navigating to Windows Firewall Settings
    Navigating to Windows Firewall Settings
  4. Click Change Settings and then click Allow another app.
    Proceeding to Allow another app
    Proceeding to Allow another app
  5. Then, click Browse to add the following exe files.
    C:\Riot Games\VALORANT\live\VALORANT.exe
    C:\Riot Games\Riot Client\RiotClientServices.exe
    C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard\vgc.exe
    Adding Valorant to Windows Firewall Settings
    Adding VALORANT to Windows Firewall Settings
  6. Once done, restart your computer and check whether the issue is resolved.

6. Reset Network Settings

Misconfigured network settings, such as unsupported DNS or proxy settings, can slow down the internet speed and prevent VALORANT from using the required speed of 3 to 6 MBPS. If that’s the case, you will have to reset your network settings. However, if your internet is working properly, you don’t need to follow this method.

If you used Wi-Fi connection while playing VALORANT, we recommend you to use an Ethernet connection as it provides stable internet speed.

  1. To reset network settings, press the Windows key and type Network Reset.
    Opening Network Reset Settings
    Opening Network Reset Settings
  2. Open the settings and click Reset Now. Your computer will restart when it’s done.
    Resetting Network settings
    Resetting Network settings
  3. After resetting the network settings, launch Valorant to check if the issue persists.

7. Run VALORANT in a high priority

Windows gives more importance to high-priority tasks, which makes the program run with high performance. Hence we recommend you try running VALORANT with high priority, as it will lower the other tasks that consume high computing power, preventing VALORANT from passing the loading screen.

Moreover, try to close unnecessary applications such as overlay and browser applications like Discord, google chrome, and mouse or keyboard software.

  1. To change the priority, you will have to launch the VALORANT.
  2.  Once it is launched, right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager.
    Opening Task Manager
    Opening Task Manager
  3. Once the Task Manager is opened, right-click the VALORANT.
  4. Select Expand from the context menu.
    Expanding VALORANT in the task manager
    Expanding VALORANT in the task manager
  5. Right-click the VALORANT and select Go to details.
    Navigating to VALORANT task details
    Navigating to VALORANT task details
  6. Then, right-click the VALORANT -Win64-Shipping.exe.
  7. Hover on Set priority and select High from the listed options.
    Changing VALORANT task priority to High
    Changing VALORANT task priority to High
  8. Again, right-click the VALORANT, hover Set priority, and select High from the options.
  9. Once done, check if the issue is fixed or not.

8. Add Valorant to graphics preference settings

Graphics preference settings allow users to utilize a high-performance of GPU or iGPU for the selected application/game. If your GPU cannot be utilized by VALORANT properly, it can get stuck on a loading screen. Therefore, try adding it to the graphics preference settings.

  1. To add VALORANT to graphics preference settings, press the Windows key and type Graphics Settings to open it.
    Opening Graphics Settings
    Opening Graphics Settings
  2. Then, select VALORANT, and click Option.

    Opening VALORANT options in Graphics Settings
    Opening VALORANT options in Graphics Settings
  3. Choose High performance from the listed options.
    Changing Graphics Preference Settings for VALORANT
    Changing Graphics Preference Settings for VALORANT
  4. Then click Save. In case you cannot find VALORANT, click Browse and go to the VALORANT directory. If you installed it on a default location, go to the following directory.
    C:\Riot Games\VALORANT\live\ShooterGame\Binaries\Win64
  5. Select VALORANT-Win64-Shipping and click Add.
    Adding VALORANT-Win64-Shipping to graphics preference settings
    Adding VALORANT-Win64-Shipping to graphics preference settings
  6. Repeat 2 and 3 steps to change the graphics preference to high-performance.
  7. Once done, again click Browse and go to the directory where you installed VALORANT. If you installed it on a default location, go to the following directory.
    C:\Riot Games\VALORANT\live
  8. Select the VALORANT.exe file and click Add.
    Adding VALORANT to graphics preference settings
    Adding VALORANT to graphics preference settings
  9. Once done, select VALORANT and click Options,
  10. Select High performance and click Save.
    Changing Graphics preference settings to high performance
    Changing Graphics preference settings to high performance
  11. Once done, launch VALORANT and check if the problem is resolved.

9. Enable Secure Boot and TPM

TPM and secure boot are the technologies used to enhance security, allowing the Windows 11-based system to boot trusted and safe programs. Since these features provide high standard security, Vanguard uses them to recognize a system’s trusted state. However, Vanguard needs these two features to be running before it recognizes a system state.

If Secure Boot and TPM are disabled, you will encounter the VAN9003 error on your screen. Moreover, it can also get you stuck on the VALORANT loading screen. Hence, see How to enable TPM 2.0 and UEFI Secure Boot.

10. Reinstall the graphics driver with DDU

VALORANT does not recognize the unsigned drivers as they don’t have signatures, which proves that they are installed from the official website. That’s why they are called unsigned drivers. If you have unsigned drivers installed, it is recommended to uninstall them.

10.1 Run File Signature Verification

To find the unsigned drivers, you will need to run the file signature verification utility that checks for the unsigned drivers.

  1. To do so, press the Windows + R keys to open Run Window.
  2. Enter sigverif.exe in the input box and click OK.
    Opening File Signature Verification utility
    Opening File Signature Verification utility
  3. Once it is launched, click Start.
    Running File Signature Verification utility
    Running File Signature Verification utility
  4. Wait for it to complete the verification process. If the unsigned driver is found, search for it on Google. If it belongs to the graphics driver, uninstalling it will fix your issue.

10.2 Reinstall drivers

If the unsigned driver is a graphics driver, it’s time to remove it from the computer. We usually use Device Manager to remove the drivers, but it does not remove the driver’s entry from the registry editor. Therefore, we use Display driver uninstaller (DDU) to uninstall the driver entirely from the system along with registry entries.

  1. Download Display Driver Uninstaller.
  2. Once it’s done, right-click the DDU zip folder.
  3. Select Extract to “[Guru3D.com]-DDU\”.
    Extracting DDU zip folder using WinRar
    Extracting DDU zip folder using WinRar
  4. Once the extraction process is finished, go to the folder and double-click the DDU application.
    Opening DDU file
    Opening DDU file
  5. Click Extract and then navigate to the extracted folder.
    Extracting DDU file
    Extracting DDU file
  6. Open the Display driver uninstaller application.
  7. Select GPU from the device type.
  8. Then, select the device or GPU vendor.
  9. Click Clean and restart to uninstall the drivers completely.
    Uninstalling graphics driver using DDU
    Uninstalling graphics driver using DDU
  10. Once done, go to your manufacturer’s website and download the latest driver.
    Downloading latest graphics driver
    Downloading the latest graphics driver
  11. Once you have downloaded the driver installer, double-click on it to run the installer.
  12. Then, follow the simple instructions to install the driver.

11. Reinstall VALORANT

The final solution is to reinstall VALORANT if none of the solutions has worked for you. Since all the solutions fail, this issue should be due to the VALORANT files preventing it from loading. To ensure that, you will have to reinstall it as follows.

  1. To reinstall the VALORANT, press the Win + R keys to launch the Run Window.
  2. Enter appwiz.CPL and click OK to launch the programs and features.
    Navigating to the control panel apps and features
    Navigating to the control panel apps and features
  3. Right-click the VALORANT and select Uninstall.
    Uninstalling VALORANT
    Uninstalling VALORANT
  4. Once the uninstallation process is finished, go to the official VALORANT website.
  5. Sign in with your account.
  6. Download the VALORANT installer.
    Downloading VALORANT installer
    Downloading VALORANT installer
  7. Once done, open it and follow the onscreen instructions to install it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hamza Mohammad Anwar


Hamza Mohammad Anwar is an intermediate JavaScript web developer with a focus on developing high-performance applications using MERN technologies. His skill set includes expertise in ReactJS, MongoDB, Express NodeJS, and other related technologies. Hamza is also a Google IT Certified professional, which highlights his competence in IT support. As an avid problem-solver, he recreates errors on his computer to troubleshoot and find solutions to various technical issues.