How to fix Valorant Vanguard Not Initialized Error Code 128

Vanguard not initialized is a very common error code in the game Valorant. It occurs when your Windows or any third-party program is stopping Vanguard (Valorant’s anti-cheat system) or conflicting with the program’s service “VGC.” This issue can also be caused if Vanguard is not installed properly. In this article, we will do our best to ensure your issue is resolved.

Method 1: Disable Windows Testing Mode

There is a similar mode present in your Windows. It’s similar to safe mode; however, it’s for developers who are trying to create a new driver and don’t have the signatures for the driver yet. They use Test Signing mode to check for instabilities in their driver and fix them accordingly. Test Signing mode allows users to run unverified drivers on Windows, which can conflict with Vanguard, causing it to stop functioning. 

1. Hold the Windows Key and press X. Choose Command Prompt (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin).
2. Type the following commands one by one to disable Windows Testing mode:
   

   bcdedit -set TESTSIGNING OFF 
   bcdedit -set NOINTEGRITYCHECKS OFF

   

3. Now, open Valorant and click on the “Reboot Computer” option.
4. Wait for your computer to restart and Valorant should work now.

Method 2: Set the Services to “Automatic”

This problem can also occur if your Vanguard’s service “VGC” is not triggering the actual driver that blocks cheats when your Windows starts.

1. Hold the Windows Key and press X. Choose Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Type the following commands one by one:

   sc config vgc start= demand
   sc config vgk start= system

    

   

3. Now, open Valorant and click on the “Reboot Computer” option.

Once your computer has successfully restarted, you will need to check if the Vanguard service and driver are working fine. Follow this step:

1. Hold the Windows Key and press X. Choose Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Type the following command:

   sc query vgc
   sc query vgk

   If the result is an error that says the service is not available, you will need to uninstall Valorant and Vanguard and reinstall everything. However, if it returns a service with the name vgc, you need to start Vanguard manually by entering the following command:

net start vgc

Check to see if the issue persists.

Method 3: Repair VALORANT

There is a feature in Valorant that most users might not know about. You can actually verify and repair Valorant’s corrupted game data by following the steps below. Doing this will verify if there are any game files missing and download them for you.

1. First of all, download the Installer of Valorant. Here is the (link).
2. Once the setup is downloaded, simply open it.
3. Press “Advanced options” and select the location where your Valorant is installed. For example:-

   E:\Riot Games\VALORANT

   

4. Now, press the “Install button” and the installer should say “Repairing” instead of Installing. If it says Installing, then you selected the wrong location.
   

   

5. Once the repair is completed, it should ask you to restart your computer. Restart your computer.

Now check to see if the issue persists.

Method 4: Verify Drivers

There is a utility in Windows that will check and tell you which drivers are unsigned. You can then remove those drivers or update them to fix this issue.

1. Press and hold the “Windows + R” keys together to open the Run program.
2. Type “sigverif” and run the command.
   

   

3. A small window should pop up asking you if you want to start the File Signature Verification.
4. Click the “Start” button.
   

   

5. Wait for the program to finish the process.
6. Once it’s done, if it detected any unsigned drivers, it should tell you.
   

   

7. Search for the file on Google and it should let you know which driver this file belongs to.
8. As you can see, in my case, it was “nvtopps.db3”, which was Nvidia’s outdated driver.
9. Updating the driver fixed this issue for me, and I was able to run Valorant without any issues.

Check to see if the issue persists.

Method 5: Turn on Data Execution Prevention

Data Execution Prevention is a service that most anti-cheats use to prevent hackers/cheaters from injecting DLLs into the games. It is very effective; however, some people might have it set to disabled, which confuses Vanguard, and it doesn’t allow you to run the game. 

1. Hold the Windows Key and press X. Choose Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Type the following command and press enter:

   bcdedit.exe /set {current} nx OptIn

   

3. Restart your computer to successfully turn on DEP.

Check to see if the issue persists.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, if none of the above methods helped, you may need to submit a ticket by contacting Valorant support through this (link). They will guide you through some extra steps by checking your logs, and hopefully, your issue will be resolved.