How to fix Valorant Vanguard Not Initialized Error Code 128

Vanguard not initialized is a really common error code in the game Valorant. It triggers when your Windows or any 3rd party program is stopping Vanguard (Valorant’s anti-cheat system) or conflicting with the Program’s service “VGC”. This problem can also be triggered if your Vanguard is not installed properly. In this article, we will try our best to make sure your issue is resolved.

Method 1: Disabling Windows Testing Mode

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

  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
    Disabling Test Mode
  3. Now open Valorant and click on the “Reboot Computer” option.
  4. Wait for your computer to start and Valorant should work now.

Method 2: Setting the Services to “Automatic”

This problem can also be triggered if your Vanguard’s service “VGC” is not triggering the actual driver that blocks cheats when your Windows starts. Follow these steps to set the service to automatic:-

  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

     

    Setting Services to Automatic
  3. Now open Valorant and click on the “Reboot Computer” option.

Once your computer is successfully restarted. You will have 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 again. However, if it returns service with the name vgc, you need to start Vanguard manually. Enter the following command:
net start vgc

Check to see if the issue persists.

Method 3: Repairing VALORANT

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

  1. First of all, you will have to 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
    Repairing Valorant
  4. Now press the “Install button” and the installer should say “Repairing” Instead of Installing. If it’s saying Installing then you selected the wrong location.
    Repairing Valorant
  5. Once the repair is completed it should ask you to restart your computer. Restart your computer.

Now check to see if the is issue persists.

Method 4: Verifying Drivers

There is a utility that you can use inside your Windows. It will check and tell you which drivers are unsigned, either you can remove that driver or update them to fix this issue. To verify the drivers, follow the steps below:-

  1. Press and hold the “Windows + R” keys together to open the Run program
  2. Type “sigverif” and run the command
    Opening Signature Verification
  3. A small window should pop up asking you if you want to start the File Signature verification.
  4. Click the “Start” button.
    File Signature Verification
  5. Wait for the program to finish the process.
  6. Once it’s done, if it detected any unsigned driver it should tell you.
    Unsigned Driver File
  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 the “nvtopps.db3” which ended up being Nvidia’s outdated driver.
  9. Updating the Driver fixed this issue for me and I was able to run Valorant without any issues again.

Check to see if the issue persists.

Method 5: Turning 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 really effective however some people might have it set to disabled which confuses the Vanguard and it doesn’t allow you to run the game. To enable Data Execution Prevention, follow the steps below:-

  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
    Enabling DEP
  3. Restart your computer to succesfully turn on DEP.

Check to see if the issue persists.

Conclusions

Unfortunately, If none of the above methods helped you at all you will have 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.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ammar Nawaz


Ammar is a professional graphic designer, video editor, and windows enthusiast mainly; his expertise is in adobe premiere pro, adobe after effects, adobe Photoshop, adobe illustrator, HTML, CSS and Javascript