How to Fix Valorant “Your Game Requires a System Restart to Play” Error

When users try to launch Valorant, they encounter the “Your game requires a system restart to play” error. This error prevents them from pressing the “Play” button and typically occurs due to Riot Vanguard not initializing correctly.

The reason behind this error is the VGC service not being launched properly, mostly due to an incomplete system startup or an incomplete software configuration. Moreover, conflicts with system settings, such as those arising from recent Windows updates, can also be a cause.

In this article, we will discuss how to fix this problem.

1. Run Valorant as Administrator

1. Search for Valorant and click on Run as Administrator.
   

2. Enable the Vanguard Service

Riot Vanguard is Riot Games’ anti-cheat software, necessary for maintaining the integrity of multiplayer games. If the VGC service is disabled, it can cause this error and stop Vanguard from launching, which is required to play the game. Enabling the VGC service will allow Vanguard to run without any disruption.

1. Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and hit Enter.
   
2. Look for VGC, double-click on it, and click on Properties.
   
3. Change the Startup type to Automatic and click on Start.
   
4. Click on Apply and OK.

3. Reset the Game’s Boot Status

The vgkbootstatus.dat file stores the game’s boot status, which is required when launching the game. If this file is corrupt, it can cause issues while launching the game. Deleting the file will allow the game to create a new one, which can help in fixing this issue.

1. Press Windows + R, type ‘C:\Windows‘, and hit Enter.
   
2. Delete the vgkbootstatus.dat file.

4. Reinstall Riot Vanguard

If Vanguard files are corrupted, it can cause problems while running the game. Reinstalling Vanguard will delete all the corrupted files and install a fresh version of Vanguard that can help in solving the issue.

1. Press Windows + R, type ‘appwiz.cpl’, and hit Enter.
   
2. Locate Riot Vanguard, then click the Uninstall option.
   
3. Open Valorant and it should start installing Vanguard automatically.
4. When finished, restart your PC.

5. Disable Virtualization

When virtualization-based security is activated, it helps in securing your computer, but it also decreases its speed and can conflict with programs such as Riot Vanguard, stopping them from working properly.

Turning off virtualization will stop it from interfering with the software and can give a performance boost of up to 25%, which might help in solving your problem.

Note: Disabling virtualization might impact the performance of VMs or other apps that require this feature.

1. Open the Search menu, type cmd, and open the Command Prompt as an Administrator.
   
2. Type the following command:

   bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off

   

3. When finished, restart your PC.

6. Contact Riot Support

If none of the solutions work, contact Riot support and discuss your issue with them, and they will hopefully provide you with a solution. If the issue persists, contact Riot Support through their support page.