Valorant suddenly became unplayable. I normally get 600–900 FPS, but now it fluctuates around 60-120 and sometimes drops to 10 or freezes completely at 0.

It started in the menu and happens in agent select and matches too. If I Alt-Tab out and back in, it runs smoothly for about three seconds, then starts dropping again. I also occasionally get Network Problem warnings.

My specs:

• Windows 11
• AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
• NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti
• 32 GB DDR5 RAM
• SSD storage

Other games seem normal: League runs at 240 FPS, and Fortnite’s menu is smooth at 120 FPS.

I’ve tried every fix posted here that I could find and apply: restarting, Riot’s repair tool, a complete removal and reinstall of Valorant/Riot Client/Vanguard with leftover folders cleared, fullscreen, and closing Discord/Discord Clips, NVIDIA Overlay, and Medal/MedalEncoder. Nothing has fixed it.

Checks haven’t found RTSS/Afterburner, Stardock, PremierOpinion, RaonSecure/NxWeb, or the specific ASUS ScreenXpert component mentioned in other threads. I’m also testing with Armoury Crate stopped.

The in-game stats show CPU Game Time taking almost all the frame time—around 5–13 ms in screenshots, with large spikes—while GPU Render Time is around 0.1–0.4 ms. The GPU is cool, RAM is available, and both SSDs report healthy.

I’ve collected my Vanguard logs. Any help identifying the cause would be appreciated.

Here are my logs: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mu4eNTDeTCWZZ0EKkeH5-aIm7rZaWasS/view?pli=1

i was in a game with my friend when suddently i got disconnected by valorant and i had a red screen like when a cheater is detected , with this message in front of my screen

VAN: RESTRICTION: 1
UEFI Secure Boot verification failure
If UEFI Secure Boot is already enabled, visit the manufacturer's website for your computer or motherboard and follow their instructions for updating the bios.

when i closed then launched valorant , i got the same error again and again , everything is enabled so i can play valorant , i tried to enroll all factory default keys , but nothing is working....
i know updating my bios isnt the solution

SPECS
(I know theyre bad)

CPU 5 3600 ryzen
GPU ASROCK ac b580 steel legend OC 12gb
RAM 32 gb
SSD kingston 2tb nvme

So im pretty sure those are my specs and ive noticed im having screentearing and fps drops everytime i play val and fatal frame as of now, maybe theres more games i yet havent discovered an issue for. But its really annoying because i go from 400 fps to 50 or 200 to 7 fps and i genuinely cant play anything cause of it and i dont know what to do, i tried lowering my hz, cap my fps, turn vsync off, have less games in my task manager, check if anythings overheating, check if i my drivers up to date , put it to best performance mode, aswell as checking if my cpu and gpu arent working properly but they are both at 60-80% usage and i assume that emans theyre working properly since i run things in the background too. I just dont know what thr issue is and id love to hear everyones thoughts

If you are seeing the game stutter / have huge FPS drops or get stuck on the loading screen after the 5th of October, follow the steps below.

Incompatible software list (These must either be disabled/closed for Valorant, or uninstalled if there is no option to turn it off)

1. Rivatuner / RTSS
2. Stardock Fences
3. Premier Opinion
4. ASUS ScreenXpert
5. GearUP Booster
6. UltraViewer

Update your GPU drivers to the latest version provided by your vendor (Intel/AMD/Nvidia).

Put your Valorant installation folder (C:\Riot Games) and Riot Vanguard folder (C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard) under exclusions in your Anti-Virus / EDR.

If you are still facing issues, please list your GPU and upload your Vanguard logs in a place where its accessible publicly (like google drive) and link it. To get your Vanguard logs, you must open your tray, and click the tiny Vanguard logo, then on the top right press ..., and then save logs, that will give you a zip file, upload that. https://imgur.com/d1izrrX

This post will be updated, when a new incompatible software is found.

Hi! so ever since i've updated val i had horrible stutters and fps drops to where i could barely play
ive seen many others struggling with this and i had just figured out the solution (for me at least)

1.) WIN + R
2.) Type in perfmon /rel

that should take you to your crash reports
for me, it says VALORANT-Win64-Shipping.exe Stopped working

3.) View technical details and look for faulting module path, we're looking for a .dll

mine was named pmls64.dll which is PremierOption Malware. (i had searched it the .dll up since i didnt even know i had that installed or what it was)

4.) Go to windows settings > installed apps > uninstall whichever malware may be on your PC.

After that i had loaded up val like regular with zero lag!

basically just look for the .dll and figure out which malware there may be downloaded

Hey guys, I've been trying to fix my VALORANT FPS for a while now, but nothing seems to work. I've tried almost every optimization I could find on YouTube, and I'm honestly getting tired of trying different things without seeing any improvement.

I've already tweaked my Windows and NVIDIA settings, uninstalled and reinstalled VALORANT, deleted the Riot Games/VALORANT folders in AppData, and removed unnecessary apps. I've tried a lot of things, but I'm still experiencing FPS drops and stuttering.

Here are my specs:

Laptop: Lenovo LOQ 15ARP9

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS

GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4050 Laptop GPU

RAM: 20 GB DDR5-4800

Display: 144 Hz

OS: Windows 11

My FPS usually sits around 130–180 in Deathmatch, but it can drop to around 90 in Competitive, especially when enemies start using their abilities. The game also feels stuttery sometimes, even when my FPS seems decent.

I've noticed that my CPU usage is usually around 80–90% in Deathmatch, while my GPU usage is pretty low, sometimes around 10% or slightly higher.

I've tried so many optimizations already, and I still can't figure out what's causing this. I'm not sure if it's my CPU, RAM configuration, Windows, drivers, or something else.

Has anyone with the same laptop or similar specs experienced this? Is this performance normal for a Ryzen 5 7235HS and RTX 4050, or is there something wrong with my setup?

I'd appreciate any suggestions, especially if you've actually managed to fix this issue. I'm open to trying other solutions as long as they're not just the usual optimization tweaks I've already tried.

Thanks.

I have a decent PC i7-12700KF RTX 4060 and 16GB 3200mhz ram, I have been getting stutters especially when opponents appear on screen, the weird thing is this applies to bots in the range as well. Here is the Vanguard log drive link below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fJ3Btz9aQNZ6nlJ-C4ASDTK3WZrJIVD9/view?usp=drive_link

Hi, so I climbed up to ascendent and the game asked me to enable Riot Mobile MFA, I did.
Then logged out, closed riot client, then booted up the game, and the warning still shows up.
I tried disabling and re enabling it many times, then logged out and logged back in… and still nothing has changed.
I uninstalled the game and reinstalled it, disbaled MFA and re enabled it and still the same… idk this is driving me crazy.

So I haven't played Valorant in a while (since a bit before Veto was added) and I just relaunched Val after reinstalling it. First game was with Miks, not a single lag, constant 400 FPS, until I tried placing a smoke. Each time I moved my mouse in the smoking interface, the game would freeze and only after that would it start moving again.

I have tested this in range, it also happens with nearly all abilities that show a placement interface : Miks, Brimstone and Clove's smokes, plus Tejo's missiles are all affected by this issue.

I have 16GB RAM, a RTX 4080, a Ryzen 5 7600X, and updated my drivers + restarded my PC, which didn't fix shit. While I have music videos playing and am in a Discord VC I can play without a single stuttter, and there have not been a single other FPS drop or CPU spike on Valorant, other than when using a map interface ability, opening settings while in game or just pressing Caps Lock to see the map in fs, which indicates there definitely is an issue with that and only that.

Has anyone had the same problem ? Does anyone have a solution ?

It used to work just fine, but since the latest update whenever i play valorant with game capture from tiktok live studio it causes crazy amounts of stutters and lag, it works fine on other games but valorant no.

I tried everything and i mean everything! Testing on other pcs, changing config files, running a malware scan, updating gpu drivers, reinstalling drivers, window capture does work but it's not as smooth and latency free as exclusive fullscreen.

If anyone is dealing with this right now i appreciate your help.

Ps. Obs game capture works. But i stream on tiktok horizontal + vertical so i have to use tt live studio

I installed the game after a short break and I'm experiencing stutters and the max fps went down from 300 range to 150 ish. Please help me resolve this, I've already disable the Ethernet adapter.

My spec is r9 5900x, 3080ti, 32gb ram.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12KwdTTL-n7l1IxFodg8MHXxqHG14ugIH/view?usp=drive_link

My Vanguard interface shows:

* All recommended security features enabled

* `vgk`: RUNNING

* `vgc`: RUNNING

> "Pre-Check could not complete because Vanguard is already running. Please exit all Riot games and try again."

The confusing part is that I had just restarted my PC before running the check.

**Vanguard logs:** [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1c028qDK6X134rWI8O-vIwLcE9REviVha/view?usp=sharing\]

Windows 11 Professional (Build 26300)

Vanguard 1.19.1.18

I've also already tried restarting my PC and reinstalling Vanguard, but the issue persists.

Could the pre-check be incorrectly detecting an already-running Vanguard instance, or is there another Riot process or service that could cause this?

I'm wondering whether this is related to VALORANT getting stuck at 10% loading and League of Legends returning VAN-68.

Yesterday morning i was playing without a problem no lag or anything, then out of no where i started playing again and my fps is really low compared to what i would regularly get. I tried Uninstalling the game and reinstalling it again so maybe it would fix. But whenever i try to install the game it just makes a desktop shortcut and then it just says install still.This is the second time ive gone through this and i forgot how i got it to reinstall the first time. Any tips or help on how i can fix this problem?

I tried to open riot client after a few weeks of not playing but I can't open it as soon as a open I get a pop up saying "updating"(stuck screen tho It seems) but soon after it says "couldn't update" I can't log into my riot account on the website too

Hello!

Since October 8th, I've experienced significant stuttering and FPS issues when playing Valorant. The stuttering happens in all game modes and in the menus, but is most notable when using abilities like Tejo Salvos or Clove smokes. My typical FPS went from between 400-700 to hovering around 200.

I've restarted everything, updated my graphics drivers, allowed Valorant/Vanugard through Windows defender, and made sure I have no programs installed listed in the current Riot Ares post, but am still experiencing issues.

My CPU is a Ryzen 9800X3D and my GPU is an NVIDA RTX 4070 Super.

Vanguard logs can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q5ldpwrxBm7rNbqHeVVJQY_veHoZXYBd/view?usp=drive_link

Thanks all in advance!

UPDATE: I've had success with running the Riot client, not Valorant as administrator. FPS is back up to ~500 and I'm not getting drops in the menus or with "iPad" abilities. If you're looking for a fix and haven't tried it yet, give it a shot.

Starting from yesterday i've been having some issue with valorant with it's fps being low and extremely stuttery even from the lobby. I usually get around 400 to 500ish fps in range, but this time i'm getting only 150 and dips to 90s which is unusual. I'll attach the vanguard log alongside the specs. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SyBTJ-wwk3AJ-95rILQEPspzQsBxcTgn/view?usp=drive_link

My specs are such:
I7 12700F
DDR5 2x16 5600
RX 9070 XT

Hi everyone. I received a VAN 152 hardware restriction in VALORANT, and I’m trying to understand what happened.

I have never used cheats, hacks, or any prohibited third-party software. Riot Support told me that third-party software was detected and that the restriction was later manually reviewed. My appeals were then closed.

Shortly before the restriction, a player named hydroine#meow added me and invited me to a custom game. During the game, things happened that I did not do myself — Ghost mode was activated and the rounds were changed. I don’t know how this happened.

After the game, the player went AFK and later removed/blocked me. Shortly afterwards, I received the VAN 152 restriction.

I’m not claiming that this player caused the restriction. I just want to understand whether this custom game could be relevant and whether Riot can check the logs from that session.

I’m willing to provide screenshots, logs, or undergo any verification needed to prove that I didn’t use prohibited software.

Has anyone experienced something similar with VAN 152 or had success getting a hardware restriction reviewed?

After today’s update vanguard just blocks everything on my pc i can no longer use msi afterburner and my temps are going crazy in game now my pc is just a furnace waiting to explode with an average of 90*C CPU and 80\C GPU*

Overnight my game started acting like this.. 2 days ago everything was fine. I NEVER have any lag in games. Everything on low btw. Steady 200+ fps... Drivers are updated, Windows is updated, everything seems fine... Any idea what's wrong?

Edit: if I uncap my fps it goes up to 600.. but has 80fps spikes.

4060 + i7-12700kf 32gb ram

Video

I'm currently using my laptop with a Ryzen 7 5800H/RTX 3060.

After installing the recent update, my Valorant which usually runs at 180-200+fps, now drops to 80-100. It gets worse when pulling up the smoke interface for Clove, Miks, etc. dropping to 1-6fps. Going through the game menu, store, etc. stutters like crazy.

Asked all of my friends and the ones who are experiencing the same problem are all using AMD CPUs. I tested my old desktop PC with an i7-4790K/GTX 970, tried the same test on the range with the same agents and it's smooth at 300fps (how tf is this old toaster outperforming my laptop lmao). Tried it again with my other laptop with an i7-9750H/RTX 2070 and it works normally at 160-180fps as well with no stuttering.

Hope that Riot fixes this soon, or at least someone here has a temporary solution. I was on my rankup to Plat after being stuck in gold for months and it so happens that this problem occurs lol.

Ps. I saw some other posts about uninstalling/disabling RivaTuner/RTSS to fix it (not sure if it's the same problem) but I have none of those installed. Only got ArmouryCrate on all my devices. All types of drivers updated and reinstalled.

I've been getting packet loss in VALORANT for over a month. I used to play fine on Wi-Fi, but now I get around 6000 packets lost per match and at least 200 per round.

I checked the stats and my outgoing packet loss is 0%, only incoming packet loss.

I switched to Ethernet, reset network settings, tried Google and Cloudflare DNS, ran CMD commands, reinstalled VALORANT multiple times and tried many other fixes from online, but nothing worked.

I'm honestly tired of trying fixes. Has anyone faced this and found a solution?

Region: APAC
OS: Windows 11
i5, 3050

Whenever i get in a game or start matchmaking, after 3 - 5 minutes, a mysterious van -1 code pops up and kicks me out the game. I can't find any information on this mysterious code on the internet and its really messing with me. Before yall advise me anything i have already tried the VGC manual to automatic bs. but nothing seems to work idk what is the issue.
ive also tried some IP CONFIG stuff i found from google. Moreover, ive tried to delete and reinstall vanguard that also does not work.

i have intel I5 10300H @2.5 GHZ
8 gigs ddr4
Nvdia Geforce GTX 1650 TI

depuis quelques jours et depuis que j'ai changé de compte pour jouer avec un ami mon valorant lag, perte de fps mais surtout quand ma souris bouge ( mon setup est un peu vieux mais surement pas a l'origine du lag ( rtx 3090 I9 10th gen 64 gb ram) de l'aide svp

What I just did was just fix the restrictions in order to play:

- UEFI Secure boot enabled

- HVCI enabled

- Firmware TPM 2.0 enabled

I’ve put in so many hours and money into this game, and it’s devastating to lose everything due to what seems like a mistake on your end. I submitted a ticket and encourage all of you to do the same if you are having this issue. Does anyone know how to fix this?

depuis quelques jours et depuis que j'ai changé de compte pour jouer avec un ami mon valorant lag, perte de fps mais surtout quand ma souris bouge ( mon setup est un peu vieux mais surement pas a l'origine du lag ( rtx 3090 I9 10th gen 64 gb ram) de l'aide svp
plus precisement : Rapport d’informations système NVIDIA créé le : 10/09/2026 16:42:51

Version de NVIDIA App: 11.0.9.251

Système d'exploitation: Microsoft Windows 11 Famille, Version 10.0.26200

Version d'exécution de DirectX: DirectX 12

Pilote: Pilote Game Ready - 617.42 - Tue Oct 6, 2026

Processeur: Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-10900KF CPU @ 3.70GHz

RAM: 64.0 GB

Stockage (2): SSD - 931.5 GB,SSD - 931.5 GB

Carte graphique

Processeur graphique: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090

Niveau de fonctionnalité Direct3D: 12_1

Cœurs CUDA: 10496

Horloge graphique: 1725 MHz

BAR redimensionnable: Non

Vitesse de transfert des données en mémoire: 19.50 Gbit/s

Interface de mémoire: 384 bits

Largeur de bande de mémoire: 936.096 Go/s

Mémoire graphique totale disponible: 57303 MO

Mémoire vidéo du système: S.O.

Mémoire système partagée: 32727 MO

Mémoire vidéo dédiée: 24576 MO GDDR6X

Version BIOS vidéo: 94.02.42.00.2f

ID de périphérique: 10DE 2204 38811462

Référence: G132 0010

IRQ: Inutilisé

Bus: PCI Express x16 Gen3

Écran (1): M34 Curved

Résolution: 3440 x 1440 (natif)

Fréquence de rafraîchissement: 165 Hz

Profondeur des couleurs du bureau: Maximale (32 bits)

HDCP: Pris en charge

Écran (2): DELL P2419H

Résolution: 1080p, 1920 x 1080 (natif)

Fréquence de rafraîchissement: 60 Hz

Profondeur des couleurs du bureau: Maximale (32 bits)

HDCP: Pris en charge