So, you just decided Valorant is your main focus this year and you’re ready to join the action. Naturally, you hurried to download and install the game on your computer.
But what if Valorant’s install process won’t launch or fails to complete?
This is exactly the topic of this post. In this guide, we’ll take a look at some of the most common Valorant install errors and what you can do to fix them.
Use this guide to fix the following issues:
- Valorant install not starting
- Valorant install process already running
- Valorant install not working side by side
- Valorant couldn’t install required dependency
Preliminary checks
Before you launch any troubleshooting action, make sure your computer meets the minimum system requirements — or better yet, the recommended system requirements — for running Valorant.
Valorant system requirements:
- OS: Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit)
- RAM: 4GB
- CPU: Intel i3-370M
- GPU: Intel HD 3000 (1GB VRAM)
Troubleshooting Valorant Install Issues
Fix 1 – Install the latest updates
Installing the latest updates for your operating system, drivers and game client should is the very first troubleshooting action you need to take in order to fix Valorant install problems.
We’re sure you’re aware that software companies release new updates whenever a new major game is out. These updates often include compatibility improvements for running the game on specific hardware configurations.
So, before you install a new game, make sure you checked for OS, driver and game clients updates and you installed all of them.
Also, if the game install fails on Windows 7, we recommend upgrading to Windows 10. Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 7 in January 2020.
Get Windows 7 KB4474419 and KB4490628
But, of course, you can keep playing Valorant on Windows 7 since the game supports this OS. However, make sure you installed Windows 7 updates KB4474419 and KB4490628. These updates added SHA-2 support to Windows 7, which is something Vanguard requires.
Fix 2 – Reinstall Vanguard
Vanguard is Riot’s game security tool. This software includes a client that must be active while Valorant is running, and a kernel mode driver.
To check if Vanguard is running, open your System Tray and check if Vanguard’s icon is listed there.
Some players said they were able to install Valorant only after they uninstalled and reinstalled Vanguard.
The simplest solution to remove Vanguard is this:
- Step 1 – Open the Add or remove programs page.
- Step 2 – Scroll down to Riot Vanguard and VALORANT
- Step 3 – Select these tools one by one and click on Uninstall
- Step 4 – Let the app make the necessary chances on your computer
- Step 5 – Confirm you want to uninstall Riot Vanguard and Valorant.
If your computer can’t find the uninstall.exe, do the following, as suggested by Riot’s support team:
You need to install VALORANT on another PC, copy the Riot Vanguard folder over in your main PC in “Program Files” after removing the placeholder Vanguard file. After this just uninstall Vanguard using “Add remove programs” and launch VALORANT via the client. In theory VALORANT should reinstall Vanguard properly this time. Make sure to restart your PC when the installation finishes.
If you prefer using Command Prompt, these are the steps to follow to remove Vanguard.
Here’s how to uninstall Riot Vanguard using CMD
- Step 1 – Open Command Prompt as administrator
- Step 2 – Enter sc delete vgc and press the Enter key
- Step 3 – Enter the sc delete vgk command and hit Enter
- Step 4 – Reboot your machine
- Step 5 – Go to t(C:) > Program Files and delete the Riot Vanguard folder
- Step 6 –Download Valorant. Vanguard should download alongside the game files.
Fix 3 – Disable background processes
Make sure to turn off all the processes running in the background before you download and install Valorant. Some of these apps and programs may conflict with the game preventing you from installing it.
There are several methods to kill all background processes on Windows 10.
Method 1 – Task Manager
- Step 1 – Go to the Search bar
- Step 2 – Type task manager and double-click on the first result
- Step 3 – Right-click on the processes or the cluster of processes your want to end
- Step 4 – Select End Task.
Method 2 – Command Prompt
- Step 1 – Go to the Search bar
- Step 2 – Type cmd and right-click on the first result
- Step 3 – Launch Command Prompt as administrator
- Step 4 – Enter the taskkill /f /fi “status eq not responding” command to end unresponsive processes
Method 3 – Use PowerShell
- Step 1 – Open PowerShell as administrator
- Step 2 – Enter the Get-Process command to display the list of active processes.
- Step 3 – Run the Stop-Process -Name “ProcessName” -Force to force-stop particular processes
Method 3 – Clean boot your computer
- Step 1 – Go to Start and type msconfig to launch System Configuration.
- Step 2 – Click on Services
- Step 3 – Check the Hide All Microsoft services check box
- Step 4 – Click Disable all
- Step 5 – Click on Startup
- Step 6 -Open Task Manager
- Step 7 – Select all the startup items
- Step 8 – Click Disable
- Step 9 – Restart your computer.
There 3 solutions should be enough to help you fix Valorant install bugs and errors.
Happy gaming.