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If VALORANT reports corrupted, missing, damaged, or unreadable files, start with a Windows restart and the Riot Client’s Repair option if it is available. If that fails, clear VALORANT’s local cache and configuration, check antivirus blocks and file locks, then perform Riot’s clean reinstall. Errors containing VAN usually require Vanguard-specific troubleshooting rather than ordinary game-file repair.
First, identify the error
“Corrupted files” does not always mean that a VALORANT asset is damaged. The underlying problem may be an interrupted patch, corrupted cache or settings, antivirus quarantine, a locked file, insufficient storage, a permissions problem, a graphics-driver conflict, Riot Vanguard, or even a network or service issue.
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Write down the exact message and error code before changing anything. If the code begins with VAN, use Riot’s Vanguard and installation troubleshooting rather than assuming the game files are corrupt.
| Symptom | Likely area | Best first path |
|---|---|---|
| Corrupted or missing files, failed patch | VALORANT installation or cache | Repair, then clear local data |
Error begins with VAN |
Vanguard or Windows security requirements | Vanguard-specific guidance |
| Required dependency or Vanguard installation failure | Vanguard, Windows, or permissions | Update Windows and reinstall Vanguard and VALORANT |
| Black screen after a patch | Graphics driver or patch interaction | Restart, then update or clean-install the driver |
| Repair loops or reports a file is in use | Running processes, antivirus, or permissions | Reboot, close processes, check security software |
| Problem occurs only online or in the store | Network, firewall, DNS, or service issue | Use connection troubleshooting instead of deleting files |
Quick, low-risk fixes
- Restart Windows.
- Exit VALORANT and the Riot Client. Close the Riot Client from the notification-area tray, then open Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Esc and end any remaining Riot or VALORANT processes.
- Make sure the installation drive is connected and has enough free space for the update or repair.
- Open Riot Client normally and allow any update to finish. Do not repeatedly launch VALORANT while repair or downloading is still in progress.
Riot recommends restarting first for launch problems after a patch. See its Installation and Technical Support category for current issue-specific guidance.
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1. Repair VALORANT in Riot Client
If the current Riot Client displays a Repair control for VALORANT, run it and wait until the process finishes before launching the game. The exact button name and location can change between client versions, so do not rely on an old menu path.
Repair may verify files and redownload damaged or incomplete ones. The duration depends on your connection and storage performance. If it completes, restart the client and test VALORANT once.
If repair repeatedly starts over, fails with a “file in use” message, or produces another error, stop repeating it. Continue with cache clearing and security checks below. The client repair process should not be treated as a guaranteed Vanguard repair.
2. Clear VALORANT’s local cache and configuration
Riot’s launch-crash guidance includes clearing local VALORANT and Riot data. This can remove damaged local information that a normal asset repair does not replace.
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- Exit VALORANT and Riot Client completely.
- Press Windows+R.
- Enter
%localappdata%and press Enter. - Back up any configuration folder you want to preserve.
- Remove only the VALORANT and Riot Games cache or local folders identified in Riot’s current instructions; do not indiscriminately delete every Riot-related folder.
- Restart Windows, open Riot Client, and allow it to rebuild or download required data.
For a more targeted configuration reset, open:
C:Users<username>AppDataLocalVALORANTSavedConfigWith the client and game closed, Riot’s configuration-reset guidance instructs players to delete the files inside Config, relaunch, and repeat the deletion if the files regenerate before testing again. This can reset keybinds, graphics settings, and other local preferences, so back them up first if they matter to you. The relevant Riot article is How to fix an error retrieving settings from the server.
3. Check Windows Security, antivirus, and firewall rules
Security software can quarantine or block a legitimate VALORANT, Riot Client, or Vanguard file. Check your antivirus quarantine and protection history for recent actions involving Riot software.
- Re-enable or restore a quarantined file only when you are confident it is the official Riot installation and your security software identifies it as safe.
- As a brief diagnostic test, temporarily disable third-party antivirus, try the game, and immediately turn protection back on.
- If that test fixes the problem, add appropriate exclusions instead of leaving antivirus disabled.
- Check firewall permissions for Riot Client, Vanguard, and VALORANT. Paths vary, but examples include
C:Program FilesRiot Vanguardvgc.exe,C:Riot GamesRiot ClientRiotClientServices.exe, andC:Riot GamesVALORANTliveShooterGameBinariesWin64VALORANT-Win64-Shipping.exe.
Use Riot’s firewall guidance for the current executable list. Do not download replacement DLL files from unofficial websites, permanently disable Windows security, or use registry cleaners.
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Updates are especially relevant when the issue began after a VALORANT patch or appears as a black screen or launch crash. Run Windows Update, then install the current graphics driver from your GPU manufacturer’s official website or approved driver utility.
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Riot has also suggested a clean graphics-driver installation for some post-patch launch problems. If the issue began immediately after a driver update, a rollback may be worth testing, but the correct procedure depends on your GPU and driver version.
5. Use a clean boot to isolate conflicts
A clean boot is not a file-repair method. It tests whether another program is interfering with Riot Client, VALORANT, or Vanguard. Common suspects include overlays, VPNs, recording software, RGB utilities, hardware-monitoring tools, and aggressive antivirus products.
Follow Microsoft’s current clean-boot instructions. Disable only non-Microsoft services and startup programs, record what you changed, restart, and test VALORANT. Re-enable the services and startup items afterward. If the game works only in a clean boot, restore items in groups to find the conflict.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors6. Cleanly reinstall VALORANT and Vanguard
Use a clean reinstall when repair fails, the installation is repeatedly damaged, or the error specifically involves Vanguard or a required dependency. It is more disruptive than cache clearing and may reset local settings.
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- Close Riot Client.
- Open Windows Installed apps (or Add or remove programs) and uninstall VALORANT.
- If the problem involves Vanguard, uninstall Riot Vanguard when it is listed.
- Restart Windows.
- For a full cleanup, follow Riot’s instructions to remove remaining VALORANT and Riot Client folders, then clear the relevant
%localappdata%Riot Gamesand%localappdata%VALORANTfolders. Do not delete unrelated game data casually. - Download the installer only from Riot’s official website.
- If Riot’s instructions for your dependency or anti-cheat error call for it, right-click the installer and choose Run as administrator.
- Restart when prompted, particularly after Vanguard installation.
- Open Riot Client and let every update finish before launching VALORANT.
Riot’s documented reinstall workflow is described in Uninstall and Reinstall Games. A reinstall cannot fix a failing drive or a damaged Windows installation, and it is not a universal solution for every Vanguard error.
If the error starts with VAN
A VAN code points more strongly to Riot Vanguard or a Windows security requirement than to an ordinary corrupted game asset. Restart after Vanguard changes, update Windows, and follow Riot’s current Vanguard error-code instructions. Depending on the code, the supported fix may involve Vanguard installation, Windows configuration, or security requirements rather than repairing VALORANT files.
If files keep corrupting after reinstalling
Repeated corruption is a reason to investigate the environment rather than reinstall indefinitely. Check that the installation drive is healthy, that Windows can read and write to it reliably, and that security software is not repeatedly quarantining files. Also consider whether interrupted updates, abrupt shutdowns, unstable overclocks, or a failing SSD or hard drive coincide with the problem.
Do not jump to a Windows reset based on one VALORANT error. If other applications also report damaged files or disk errors, troubleshoot Windows and the storage device separately.
Collect logs and contact Riot Support
If repair, cache clearing, security checks, and a clean reinstall fail, gather logs instead of repeatedly deleting folders. Riot Repair Tool is primarily a diagnostic log collector, not a guaranteed automated file-repair utility.
- Reproduce the error once.
- Download Riot Repair Tool for Windows from Riot’s official support CDN.
- Run it as administrator and select VALORANT.
- Attach the generated
.ziparchive to a Riot Support request.
Include the exact error text and code, when it began, any recent patch or Windows/driver change, whether antivirus quarantined anything, which repair steps you tried, and whether the clean reinstall completed successfully. That gives support a useful starting point instead of only “my files are corrupted.”
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