I was winning 11-3 on Haven when everything stopped. Not a disconnect. Not a crash. Just a silent boot back to the desktop with no error code, no explanation, and no way back in. I tried restarting the router—same issue. Switched to my phone's hotspot—suddenly I could log in again. That's when I realized this wasn't a hardware ban (I'd seen VAN 152 before), and it wasn't a normal account suspension.
Riot had locked out my entire internet connection. If you're suddenly unable to even reach the login screen on your home wifi but the game works fine at a coffee shop, you're probably asking the same panicked question I was: does Valorant actually ban IP addresses, or is my ISP just having a weird Tuesday?
The Short Answer: Yes, But It's Complicated
Yes, Valorant does issue IP bans, but they're far less common than account bans or HWID bans, and they work differently than most players expect. Unlike hardware bans that target your physical PC components, IP bans target your internet connection's unique address—essentially blocking your entire network from accessing Riot's servers.
The good news? IP bans are almost always temporary. While HWID bans last 4 months to permanently, IP restrictions typically expire within a few days to a week. They're usually issued alongside account bans as a "cooling off" period rather than a permanent exile. The bad news? If you're living with family or roommates, your IP ban affects everyone on the network, meaning your little brother can't play either just because you decided to test an aimbot on the main wifi.
How IP Bans Work vs. HWID Bans
Understanding the difference between these ban types is crucial because it determines your recovery strategy. Vanguard tracks multiple identifiers simultaneously, and they use them for different purposes:
IP Bans (Network Level): These restrict your internet connection's public IP address. When banned, any device on your home network—your PC, your laptop, your phone—cannot reach Valorant servers. However, switch to mobile data or a VPN, and you're back in business immediately. Riot uses these as temporary "time out" measures, typically lasting 3-7 days for first offenses. They're designed to slow down account cycling rather than stop it permanently.
HWID Bans (Hardware Level): These target your motherboard, disk drives, and network card MAC addresses. Even if you move to a different country with a different IP, you're still banned. These last 4+ months and are designed to be permanent for repeat offenders. If you're seeing VAN 152 errors on fresh accounts regardless of internet connection, you have an HWID ban, not an IP ban.
Why Riot Uses IP Bans
Riot deploys IP bans strategically for specific scenarios where they need faster enforcement than hardware tracking allows:
Ban Evasion Spam: If you create five new accounts in an hour after getting banned, Riot might IP restrict you for 24-48 hours to slow the bleeding. It's a rate limiter, not a death sentence.
Commercial Boosting Operations: When Riot detects professional boosters running multiple accounts through the same location, they'll IP ban the operation's base location alongside the account bans. This forces boosters to constantly rotate IP addresses, increasing their operational costs.
Extreme Toxicity Waves: During periods where specific regions experience spikes in racist or threatening behavior, Riot has issued temporary IP restrictions to "toxic hotspots" while they investigate.
The key distinction is intent: IP bans are temporary preventive measures, while HWID bans are punitive long-term solutions. Think of IP bans as a bouncer blocking the door, while HWID bans are banning your face from the entire venue permanently.
Quick Test: If you suspect an IP ban, turn on your phone's mobile hotspot and try logging into Valorant on your PC through that connection. If it works on mobile data but not your home wifi, you have an IP ban. If it still doesn't work, you're dealing with HWID or account level restrictions.
How Long Do IP Bans Last?
Unlike the brutal timelines of hardware bans, IP restrictions are designed to expire quickly:
- First offense: 24-72 hours typically
- Repeat evasion: 1-2 weeks
- Commercial abuse: Up to 30 days
- Dynamic IPs: If your ISP rotates your address (common in residential internet), the "ban" might resolve itself within hours when you get assigned a new IP
Most residential internet providers use dynamic IP addressing, meaning your IP changes periodically anyway. Riot knows this, which is why they rarely rely on IP bans as the sole punishment. They're used as a delaying tactic while they prepare more permanent hardware bans for serious offenders.
Bypassing IP Bans (The Easy Part)
Here's where IP bans differ fundamentally from HWID hell: they're trivial to bypass temporarily. Unlike hardware serials that are burned into your components, IP addresses are just tags assigned by your internet provider.
VPNs work immediately. Connecting through a reputable VPN changes your visible IP address, bypassing the restriction entirely. Even mobile hotspots work because they use cellular IP ranges separate from your home connection. Some players simply reset their router to force their ISP to assign a new dynamic IP, though this depends on your provider's lease times.
However—and this is critical—bypassing an IP ban to continue cheating often accelerates you toward an HWID ban. Riot tracks when players switch networks to evade restrictions. If they see you hop from IP to IP while continuing suspicious behavior, they escalate to hardware level tracking. The IP ban was a warning; ignoring it brings the permanent hammer.
The Shared Network Problem
Living with other gamers? IP bans create domestic warfare. When your roommate gets IP banned for raging in ranked, you can't play either—even on your own account—because you share the same router and public IP address.
I've seen Discord threads where siblings get into actual fights because one person's 3-day IP restriction ruined the other's weekend tournament plans. Unlike account bans that isolate the offender, IP bans are collective punishment for everyone on the network.
Riot Support will sometimes lift IP bans early if you can prove you're on a shared network with the offender (providing different account details, explaining the living situation), but this requires tickets and patience most players don't have.
When IP Bans Become Permanent Problems
While individual IP bans expire, Riot maintains "IP reputation" tracking. If your address constantly generates banned accounts (cheating farms, boosting operations), they might permanently blacklist that range or flag it for immediate HWID scrutiny on any new login.
Additionally, some ISPs recycle "dirty" IP addresses previously used by cheaters. You might move into a new apartment, set up Valorant, and find the IP you're assigned was banned six months ago by the previous tenant. These "legacy IP bans" can usually be resolved by requesting a new IP from your provider or using a VPN until the rotation happens naturally.
IP Ban Fixed, But Still Can't Play?
Getting past the IP restriction only to face VAN 152 means you've been hit with a hardware ban. While VPNs handle network blocks, only hardware spoofing fixes HWID Bans.
Check Saturn SpooferFinal Verdict: IP vs. The Real Ban
So does Valorant ban IP addresses? Absolutely, but treat it as a temporary inconvenience rather than a permanent exile. If you're IP banned, wait 3-7 days, restart your router to refresh your dynamic IP, or use a VPN for immediate relief. Unlike the 4-month nightmare of hardware bans, IP restrictions are designed to expire and inconvenience rather than destroy.
Just remember: if you keep evading IP bans to cheat on fresh accounts, you're teaching Vanguard that you're a persistent threat. And persistent threats get promoted from "IP restricted" to "hardware banned" very quickly. Use the IP ban as the warning it's meant to be, not as a challenge to break.
Updated January 30, 2026: Confirmed current IP ban durations and dynamic IP resolution strategies based on community reports and network testing.