To appeal a Valorant ban, submit a ticket at support-valorant.riotgames.com under “Discuss Personal Suspension and Restriction,” including your Riot ID, the error code you see, and a factual account of what happened. Most appeals get a first response in 24-72 hours. But Riot only reverses enforcements that were applied in error, so identify which penalty you have before writing anything.
Most appeal guides give you the same seven steps and wish you luck. They skip the two things that decide the outcome: which penalty you received, and what Riot has publicly committed to reversing.
This guide starts there. Riot publishes an official penalty schedule with exact durations - and almost nobody writing about ban appeals cites it.
Step 1: Identify Which Penalty You Have
Valorant does not issue one kind of ban. It runs a graduated penalty system, and the enforcements look similar from the client while behaving completely differently when you appeal.
Riot’s official penalty schedule
These are Riot’s own published penalties and durations, from the VALORANT Penalties and Bans FAQ (last updated 2 June 2026):
| Penalty | What it does | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Warning | Flags that you triggered the AFK/queue-dodge system | - |
| XP denial | Removes XP earned in that match | 1 match |
| Rank Rating deduction | Costs you 6-24 RR for AFK or dodging in Competitive | 1 match |
| Teamplay Restriction Timer | Locks you out of team games - solo deathmatch and customs still work | 3-365 days |
| VALORANT Game Ban | Locks the account out of the game entirely | 7 days - permanent |
Two official details worth knowing, because they change how you frame an appeal:
- Riot states that game bans are “reserved for repeat offenders” who ignored earlier warnings. If you received one with a clean record, that is itself grounds to ask for a review.
- Penalties do not escalate in a fixed order. Riot’s own example: a player can receive a 28-day ban without ever having received a 7-day one. Arguing “I skipped a step, so this is wrong” does not work - the system weighs your history, not a ladder.
Error codes: what you see at login
| Code | Enforcement | What it locks | Appeal outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
| VAL 61 | Account ban or suspension | The account only | Depends on the reason |
| VAN 152 | Vanguard hardware restriction | The machine | Worth appealing |
| Countdown timer | Teamplay Restriction or timed ban | Queue access | Only if Riot’s servers caused it |
| Chat disabled | Communication restriction | Text and voice | Rarely |
VAL 61 means the account was actioned. VAN 152 means Vanguard placed a restriction on your hardware rather than your login. Same symptom, different records - and an appeal that confuses the two tells the reviewer immediately that you do not know what you are appealing.
If you are seeing VAN 152, two things matter:
- Reinstalling Valorant, wiping Riot Client files, or making a new account does nothing. The restriction is not attached to your login.
- Do not log into another account from that machine. Multiple sources report that accounts connecting from restricted hardware before the term expires are themselves permanently banned. This is the single most expensive mistake available to you right now.
Reported duration for VAN 152 is around 120 days, extending to a year or permanent for repeat or severe cases. Riot does not publish this figure officially, so treat it as widely reported rather than guaranteed.
Step 2: What Riot Actually Reverses
This is the section other guides skip, because “you probably can’t win this” does not convert. It is still the most useful thing on this page.
Appeals with a genuine path
Server-side AFK and queue-dodge penalties. Riot commits to forgiving AFK and dodge penalties incurred while a server issue on their end was live. So if your disconnect lined up with a Riot outage, cite the outage directly. You are pointing at a published commitment, not asking for a favour.
Account compromise. Someone else got into your account and got it banned. This is the highest-success category by a distance, because Riot can see the login records. Bring dates, unfamiliar IP activity, any Riot security emails, and what you did to lock the account back down.
Shared machine or household. A sibling, roommate or partner used your PC and the hardware got flagged. VAN 152 cases resolve this way often, because the restriction sits on the machine and the behaviour was someone else’s. Timestamps carry this one.
Genuine Vanguard false positives. Vanguard runs at kernel level. It occasionally collides with legitimate software: overlays, peripheral macro utilities, virtualisation tools, some monitoring apps. Name the exact program and version and you have a real case. Say “I wasn’t running anything” and you have nothing.
Connection and hardware instability. Riot says its systems are built so occasional tech and connection problems are not severely punished. A documented ISP fault supports an appeal against an AFK penalty.
Game bans on a clean record. Riot reserves game bans for repeat offenders. Receiving one with no prior warnings is an internal inconsistency, and it is worth raising as exactly that.
Appeals that essentially never succeed
Confirmed cheat detections. If Vanguard positively identified prohibited software, a better-written ticket does not reverse it. Filing costs you nothing but time - just go in without false hope.
Hate speech and slurs. Zero-tolerance enforcement. These almost never move regardless of framing, remorse, or history.
Repeat enforcement. A second or third action is reviewed against the first, and your full history is visible to the reviewer.
Expired-timer appeals. A Teamplay Restriction that has already run out cannot be un-served.
The honest version: appeals work when the enforcement was a mistake. Wrong person, wrong machine, wrong detection, or Riot’s own outage. Remorse on its own moves nothing.
Step 3: Submit the Ticket
Use the Valorant support portal, not the general Riot Games one. Tickets in the wrong queue get rerouted and lose days.
- Go to support-valorant.riotgames.com
- Log in with the account that was actioned - appeals from a different account are closed without review
- Open Submit a Ticket
- Choose “Discuss Personal Suspension and Restriction”. Depending on your region the flow may show this as “Talk about game bans” under Account Management, or ask you to type “Appeal a Ban or Suspension” into the issue box. All three routes reach the same queue.
- Complete the form:
- Subject - penalty type and error code, e.g. “VAN 152 Hardware Restriction Appeal”
- Riot ID - full ID with tagline, e.g.
PlayerName#NA1 - Description - your appeal (Step 4)
- Attachments - supporting evidence
- Submit once
File one ticket. Duplicates get merged and can push you back in the queue. It is the most common self-inflicted wound in this process, and every support-side account of appeals says the same thing.
Step 4: Write the Appeal
The description field is the appeal. Structure it so a reviewer working a queue can verify your claim in under a minute.
Template
Subject: [Error Code] Appeal - [Riot ID]
Riot ID: PlayerName#TAG
Region: [NA / EU / AP / KR / BR / LATAM]
Error code displayed: [VAL 61 / VAN 152 / other]
Penalty type: [Game Ban / Teamplay Restriction / account suspension]
Date of enforcement: [DD/MM/YYYY]
WHAT HAPPENED
[Two to three sentences. State what you believe triggered the penalty
and why it was applied in error. If someone else used the machine or
the account, say so directly and give the timeframe.]
SUPPORTING DETAIL
[Verifiable specifics only. Login locations and dates if the account
was compromised. Exact software name and version if you suspect a
false positive. Who else had machine access and when. If a Riot
server issue caused the disconnect, give the date and time.]
WHAT I HAVE DONE SINCE
[Password changed, 2FA enabled, conflicting software removed,
machine access restricted.]
REQUEST
I am asking for a review of this enforcement. If the decision stands,
I would appreciate confirmation of the reason so I understand what
triggered it.
What helps
- Specific timestamps. “Around March” is unverifiable. “14 March, roughly 9pm GMT” can be checked against records.
- Named software and versions. Vague false-positive claims read as invented.
- Riot’s own policy, cited back. If a server outage caused your AFK, say so plainly - you are pointing at a published commitment, not asking for a favour.
- A concrete remediation. Showing you closed the hole makes reinstatement low-risk.
- One clear ask.
What damages your appeal
- Claiming total ignorance when the record says otherwise. The reviewer can see the detection; denying it costs you credibility on everything else in the ticket.
- Emotional length. Skins purchased, hours played, how unfair it feels - none of it is evidence, and it buries whatever is.
- Threats. Legal, chargeback or social. These move your ticket to a different queue, and not a better one.
- Unedited copy-pasted templates. Support sees the same circulated text daily. Use the structure above and write the content yourself.
- Alternate accounts. Creating one during an active enforcement is a further Terms of Service violation and actively worsens your position.
- Multiple tickets.
How Long It Takes
Reported timelines vary by source, so here is the honest range rather than a single confident number:
| Penalty type | Reported first response |
|---|---|
| Behaviour / toxicity | 24-72 hours |
| Account ban (VAL 61) | 24-72 hours, longer if escalated |
| Hardware restriction (VAN 152) | 3 days - 2 weeks |
| After a mass ban wave | 1 week or more |
Some sources report a 3-7 business day review as standard. Treat anything under two weeks as normal, and do not file a second ticket to chase the first.
If Your Appeal Is Rejected
Two legitimate routes remain.
Ask for clarification. Reply on the existing ticket and request the reason for the enforcement. Ask the question and stop - do not reopen the argument.
Submit genuinely new evidence. Something material that surfaced after your original ticket: a police report for a compromised account, proof of who had machine access, documentation of a Riot outage matching your disconnect. Some sources report Riot will consider follow-up appeals after around 60 days where new evidence or a policy change applies. Rewording the same appeal does not qualify and will be closed.
If neither applies, the decision stands. Circumventing an active enforcement violates Riot’s Terms of Service and generally triggers further action against any accounts involved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you appeal a permanent Valorant ban?
Yes, permanent bans can be appealed through the standard support ticket process. Success depends on why it was issued - bans traced to account compromise or false positives are reversed, while confirmed cheat detections are not.
How long is a Valorant game ban?
Riot’s published schedule puts VALORANT Game Bans at 7 days to permanent, and Teamplay Restriction Timers at 3 to 365 days. The exact length depends on the offence and your behaviour history.
How do I appeal a VAN 152 hardware ban?
File a ticket at support-valorant.riotgames.com under “Discuss Personal Suspension and Restriction,” put the error code in the subject line, and explain who had access to the machine during the period in question. VAN 152 restricts hardware, not the account, so reinstalling the game or creating a new account has no effect.
Can I get an AFK ban reversed?
Yes, if a Riot server issue caused it. Riot states it will forgive AFK and queue-dodge penalties incurred while a server-side issue was live. Give the date and time of the outage in your ticket.
Can Riot reverse a Vanguard cheat detection?
Only if the detection was incorrect. Riot does not reverse verified cheat detections on appeal, which is why establishing a genuine false positive matters far more than how the appeal is worded.
Does appealing multiple times help?
No. Duplicate tickets get merged and can delay your review. File one and wait.
What is the difference between VAL 61 and VAN 152?
VAL 61 is an account-level ban. VAN 152 is a Vanguard hardware restriction on the machine itself. VAN 152 persists across new accounts on the same hardware; VAL 61 does not.
The Short Version
Find your error code and match it to Riot’s published penalty schedule. VAN 152 is hardware, VAL 61 is the account, a countdown timer is a Teamplay Restriction. Then ask the only question that matters: was this applied in error? Wrong person, wrong machine, wrong detection, or Riot’s own outage - those are the appeals that succeed.
File one ticket, keep it factual, give verifiable dates, and wait. Nothing in the wording changes what the record says.
Penalty types and durations sourced from Riot’s official VALORANT Penalties and Bans FAQ, last updated 2 June 2026. Error code behaviour and HWID duration figures are widely reported by third parties and not officially published by Riot.