VAN 152 is the Riot Vanguard error code for a hardware ID ban. It means Riot has restricted your PC itself from playing Valorant, not just one account, so every account you log into on that machine hits the same code. Riot's own VAN 152 support page, updated July 16, 2026, rules out the four usual fixes: reinstalling Vanguard, reinstalling the game, changing your connection and restarting your PC will not remove it.
A standard VAN 152 ban lasts four months, and repeat or serious violations can run longer. While it stands, you have two real options: ask Riot to re-evaluate it, or change the hardware identifiers your PC reports.
What Does Error Code VAN 152 Mean?
Error code VAN 152 means your device has been restricted from playing because of a hardware ID ban. In Riot's words, "VAN 152 means the device you're using has been restricted from playing because of a hardware ID (HWID ban)." The word that matters is device. An account ban locks one login. A hardware ID (HWID) ban locks the machine, which is why a fresh Riot account on the same PC fails with the same code as soon as Vanguard starts.
Riot describes hardware bans as "a drastic step we take against players who've consistently chosen not to adhere to our Community Pact or to abide by our terms of service." It doesn't list every trigger, but that wording points at repeated breaches rather than a single mistake. For the wider background on how these bans work across games, see our breakdown of what a hardware ID ban actually is, and Riot's own article on understanding HWID bans.
Is VAN 152 a Ban or a Bug?
VAN 152 is a ban, not a bug. The VAN 152 page on Riot Games Support says it directly: "This isn't a Riot Vanguard installation or connection issue," so reinstalling Vanguard, reinstalling Valorant, changing your connection or restarting your PC "won't remove the restriction."
Plenty of VAN 152 guides still tell you to restart the Vanguard service, run a clean reinstall or wipe Windows. Those steps fix other Vanguard errors. They do nothing for this one, and a Windows reinstall costs you an afternoon to prove it. If the code on your screen is exactly VAN 152, go straight to the two routes further down.
VAN 152 vs Other Vanguard Error Codes
VAN 152 is the one common Vanguard code that troubleshooting can't clear. The others point at something on your PC you can change, so check the exact code before you do anything: the fix for one does nothing for the next.
| Code | What Riot says it means | Does troubleshooting clear it? |
|---|---|---|
| VAN 152 | Your device is restricted by a hardware ID ban | No. Appeal, or change the hardware identifiers |
| VAN 9003 | Secure Boot isn't enabled, and Vanguard requires it | Yes. Enable Secure Boot in the BIOS |
| VAN: RESTRICTION | Vanguard needs a Windows update or a security setting such as TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, Memory Integrity or IOMMU | Yes. Update Windows or turn on the setting it names |
| VAN 1067 | Vanguard hit an unexpected issue while starting or checking in with your system | Yes. Update Windows, clean boot, reinstall Vanguard |
| VAN -81 | Vanguard is having trouble starting or staying connected | Yes. Restart, check Windows time, reinstall Vanguard |
Meanings are taken from Riot's Vanguard error code list, with pages updated between May and July 2026.
How Long Is a VAN 152 Ban?
A standard VAN 152 hardware ban lasts four months. Repeat offenses and serious violations can extend it, and Riot says it won't consider lifting a ban issued for "a verifiable threat of harm against a player or Rioter."
Riot's current support pages don't publish a fixed length, so treat four months as the standard case rather than a promise. What doesn't change is where the ban sits. It's on the hardware, not the account, so starting a new account on the same PC doesn't get you back in any sooner.
How to Fix VAN 152
There are two ways to fix VAN 152, and troubleshooting isn't one of them. Route 1 goes through Riot, costs nothing and leaves the decision with Riot. Route 2 changes what your PC reports so Vanguard no longer recognizes it as the restricted machine, but leaves the original ban in Riot's records.
Route 1: Ask Riot for a re-evaluation
Riot's position is that it's "possible (but never guaranteed)" for a hardware ban to be lifted after review. To ask for one:
- Submit a player support request asking for a re-evaluation of the HWID ban.
- If more than one account is affected, file a separate ticket for each. Riot asks for this so every account is looked at on its own.
- Explain what happened plainly and include anything that backs it up, for example a second-hand PC that arrived with the restriction already on it.
- File once per account and wait for the answer.
Our step-by-step guide to appealing a Valorant ban walks through the ticket itself, field by field.
Route 2: Change the hardware identifiers your PC reports
The second route is an HWID spoofer, which changes the hardware identifiers your PC reports so Vanguard reads a different machine from the one it restricted. Nothing physical changes and nothing is written to firmware. If you want the mechanics first, our explainer on how HWID spoofers work and where their limits are covers it.
Be clear about what this route does. A spoofer doesn't unban anything: the ban stays in Riot's records, and any account that was banned stays banned. What changes is whether Vanguard recognizes this PC as the restricted one. Getting around a hardware ban this way also breaks Riot's Terms of Service, and Riot can issue further penalties if it detects it. Weigh that before you pick this route.
Saturn is an HWID spoofer for Windows that covers Riot Vanguard, the anti-cheat behind Valorant and League of Legends. It runs as one loader, with your license deciding which anti-cheat systems it covers, and it changes the identifiers your PC reports for the CPU, TPM, motherboard, RAM, disks, MAC address, GPU and monitor. The Saturn Valorant spoofer page covers setup for Valorant specifically, and the Vanguard HWID spoofer page lists every game Saturn supports on Vanguard. You can try it with a free 24-hour trial, which needs an email address but no card.
Does Changing Hardware IDs Affect Secure Boot or TPM?
Changing hardware identifiers with Saturn doesn't require switching Secure Boot or TPM off. On Windows 11, Vanguard titles like Valorant need both TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot turned on, and a missing Secure Boot shows up as VAN 9003. The TPM identifier is one of the values Saturn changes, so the chip stays enabled while the ID it reports is different.
If Secure Boot is off on your machine, our guide to enabling Secure Boot walks through the BIOS settings. Don't flash your BIOS or disable security features to chase VAN 152. None of it touches the ban, and switching Secure Boot off adds VAN 9003 on top.
VAN 152 FAQ
Is VAN 152 permanent?
No, not by default. A standard VAN 152 hardware ban lasts four months, though repeat or serious violations can extend it, and Riot won't consider lifting a ban issued for a verifiable threat of harm.
Will a new Riot account get around VAN 152?
No. VAN 152 restricts the device, not the account, so any account you log into on the same PC is blocked with the same code.
Does reinstalling Windows fix VAN 152?
No. A hardware ban is tied to identifiers stored in your PC's components, and reinstalling Windows doesn't change them. Riot's VAN 152 page also rules out reinstalling Vanguard, reinstalling Valorant and restarting your PC.
Can I play Valorant on another PC while I have VAN 152?
Not within Riot's rules. Riot says an HWID ban means it doesn't want that person to "create, access, or use any account on a Riot platform or game for the duration of the ban," so playing on a different PC during the ban still breaks its terms.
Does an HWID spoofer lift a VAN 152 ban?
No. A spoofer changes the hardware identifiers your PC reports, so Vanguard no longer recognizes the machine as the restricted one. The ban stays in Riot's records, banned accounts stay banned, and getting around the ban breaks Riot's Terms of Service.