Riot’s anti-cheat now lets you choose when to enable it
▼ Summary
– Riot is introducing an optional “on-demand” mode for its Vanguard anti-cheat software, allowing it to launch only while playing a Riot title instead of running always-on.
– The feature relies on Windows security improvements, including the Runtime Driver Attestation Report, to detect cheats without continuous background operation.
– Vanguard Pre-Check requires at least Windows 11 25H2 with UEFI Mode, Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, VBS, HVCI, and IOMMU enabled.
– Approximately 35% of players already meet the hardware and software requirements and can enable on-demand mode with their next update.
– The remaining 65% of players must manually enable the required Windows security features to use the on-demand mode.
Riot Games is rolling out a significant change to its controversial Vanguard anti-cheat software, giving players the option to switch from an always-on kernel-level driver to an on-demand system. Starting today, League of Legends and Valorant users with compatible hardware can enable Vanguard Pre-Check, which prevents the anti-cheat from launching automatically at system startup.
The feature arrives after Riot collaborated with Microsoft’s Xbox OS Security Team to strengthen the Windows kernel, locking out the driver and memory exploits that cheats rely on for wallhacks, aimbots, triggerbots, and similar tools. Instead of running continuously, Vanguard now taps into a Windows security component called the Runtime Driver Attestation Report, which provides a secured list of all device drivers loaded since boot, ensuring no cheats have been installed without the software running 24/7.
To use Pre-Check, players must be running at least Windows 11 25H2. Phillip Koskinas, Riot’s head of anti-cheat, explains that this version is necessary because the driver attestation report was introduced in this update. He also notes that older operating systems become more vulnerable to cheating over time, making newer versions essential for security.
“Pre-Check is optional , you only need to do anything if you’d like to enable on-demand mode, which will allow Vanguard to launch when the game does and remain running only while you’re playing a Riot title,” Koskinas said in a blog post. Most modern PCs already ship with the required features enabled, and approximately 35 percent of players meet the criteria to use Vanguard Pre-Check immediately. Those users can switch to on-demand mode with their next update.
For the remaining 65 percent of players, enabling on-demand mode will require some system adjustments. The prerequisites include:
- Running at least Windows 11 25H2, which also requires UEFI Mode, Secure Boot, and Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (TPM)“Most new machines today are already tested and shipped with these settings enabled by default, so this Vanguard update is only an optional incentive for those that wish to take advantage of it right now,” Koskinas added. “If that isn’t something you want to do, don’t sweat it.”