This is usually background tools colliding with Vanguard's kernel driver rather than the game alone. Removing the conflict smooths it out. Jump to your situation below or work through the methods in order.
High CPU usage and stuttering in VALORANT is commonly linked to Vanguard's kernel driver colliding with background tools rather than the game by itself. The usual culprits are third-party overlays (Discord, NVIDIA GeForce Experience), game recorders and capture tools, overclocking utilities, and antivirus aggressively scanning the game and Vanguard. The fix is to remove those collisions: fully close overlays, recorders, and overclocking software, and add the Riot Vanguard folder to your antivirus exclusions so it stops constantly scanning it. Updating graphics drivers and keeping Windows current smooths out remaining stutter. Because the load spikes come from other software fighting Vanguard's low-level driver, closing those tools and excluding Vanguard from scans is what restores smooth performance.
Vanguard runs a low-level driver constantly while you play. When other software that also hooks the system, overlays, recorders, overclocking tools, or antivirus, runs alongside it, they contend for resources, which shows up as CPU spikes and stutter.
Reducing that contention is the fix: close the overlays and recorders, and exclude the Vanguard folder from antivirus so it is not scanned on every access. Updating graphics drivers removes the remaining performance rough edges.
“Vanguard gets blamed for stutter, but it is usually a turf war with your background apps. The Discord overlay, GeForce Experience, a recorder, MSI Afterburner, all of them hook the system, and Vanguard is down at the kernel doing the same, so they fight and you get CPU spikes. I close the overlays and recorders, add the Riot Vanguard folder to the antivirus exclusions so it stops scanning it constantly, and update the GPU drivers. That usually smooths it right out.”
C:\Program Files\Riot Vanguard folder to your antivirus exclusion list.High CPU and stuttering with Vanguard is usually background tools colliding with its kernel driver. Fully close overlays, recorders, and overclocking utilities, add the Riot Vanguard folder to antivirus exclusions, and update graphics drivers and Windows to restore smooth performance.
If stutter continues after closing overlays and excluding Vanguard, monitoring which process spikes alongside vgc in Task Manager during a match pinpoints the specific background tool still contending for resources. You can also submit your error to us for a tailored fix.