How to fix VALORANT VAN 138 and VAN 152
These two codes are environmental blocks. VAN 138 is a fixable virtual-machine issue; VAN 152 is a hardware ban. Jump to your situation below or read the methods in order.
These two codes are environmental blocks. VAN 138 is a fixable virtual-machine issue; VAN 152 is a hardware ban. Jump to your situation below or read the methods in order.
VAN 138 and VAN 152 are Vanguard blocking your machine, but for very different reasons. VAN 138 is virtual-machine detection: Vanguard will not run inside virtualization (Hyper-V, VMware, VirtualBox), so it appears on VMs and sometimes when a Windows virtualization feature is enabled. It is a configuration fix, disable virtualization or run on a native Windows install. VAN 152 is a hardware ID (HWID) ban: Riot has blocked your PC's hardware fingerprint, not just an account, typically for around four months. Standard troubleshooting will not clear a genuine HWID ban, though it can appear innocently on a used PC whose previous owner was banned. If you believe VAN 152 was applied in error, the only route is to submit a ticket to Riot Support. In short, VAN 138 you fix, VAN 152 you appeal.
Vanguard is a kernel anti-cheat that refuses certain environments. VAN 138 means it detected a virtual machine, which it does not support, so it blocks launch until you run on native hardware. This is a setting you can change.
VAN 152 is different: it is a ban on your hardware fingerprint, so every account on that PC is flagged. It usually follows cheating or ban evasion, but can be inherited with a used PC. It is not a configuration issue, so the only recourse is an appeal to Riot.
“These two get lumped together but they are night and day. VAN 138 is just Vanguard saying it will not run in a virtual machine, so you disable virtualization or move to a real Windows install and you are back in. VAN 152 is the scary one, it is a hardware ban, Riot has flagged the actual PC for around four months. No tweak fixes a real HWID ban. The only thing that helps is a support ticket, and that is really for the used-PC case where you inherited someone else's ban.”
VAN 138 is virtual-machine detection: run VALORANT on native Windows or disable virtualization. VAN 152 is a hardware ID ban, typically around four months, that standard fixes cannot clear. Appeal to Riot Support if it was applied in error, such as on a used PC.
If you get VAN 138 on a normal desktop with no VM, a Windows virtualization feature such as a Sandbox, Hyper-V, or memory-integrity virtualization may be active; disabling it in Windows features usually clears the false detection. You can also submit your error to us for a tailored fix.
