Two codes, two very different days. VAN 138 is a virtual machine check you can clear in minutes. VAN 152 is a hardware ban with a proper process: verify it, appeal it or wait it out. Find your door below, no snake oil either way.
By Neeraj Singh ~11 min Updated Jul 2026 84% found this helpful
Error message
Error Code: VAN 138 (virtual machine restriction) | Error Code: VAN 152 (hardware ID restriction, shown in VALORANT and League of Legends)
Quick fix
Seeing “VAN 138”? Good news, it is not a ban and your account is fine. Vanguard detected a virtual machine or an active hypervisor and refuses to run there. Playing in a VM? Move to a native Windows install. On a real PC? A Windows feature is running the hypervisor without you knowing, Method 2 turns it off in two minutes.
Seeing “VAN 152”? Take a breath before assuming the worst. It usually means a hardware ID ban, but benign failures can wear the same code, so Method 3 verifies which you have before anything else.
Bought a used PC and VAN 152 appeared on day one? You likely inherited the previous owner's ban, and that is precisely what Riot's review process is for. Method 4 walks the appeal.
Hoping for a spoofer or workaround for VAN 152? Not here, and the note under the methods explains why that trade always loses. The honest paths are the appeal and the calendar.
One you fix, one you appeal
These two get lumped together because both are Vanguard refusing your machine, but they live in different worlds. VAN 138 is an environment check: Vanguard does not support virtual machines, so it blocks launch when it sees one, including the invisible kind where Windows' own hypervisor is running for features like WSL2 or Windows Sandbox. Nothing is held against you, change the environment and play. VAN 152, sometimes written VAL 152, is a restriction on the hardware fingerprint itself, Riot's heaviest machine-level penalty, reserved for cheating and ban evasion, typically around four months and cross-title between VALORANT and League of Legends. It survives reinstalls, new accounts and even a fresh Windows, which is exactly why the only real moves are verifying it, appealing it or waiting it out.
Figure 1: two codes, two doors
✓ How to fix it
Methods 1 and 2 are the VAN 138 door and take minutes. Methods 3 to 5 are the VAN 152 door and are about doing the right things in the right order. Each method tells you what success looks like.
Method 1
VAN 138: play on a native Windows install, not a VM
1Vanguard does not support virtual machines, full stop, so VALORANT inside VMware, VirtualBox, Parallels or a generic rented cloud Windows VM will hit VAN 138. This is by design, cheats love hiding under VMs.
2Install and play the game on the physical Windows machine itself. Dual-booting Windows on a Mac or Linux box counts as native, running Windows inside another OS does not.
3The game launching without the code on bare metal is your success sign. If you only have the VM, there is no supported way through, and that is Riot's call, not a settings problem.
Method 2
VAN 138 on a real PC: turn off the hidden hypervisor
1Windows can run under its own hypervisor without you ever opening a VM, features like Hyper-V, WSL2, Docker Desktop and Windows Sandbox switch it on, and that layer can look like a virtual machine.
2Open Command Prompt as administrator and run bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off, then restart the PC. Prefer clicking to typing? Open Turn Windows features on or off and untick Hyper-V, Virtual Machine Platform and Windows Hypervisor Platform, then restart. To get the layer back later for those tools, run bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype auto, or re-tick the features, and restart again.
3Confirm the layer is really off before launching: run msinfo32 and check that Virtualization-based security reads Not enabled. Then launch the game, a clean start confirms the hypervisor was the trigger, and you can flip between the two commands whenever you switch between working and playing.
Method 3
VAN 152: verify it is really a hardware ban first
1Benign failures can wear this code, a corrupted Vanguard install or disabled TPM and Secure Boot on Windows 11, so rule those out: reinstall Riot Vanguard: uninstall, restart, launch the game, and if the uninstall misbehaves run sc delete vgc and sc delete vgk from an admin prompt, restart and delete the Riot Vanguard folder first. Then confirm TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are enabled, the VAN 9001 guide shows how.
2Then run the two-way test: sign in with your account on a friend's PC, and if you can, launch the game on your PC with a second account. Your account working elsewhere while every account fails on your machine is the signature of a hardware restriction.
3Knowing which case you are in is this method's success. Benign case cleared by the reinstall? Done. Hardware signature confirmed? Continue to Method 4.
Figure 2: the two-way test that confirms a hardware restriction
Method 4
VAN 152: appeal through Riot Support
1Submit a ticket to Riot Support under the VALORANT ban appeal category. Be factual and calm: when the code appeared, what you verified in Method 3 and why you believe the restriction is wrong.
2Bought the PC used? Say so explicitly and attach proof of purchase with the date. An inherited ban on a second-hand machine is the case reviews exist for, and the appeal category is built for exactly it.
3A support reply lifting the restriction, or explaining its actual basis, is this method's success. One honest ticket beats ten argumentative ones, and repeated tickets for the same case slow reviews down.
Method 5
VAN 152: if the ban is genuine, let the clock run
1Riot's guidance puts the typical hardware restriction around four months, with severe cases reported up to about a year, and it applies across VALORANT and League of Legends.
2Do not sign other people's accounts in on the restricted machine, logins there can pull those accounts into the restriction as suspected evasion.
3When the duration passes, the restriction lifts and a normal login succeeds. Slow, honest and it actually ends, which is more than the shortcuts can say.
About HWID spoofers, since half the pages ranking for VAN 152 sell them: evading a ban violates Riot's terms and, when detected, typically converts a four-month restriction into a permanent one. The tools themselves are unvetted kernel software from anonymous sellers, exactly what you should never install. There is no version of that trade worth it.
Common causes of VAN 138 and VAN 152
Running the game inside VMware, VirtualBox, Parallels or a cloud desktop (VAN 138).
Windows' own hypervisor active through Hyper-V, WSL2, Docker Desktop or Windows Sandbox (VAN 138).
A hardware ID ban after cheating, ban evasion or disallowed software detected on the machine (VAN 152).
A used PC inheriting the previous owner's hardware restriction (VAN 152).
Benign lookalikes: a corrupted Vanguard install, or TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot disabled on Windows 11.
Expert insight
“With VAN 138 my first question is what else lives on that PC, because half the time the person has never opened a VM in their life, but WSL2 or Docker switched the hypervisor on months ago and Vanguard finally noticed. One bcdedit command each way and they flip between work mode and play mode happily. VAN 152 is a different conversation. I make people verify before they despair, reinstall Vanguard, check TPM, test the account on another machine, because a corrupted install wearing a ban's clothes does happen. When it really is the hardware, I am blunt: the appeal is for the used-PC case, the calendar is for the rest. The spoofer sellers are the only ones who win if you go shopping for shortcuts.”
Manager, Tech Support & Operations · 19+ years fixing Windows and system errors
Make sure this is the error you have
Restriction-flavoured screens are easy to confuse. A general VAN: RESTRICTION message without these numbers has its own guide, the VAN restriction guide. VAN 9001 and VAN 9003 are Windows 11 Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 requirement checks, not restrictions, covered in the VAN 9001 guide. And connection codes such as VAN 84 or login codes VAN 0, 1 and 6 are unrelated to machine checks, see the VAN 84 guide and the VAN 0 / 1 / 6 guide. Riot also shows VAN 9100 for virtualization misidentification on some systems, and the VAN 138 methods here apply to it. Otherwise, this page is only for VAN 138, the virtual machine block, and VAN 152, the hardware restriction.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between VAN 138 and VAN 152?
VAN 138 is virtual machine detection: Vanguard refuses to run inside virtualization, so it blocks launch until you play on a native Windows install. It is a configuration you can change in minutes. VAN 152 is a hardware ID ban: Riot has restricted your PC's hardware fingerprint itself, which no reinstall or settings change removes. One you fix, the other you verify and appeal.
Is VAN 138 a ban?
No. VAN 138 is an environment check, not a punishment. Vanguard has detected a virtual machine or an active hypervisor and refuses to start there. Exit the VM or turn off the virtualization layer and the game runs normally, with your account untouched.
Why do I get VAN 138 on a real PC with no virtual machine?
Windows' own virtualization layer can be active without you knowing. Features such as Hyper-V, WSL2, Docker Desktop and Windows Sandbox run the system under Microsoft's hypervisor, which can look like a virtual machine. Turning the hypervisor off with the bcdedit command clears it, and you can turn it back on when you need those tools.
What is an HWID ban exactly?
A ban on the computer's hardware fingerprint rather than on one account. Riot uses it for serious cases such as cheating or ban evasion, and it blocks every account that signs in on that machine. That is why a fresh account on the same PC sees VAN 152 again almost immediately, and the ban is cross-title, a Vanguard hardware ban in VALORANT applies in League of Legends too.
How long does a VAN 152 ban last?
Riot's support guidance puts the typical hardware ban around four months, and reports of severe cases run longer, up to about a year. Treat those as ranges rather than promises, the duration sits with Riot and depends on the case.
Will reinstalling the game, wiping Windows or a new account fix VAN 152?
No. The restriction is tied to the hardware fingerprint, so it survives game reinstalls, fresh accounts and even a full Windows reinstall. If the ban is genuine, the only legitimate paths are an appeal through Riot Support or waiting out the duration.
I bought a used PC and get VAN 152, what now?
You have likely inherited the previous owner's hardware ban, and this is exactly the case Riot Support exists for. Submit a ticket that explains when you bought the machine, includes proof of purchase if you have it and asks for a review of the hardware restriction. Genuine second-owner cases are reviewable in a way cheating cases are not.
Do HWID spoofers fix VAN 152?
Avoid them. Spoofers exist to evade a ban, which violates Riot's terms and typically escalates a temporary hardware ban into a permanent one when detected. The tools themselves are also a malware minefield, and the same goes for VPN tricks, the restriction reads your hardware, not your IP address. The legitimate routes are verification, an appeal and time, nothing on this page will point you anywhere else.
Still not working?
If VAN 138 survives Method 2, check whether Memory Integrity is holding the hypervisor on: Windows Security > Core isolation, toggle it off to test. One caution with that switch: some systems then hit a VAN: RESTRICTION screen demanding HVCI back on, Vanguard requires it on certain setups, so if that appears, restore Memory Integrity and follow the VAN restriction guide instead. As the true last resort for a machine that never runs VMs, Intel VT-x or AMD-V can be disabled in the BIOS itself. If Method 3 proved your VAN 152 is not a hardware ban yet the code persists on your machine alone, a clean Windows install has resolved stubborn benign cases, the nuclear option after everything else. And if a VAN 152 appeal came back unclear, reply once on the same ticket asking what the restriction is based on, that answer usually settles whether waiting or escalating makes sense. Browse the full set of Riot Vanguard error guides for anything adjacent, or submit your error to us for a tailored fix.
