VAN 84 means your game lost its secure connection to Riot, and half the time the fault is not even on your PC. Sixty seconds of triage below tells you which half you are in, it is not a ban.
By Neeraj Singh ~11 min Updated Jul 2026 85% found this helpful
Error message
There was an error connecting to the platform. Please restart the client. | Error Code: VAN 84
Quick fix
First question, is it even you? VAN 84 spikes whenever Riot's servers wobble, so before touching anything, check the Riot Games Service Status page for your region. An incident listed there, or a wave of players reporting the same code, means it is Riot's side: wait it out, nothing on your PC fixes their outage. Method 1 shows where to look.
Status clean but you still get VAN 84? Then it is local and very fixable. Run the restart chain: close VALORANT, end every Riot process in Task Manager, restart the PC and launch the Riot Client fresh so Vanguard starts cleanly. That alone clears most local cases. Method 2 walks you through it.
Kicked mid-match and worried about the AFK mark? Do not troubleshoot yet, get back in first: restart the Riot Client and rejoin from the play screen, then fix the cause after the match. Start at Method 2.
Happens every session? Something on your side keeps breaking the secure link: a stopped Vanguard service, a firewall block or flaky DNS. Methods 3 to 6 hunt it down in order.
Riot's side or your side, decide in sixty seconds
VAN 84 sits in the VAN family, the codes about Vanguard and the Riot Client, and this one specifically says the client could not establish or hold its secure connection to Riot's servers. That connection has two ends plus the road between them, which is why the causes look so scattered: Riot outages and maintenance on their end, a stopped Vanguard service, firewall block or unstable network on yours, plus occasionally the route in between. Your first minute decides everything, because the two halves have completely different fixes and only one of them is in your hands.
Figure 1: the sixty second triage for VAN 84
✓ How to fix it
Method 1 is the sixty second check that saves the whole evening. After that, work down in order, each method tells you what success looks like so you know when to stop.
Method 1
Check Riot's server status before touching anything
1Open the Riot Games Service Status page and select your region, then glance at DownDetector or Riot's social channels. VAN 84 waves during outages, maintenance and patch days are common.
2An incident or maintenance listed, or a flood of players reporting the same code? It is Riot's side. Do not reinstall anything, the error clears on its own when they resolve it, and reinstalling first is the classic wasted evening.
3Status clean and nobody else complaining? The fault is local, continue with Method 2. Knowing which half you are in is this method's success.
Method 2
Run the full restart chain
1Close VALORANT, then open Task Manager and end every remaining Riot process, the game, the Riot Client and its background entries. Around patch days you can also exit Vanguard from the system tray, it reloads at the next boot.
2Restart the PC, not just the client, so Vanguard's service starts cleanly with Windows, then launch the Riot Client fresh and sign in.
3If you were kicked mid-match, rejoin from the play screen first and troubleshoot after. Logging in and connecting to a match without the code is your success sign, this chain alone clears most local cases.
Method 3
Make sure the Vanguard service is running
1The game authenticates through Vanguard, so a stopped service leaves the secure connection with nothing to stand on. Press Win+R, type services.msc and press Enter.
2Find vgc, open its Properties, set Startup type to Automatic, click Apply and then Start.
3Relaunch the game. If vgc refuses to start at all, that is its own problem with its own page, the vgc not initialized guide digs into it properly.
Method 4
Let the game through the firewall and antivirus
1A firewall or antivirus quietly blocking Vanguard's traffic produces exactly this code. In Windows Security, allow VALORANT, the Riot Client and Vanguard through the firewall rather than switching protection off.
2Third-party antivirus? Add the same three as exceptions. On Intel systems, the Killer Prioritization Engine background process has been reported sabotaging the connection, close it or disable it from startup to test.
3Launch and play a casual match. Staying connected through a full game confirms the block was the cause.
Method 5
Refresh the network
1Run a quick speed and ping test first, high packet loss or latency is the signature of a link that drops the secure session mid-match. Then power the router off for thirty seconds and back on, and if you are on Wi-Fi, test a wired connection.
2Then reset Windows' own networking: open Command Prompt as administrator and run ipconfig /release, ipconfig /renew, ipconfig /flushdns and netsh winsock reset, one after the other.
3Restart the PC and reconnect. A stable session on the refreshed network is your confirmation.
Method 6
Switch DNS, and test with IPv6 off
1The game depends on clean DNS to reach Riot's servers, and a slow or misbehaving resolver breaks the handshake. Set your connection's DNS to a public resolver such as 8.8.8.8 (Google) or 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare).
2Still failing? Test with IPv6 off: in your adapter's Properties, untick Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) and restart. Some networks route IPv6 badly to Riot.
3If disabling IPv6 made no difference, tick it back on, it is worth keeping when it is not the problem. A clean login after the DNS change is your success sign.
Method 7
Regional incident? Try another server
1VAN 84 incidents are sometimes regional, hitting one cluster of servers while others run fine, which is why your friend two countries over is playing happily.
2If the error appears at matchmaking rather than at login, open the server list on the play screen and pick a different nearby server.
3Getting into a match on the alternate server confirms a regional incident, switch back once your home region's status page goes green.
Method 8
Reinstall Vanguard, then VALORANT, as the last resort
1Only after everything above: corrupted files can leave the client unable to hold the secure session. Uninstall Riot Vanguard from Settings > Apps, restart, then launch VALORANT so it reinstalls Vanguard fresh.
2If even that fails, uninstall VALORANT as well, restart, then reinstall from the official site with one more restart after, so Vanguard initialises before your first launch.
3A clean login on the fresh install closes the case. Still seeing VAN 84 on a fresh install with a clean status page? Your ISP route is the last suspect, see below.
Save the reinstall for last, it is the slowest fix and the least likely one to be needed. And when the status page shows an outage, the only winning move is patience, no local fix beats waiting for Riot.
Common causes of VAN 84
Figure 2: the four places the connection can break
A Riot server outage, maintenance window or patch-day instability, the most common cause of a VAN 84 wave.
A regional incident hitting one server cluster while other regions play on.
The Vanguard service, vgc, stopped or failing to start, leaving nothing to authenticate through.
A firewall, antivirus or gaming network suite blocking or shaping Vanguard's traffic.
Unstable Wi-Fi, bad DNS or poorly routed IPv6 dropping the secure session.
Corrupted client or Vanguard files, the rarest cause and the reason the reinstall comes last.
Expert insight
“The mistake I see with VAN 84 is people tearing their PC apart during a Riot outage. My first minute is always the status page and a quick look at whether everyone else is shouting about it too, because if they are, the only fix is a cup of tea. When it really is local, the boring chain wins: end every Riot process, restart the machine, let Vanguard come up with Windows and check the vgc service is set to Automatic. Firewall and DNS cover most of what is left. The reinstall is my last move, not my first, and nine times out of ten I never get there.”
Manager, Tech Support & Operations · 19+ years fixing Windows and system errors
Make sure this is the error you have
The VAN family has close neighbours with their own pages. VAN -81 is specifically the Vanguard service failing, the VAN -81 guide lives there. A message that Vanguard is not initialized belongs to the vgc guide. VAN 9001 and VAN 9003 are Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 requirement checks on Windows 11, nothing to do with connections, start at the VAN 9001 guide. And generic login queue or platform codes such as VAN 0, 1 and 6 have the VAN 0 / 1 / 6 guide. This page is only for VAN 84, the secure connection to Riot dropping or refusing to form.
Frequently asked questions
What does VALORANT error code VAN 84 mean?
It means your client cannot keep a stable, secure connection to Riot's servers. The cause splits between Riot's side, an outage or maintenance, and your side, such as the Vanguard service not running, a firewall block or an unstable network. Check Riot's server status first, because when the outage is theirs no local fix helps.
Is VAN 84 a ban?
No. VAN 84 is a connection error, nothing about your account. Bans and restrictions show their own messages. Once the connection problem clears, whether on Riot's side or yours, you log in and play as normal.
Why did VAN 84 kick me mid-match?
The connection to Riot dropped during the game, so the client disconnected you, and the match may mark you AFK while you are gone. Get back in as fast as possible: restart the Riot Client and rejoin the match from the play screen. During a widespread outage the same thing is happening to many players at once.
How do I know if it is Riot's servers or my PC?
Open the Riot Games Service Status page for your region and glance at social channels or DownDetector. Lots of players reporting VAN 84 at the same time means it is Riot's side, so wait it out. Status clean and nobody else complaining? The problem is local, work through the fixes on your side.
What is the fastest local fix for VAN 84?
The full restart chain: close VALORANT, end every Riot process in Task Manager, restart the PC and launch the Riot Client fresh so Vanguard starts cleanly. This clears the temporary client and service states behind most local VAN 84 cases in a few minutes.
Does the vgc service cause VAN 84?
It can contribute. Vanguard must be running for the game to authenticate, so a stopped vgc service leaves the client unable to establish the secure connection. Set vgc to Automatic in services.msc and start it. If Vanguard errors are your recurring theme, the dedicated vgc and VAN -81 guides go deeper.
Can a VPN fix VAN 84?
Sometimes, when the fault is routing between your provider and Riot rather than either endpoint. Treat it as a diagnostic more than a fix: if the game connects over a VPN, your ISP route is the suspect. Use a reputable service and test casually first, and prefer fixing DNS and the router before living on a VPN.
Is VAN 84 related to VAN 9001 or Secure Boot?
No. Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 problems produce their own codes, VAN 9001 and VAN 9003, and block the game from starting at all. VAN 84 is purely about the connection between a working client and Riot's servers, so BIOS settings are not the place to look for it.
Still not working?
A fresh install still throwing VAN 84 on a clean status page points at the road between you and Riot. On a strict network, a hostel, campus or office connection especially, a restrictive NAT can block the handshake, and ancient router firmware does the same at home, so update the firmware or ask the network admin. Test on a phone hotspot for one match: connecting fine over mobile data proves your home connection or ISP route is the problem, which is the moment a reputable VPN test or a call to your ISP makes sense. Browse the full set of Riot Vanguard error guides for anything adjacent, or submit your error to us for a tailored fix.
