Riot Games has just rolled out a major update to its controversial anti-cheat system, Vanguard, now dubbed “Vanguard: On-Demand.” For years, players of Valorant and League of Legends have complained about Vanguard’s kernel-level driver running constantly in the background, even when no Riot title was active. With this change, Vanguard will no longer launch at PC boot for supported systems. Instead, it activates only when you start a Riot game and shuts down automatically after you exit, freeing up system resources and improving overall performance.

What Is Vanguard: On-Demand and How Does It Work?

The new On-Demand mode is designed to strike a balance between robust security and a less intrusive user experience. Previously, Vanguard’s driver started with Windows and stayed active, which some players felt was overly aggressive and resource-heavy. Now, for PCs that meet modern security requirements, the driver will only run while you’re playing a Riot game—like Valorant or League of Legends—and automatically terminate after you close the game. This means no more background processes eating up CPU cycles or memory when you’re not gaming.

Who Can Use On-Demand Mode?

Not every player will be able to switch to On-Demand immediately. To enable it, your PC must meet a set of modern security prerequisites:

Windows 11 version 25H2 (or a compatible build)

Secure Boot enabled

TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module)

Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) enabled

Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity (HVCI) enabled

According to Riot, roughly 65% of the player base will need to manually check and enable these features using a short checklist provided by the company. Newer PCs—especially those built in the last couple of years—should already meet the requirements out of the box. Only about 3% of players on older hardware will remain on the traditional “always-on” Vanguard mode. Importantly, On-Demand is entirely optional; you won’t lose access to any games if you choose to stick with the old method.

Why This Matters for Players

This update addresses a long-standing pain point for the Riot community. Vanguard’s constant background presence has been a source of frustration, with some players citing performance dips, slower boot times, and privacy concerns. By making the anti-cheat more efficient and less intrusive, Riot aims to improve player trust and system performance without compromising game integrity. The change is also part of a broader effort to refine Riot’s ecosystem ahead of the anticipated “League Next” overhaul, signaling a more player-centric approach to technical updates.

How to Enable Vanguard: On-Demand

To switch to On-Demand mode, follow these steps:

Ensure your PC meets the security requirements listed above.

Open the Riot Client and navigate to the Vanguard settings.

Look for the “On-Demand” toggle and enable it.

Restart your PC if prompted to apply the changes.

If your system isn’t compatible, don’t worry—you can still play all Riot games with the traditional always-on Vanguard. Riot recommends checking for Windows updates and enabling Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 in your BIOS if you want to upgrade.

Source: This article is based on reporting from Notebookcheck. For more details, visit the original article at https://www.notebookcheck.net/Riot-Games-Vanguard-no-longer-starts-on-boot-for-supported-PCs.1330138.0.html.