Valorant installs fine on a Snapdragon X laptop — the Riot Client opens, the game downloads, you hit Play, and then Vanguard stops everything cold. Error code or instant close, the outcome is the same: no match, no menu. Here is the honest answer up front: Valorant cannot run on Windows on ARM, because its anti-cheat has no ARM64 driver.

For running the game natively, that is the end of the story — but there is still useful work to do. Some ARM users misdiagnose TPM errors as the ARM block, some chase fake “fixes” that risk their accounts, and many do not know the legitimate alternatives. This guide covers what is fixable, what is not, and how to play without endangering your account.

Vanguard is a kernel-mode driver — it loads into the Windows kernel at boot — and kernel drivers must be compiled for the exact architecture. Riot ships Vanguard for x64 only. Prism translates user-mode game code, not kernel drivers, so there is no emulation escape hatch. For the broader picture, see our Steam games on ARM laptop guide ; new to the platform? Here is how to check if your laptop has an NPU .

Why this happens

  • No ARM64 Vanguard driver exists: Riot built Vanguard for x64 only — without an ARM64 kernel driver, the anti-cheat cannot load.
  • Kernel drivers cannot be emulated: Prism translates user-mode apps, not kernel-mode drivers. A driver must be native ARM64 code, so emulation is not a workaround.
  • TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot confusion: VAN9001 looks fixable, and the settings may genuinely be off — but fixing them leaves the missing driver problem.
  • Riot Client installs cleanly, hiding the issue: Everything up to Play works normally.
  • Fake bypass tools: “Vanguard ARM bypass” downloads are scams or guaranteed bans.
  • No dual-boot escape on Snapdragon: You cannot boot x64 Windows on a Snapdragon laptop, so there is no local workaround at all.

How to fix it

Work through these in order — diagnose first, then act.

Fix 1: Confirm the ARM block before troubleshooting anything else

The most valuable step is the fastest: verify you are hitting the ARM incompatibility and not a coincidental fixable error. If your chip is Snapdragon X and Valorant fails at the Vanguard loading stage, you are at the architectural wall. This diagnosis stops hours wasted on reinstalls that cannot help — and once you know the cause is a missing vendor driver, “bypass” tools are instantly recognizable as scams.

  1. Open Settings, go to System, then About, and confirm your processor is Snapdragon X or another ARM chip.
  2. Launch Valorant and note exactly where it fails — an instant close or Vanguard error at startup confirms the driver block.
  3. Check Riot’s official support pages for any ARM announcement; if none exists, the block is current.
  4. Stop native troubleshooting here and move to the alternatives in Fix 5 instead.

Fix 2: Verify TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot anyway (rules out misdiagnosis)

TPM and Secure Boot will not unblock Valorant on ARM, but verifying them rules out the one class of Vanguard errors that is fixable — leaving ARM as the certain cause. VAN9001 explicitly demands TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, and some Snapdragon laptops ship with one disabled. Enabling them also hardens your machine; Microsoft details both in the Windows support hub .

  1. Press Win+R, type tpm.msc, and confirm it reports TPM 2.0 as ready for use.
  2. Open System Information (msinfo32) and check that Secure Boot State reads “On”.
  3. If either is off, enable TPM and Secure Boot in UEFI firmware, then reboot.
  4. Relaunch Valorant once to confirm the failure is unchanged — proving the ARM block is the cause.

Fix 3: Update Windows and firmware to eliminate red herrings

Outdated Windows builds produce their own Vanguard errors — VAN -81, driver load failures, client update loops — that muddy the ARM diagnosis. Updating fully removes every fixable variable, leaving only the architectural block. It is the same principle as other ARM driver issues: an NPU error code 10 (device cannot start) is often just a stale driver, and clearing mundane causes first makes the real diagnosis trustworthy. Twenty minutes now prevents days of doubt later.

  1. Open Settings, go to Windows Update, and install everything available, including optional driver updates.
  2. Check your manufacturer’s support page for a firmware update for your exact model.
  3. Reboot, then use the Riot Client’s repair option if it offers one.
  4. Test Valorant once more and record the exact error — unchanged behavior confirms the ARM limitation.

Fix 4: Recognize and avoid ban-risk “fixes”

This fix is about what not to do. The internet is full of supposed Vanguard ARM workarounds: disabling its driver loading, test-signing mode, registry patches, downloadable “ARM bypass” tools. Each either does nothing or gets your Riot account permanently banned — Vanguard treats tampering as cheating, with no appeal.

  1. Never disable driver signature enforcement or enable test-signing mode for Vanguard — it flags the account.
  2. Never download “Vanguard ARM bypass” tools; they are malware or ban traps.
  3. Do not edit Vanguard’s registry keys or services; tampering is treated as cheating.
  4. Report scam tools rather than engaging with them, and warn friends who game on ARM.

Fix 5: Play Valorant through cloud gaming instead

Cloud gaming is the legitimate way to play Valorant on ARM today. Services like GeForce NOW run the x64 game with full Vanguard on their servers and stream video to your machine — your laptop only needs the client and a decent connection. Latency is higher than native, but on stable wired or strong Wi-Fi it is genuinely playable for most ranks. Check regional availability before subscribing.

  1. Check GeForce NOW or your preferred cloud service for current Valorant availability in your region.
  2. Aim for under 40ms ping to the nearest server.
  3. Use wired Ethernet or sit close to your router to minimize jitter during matches.
  4. Link your Riot account in the cloud service and launch Valorant from its library, not your local install.

Closing

Valorant on ARM is the rare case where the answer is “it cannot be fixed” — Vanguard needs an ARM64 kernel driver Riot has not built, and no setting or tool changes that. The real work is diagnostic discipline, account safety (never touch ban-risk bypasses), and legitimate alternatives like cloud gaming. If Valorant is a daily game, keep the Snapdragon for portable work and game on an x64 box or the cloud. And if a printer gives you the same missing-driver grief, our Canon printer driver for ARM64 Windows guide shows how driver hunts go when the vendor ships ARM support.

Frequently asked questions

Why won't Valorant run on my Snapdragon X laptop?
Valorant’s anti-cheat, Vanguard, installs a kernel-mode driver that Riot has only built for x64 Windows. There is no ARM64 Vanguard driver, so the game cannot verify your system and refuses to launch. This is a vendor limitation no setting can change.
Will Vanguard ever support Windows on ARM?
Riot has not announced ARM64 support for Vanguard, and kernel anti-cheat vendors move slowly because the driver must be rewritten and re-certified for a new architecture. Treat ARM support as not coming unless it becomes widely reported news.
Can I bypass the Vanguard check to play on ARM?
No safe bypass exists. Disabling or tampering with Vanguard triggers an instant ban, and third-party ‘ARM bypass’ tools are malware or ban traps. The legitimate ways to play are on an x64 PC or through a cloud gaming service.
I get VAN9001 or VAN -81 errors. Is that the ARM problem?
VAN9001 means TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot is off; VAN -81 is a connection or driver-load failure — fixable on x64 PCs. On ARM, even with both perfect, the missing ARM64 driver still blocks the game.