You’re hyped to queue for your ranked Valorant grind, you boot up your PC, launch the client, and get hit with a vague error that says your system doesn’t meet security requirements. You’ve seen people arguing about Secure Boot in Valorant Discord servers and Reddit threads, and now you’re asking: do you need secure boot for Valorant? This guide breaks down exactly what Secure Boot does for Riot’s Vanguard anti-cheat, when it’s required, what happens if you skip it, and how to adjust your settings without bricking your PC or losing access to your account.
Do You Need Secure Boot for Valorant on All Systems?
If you’re running Windows 11, the short answer is yes, you absolutely need Secure Boot enabled to launch Valorant at all. Riot added this requirement in 2022 as part of a broader Vanguard update designed to block kernel-level cheat developers from accessing low-level system functions that let them run undetectable hacks in competitive matches. But if you’re still on Windows 10, you don’t need Secure Boot right now, though Riot has hinted they might extend the requirement to Windows 10 users in future platform updates.
I’ve had friends stick to Windows 10 specifically to avoid messing with their BIOS settings for Secure Boot, and they’ve been able to play without issues for the last two years. That said, support for Windows 10 is ending soon, so you’ll have to upgrade to Windows 11 eventually, which means you’ll have to enable Secure Boot sooner or later if you want to keep playing Valorant. If you get a "Vanguard requires TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot" error on launch, that’s a direct sign your system doesn’t have Secure Boot turned on, or you’re missing the required TPM 2.0 setting.
What Happens If You Run Valorant Without Secure Boot Enabled?
For Windows 11 users, you won’t even get past the launch screen if Secure Boot is disabled. The error will pop up immediately after you open the Valorant client, and you can’t queue for any game mode, even custom games, deathmatch, or the practice range. There’s no way to click past the error or ignore it to play offline either, since Valorant requires a constant connection to Riot’s servers even for single-player practice modes.
You might see people sharing workarounds online that claim to let you bypass the Secure Boot check, but using any of these is an incredibly bad idea. Bypassing Vanguard’s Secure Boot requirement can lead to a permanent account ban, no exceptions. Riot’s anti-cheat is designed to flag modified system settings that are commonly used to run undetected cheats, so even if you’re not using hacks, messing with the check can trigger a ban you won’t be able to appeal. Riot’s support team doesn’t reverse bans for players who modify their system to get around anti-cheat requirements, so it’s not worth the risk.
Disabling Secure Boot also opens your PC up to far more risks than just a Valorant ban. You’re removing a core security feature that blocks malware from accessing your system’s boot process, which means you’re far more vulnerable to rootkits, account stealers, and ransomware that can steal your personal data or lock you out of your entire PC. I once helped a friend fix their PC after they disabled Secure Boot to run a random mod for a single-player game, and they ended up with a rootkit that took three full days to remove completely. Don’t make that mistake. There are no legitimate, Riot-approved workarounds to skip the Secure Boot requirement for Windows 11 users.
Step-by-Step Checks to Confirm Your Secure Boot Status
Before you go digging into your BIOS settings and changing things you don’t understand, you can check if Secure Boot is already enabled on your PC in less than a minute. You don’t need any third-party software to run this check either, since Windows has a built-in tool that shows you all your system security settings at a glance.
- Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog, type msinfo32 and hit enter. This will open your System Information panel with all your hardware and software details.
- On the left sidebar, make sure "System Summary" is selected, then scroll down the right panel until you find the "Secure Boot State" line halfway down the list.
- If the value says "On", Secure Boot is already enabled and you don’t need to make any changes. If it says "Off", you’ll need to enable it in your BIOS if you’re running Windows 11 and want to play Valorant.
If you do need to enable Secure Boot, you’ll have to restart your PC and enter your BIOS (usually by pressing Del, F2, or F10 while your PC is booting up, depending on your motherboard brand). Once you’re in BIOS, look for the Security or Boot tab, find the Secure Boot option, and switch it to Enabled. You’ll also need to make sure TPM 2.0 is enabled at the same time, since Vanguard requires both features for Windows 11 users to play Valorant. Always back up your important files before making changes to your BIOS settings, just in case something goes wrong during the process. If you’re building a new PC specifically for playing Valorant, you should enable Secure Boot as part of your initial setup process, so you don’t have to come back and fix it later.
If you get a boot error after enabling Secure Boot, it’s likely because your hard drive is using MBR partitioning instead of the newer GPT standard that works with Secure Boot. You can convert your drive from MBR to GPT without losing data using Windows built-in tools, but that’s a separate process you should follow carefully, following official guides from Microsoft or your motherboard manufacturer.
Pros and Cons of Enabling Secure Boot for Valorant Players
A lot of players push back against enabling Secure Boot because they think it will mess up their ability to run other games or custom software, but the pros far outweigh the cons for most casual and competitive Valorant players. It’s not just a pointless hoop Riot is making you jump through—it’s a security feature that protects both your account and your entire PC.
The biggest pros of enabling Secure Boot are obvious first: you get access to Valorant with no launch errors, and you don’t have to worry about future Riot updates locking you out of the game. Beyond that, Secure Boot adds an extra layer of protection against malware, account stealers, and cheat software that could compromise your PC or your Valorant account. It’s also required for a lot of other modern games and software too, not just Valorant, so enabling it now will save you headaches later when other popular online games roll out similar anti-cheat requirements.
The only real downside is that Secure Boot can block some older, unsigned drivers and software, usually old mods for single-player games or custom firmware for peripherals like custom keyboards or controllers. If you rely on that kind of software for work or personal projects, you might have to choose between running that software and playing Valorant on Windows 11. If you regularly run unsigned software for work or personal projects, sticking to Windows 10 for now is the only safe way to avoid conflicts with Valorant’s requirements.
I use a custom keyboard firmware that was unsigned for a long time, so I stuck to Windows 10 for six months until the developer released a signed version that worked with Secure Boot. It was a minor inconvenience, but it was worth it to avoid switching back and forth between BIOS settings every time I wanted to switch between playing Valorant and tinkering with my keyboard. For most players who don’t use custom unsigned software, you won’t even notice Secure Boot is enabled after you turn it on.
At the end of the day, the answer to do you need secure boot for Valorant depends entirely on what operating system you’re running. If you’re on Windows 11, there’s no way around it—you have to enable it to play, and trying to bypass it will only put your account at risk of a permanent ban. If you’re on Windows 10, you can hold off for now, but it’s a good idea to enable it sooner rather than later to prepare for future updates and keep your PC protected. Don’t let the fear of messing with BIOS settings stop you from enabling it: it’s a quick change that takes less than 10 minutes for most users, and it protects both your PC and your Valorant account long-term. If you run into issues enabling it, you can find official step-by-step guides on Riot’s support site that walk you through the process for every major motherboard brand.
