After years of debate surrounding Vanguard, Riot is finally introducing an optional alternative for eligible PCs.
For years, one of the biggest talking points surrounding Riot Games' Vanguard anti-cheat has been the fact that it launches when Windows starts. Now, Riot is finally giving eligible players another option.
In a new developer update, Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, VALORANT, Teamfight Tactics, and 2XKO has announced Vanguard On-Demand, a new mode that allows Vanguard's driver component to launch only when a Riot game is running, instead of remaining active from system startup. The feature is entirely optional, and is available for PCs that meet a new set of security requirements through Vanguard Pre-Check.
According to Riot, the change has only become possible thanks to newer Windows security features and hardware protections that allow the company to maintain Vanguard's anti-cheat safeguards without requiring the driver to run continuously.
What is Vanguard On-Demand?
Vanguard On-Demand allows eligible players to launch Vanguard only when they open a Riot title. Once they finish playing, Vanguard will no longer remain active in the background. Players who prefer the current behaviour do not need to make any changes. Riot stressed throughout the announcement that Vanguard Pre-Check and On-Demand mode are entirely optional.
"This is all 100% optional, and you only need to do anything if you'd like to enable on-demand mode, which will allow Vanguard to launch when the game does and remain running only while you're playing a Riot title," Riot said. For players whose systems already satisfy the requirements, the option to switch to On-Demand mode will appear with the next Vanguard update. Riot added that these players will no longer see Vanguard's system tray icon unless they are actively playing one of its games.
How do you enable Vanguard On-Demand?
To use Vanguard On-Demand, players must pass Vanguard Pre-Check, Riot's new security verification process for supported PCs. The company said players do not need to manually figure everything out themselves. A redesigned VGTray will identify which security settings are still required and direct players to support articles explaining how to enable them.
The requirements include:
- Windows 11 25H2
- UEFI Mode and Secure Boot
- Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0
- An updated BIOS if necessary
- Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) and Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity (HVCI)
- Input-Output Memory Management Unit (IOMMU)
Riot noted that many newer PCs already ship with these settings enabled by default.
Why is Riot introducing Vanguard On-Demand now?
According to Riot, advances in Windows security and closer collaboration with Microsoft have made it possible to offer an on-demand version of Vanguard without compromising its anti-cheat protections. The developer explained that newer Windows features can now verify driver activity even when Vanguard is not running from system startup, allowing the anti-cheat to maintain its security checks while giving eligible players more flexibility over when the driver is active.
How many players already meet Vanguard Pre-Check requirements?
Riot shared that around 35% of players already satisfy Vanguard Pre-Check's requirements, and can enable On-Demand mode immediately once the update arrives. The company also said that roughly 34.33% of weekly players are already using fully secured systems, while only about 3% currently lack the hardware required to support the new security features.
"We're not making anyone change anything," Riot said. "We're willing to wait until the ecosystem matures."
Riot says Vanguard On-Demand is part of its long-term anti-cheat plans
Alongside the announcement, Riot also shared a look at the current state of cheating across League of Legends and VALORANT, saying cheaters currently infect about 0.7% of ranked PC matches across both games. The developer described Vanguard Pre-Check as part of a broader effort to strengthen trust in competitive play while avoiding unnecessary friction for players.
"Ultimately, for competitive online spaces to persevere, it is necessary that we be able to trust the endpoints that the games are played on," Riot said. “For that reason, our trust segmentation will be surgical, and while we might add more checks to Pre-Check in the future, we plan on keeping things optional until you're in the most competitive segments, on the strangest devices, or amongst the highest ranks.”
