Vanguard Stops Always Watching: Riot Ships On-Demand Anti-Cheat

A concession to critics

Riot Games has answered one of the most persistent complaints about its Vanguard anti-cheat. On June 24, 2026, the studio rolled out an on-demand mode so Vanguard only runs while you are actively playing League of Legends or Valorant, then shuts down afterward, rather than running constantly from the moment Windows boots.

For years, the sticking point with Vanguard was not just that it operates at the kernel level, but that it stayed resident at all times. The on-demand option directly targets that objection while keeping the anti-cheat's core protections intact.

Who can use it

Access is not universal, and the requirements are strict:

• Roughly 35 percent of players could use the on-demand mode immediately at rollout.
• Others need Windows 11 version 25H2 or newer, plus Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, VBS, HVCI, and IOMMU enabled.
• About 3 percent of players on older hardware cannot access it and remain on the original always-on system.
• The change is optional, so players who prefer the existing setup can keep it.

The bigger anti-cheat debate

The update lands amid an ongoing 2026 argument over kernel-level anti-cheat, which grants software deep system access in exchange for stronger cheat detection. Riot has been at the center of that conversation, and it recently had to publicly deny rumors that a Vanguard update could somehow brick cheaters' PCs, underscoring how sensitive players remain about what the software can do.

The on-demand move is a meaningful gesture toward user control without abandoning the anti-cheat approach Riot considers essential to competitive integrity. It will not satisfy players who object to kernel drivers on principle, but for the larger group whose main frustration was constant background operation, it is a real improvement. It also sets a template rivals may feel pressure to follow, nudging the whole category toward giving players more say over when invasive software actually runs.