Fix Valorant Crashing Mid-Game: Power, Driver & Service Fixes

Your game freezing or closing while you are in a match usually means Windows is starving the client of resources or a background service is interfering with Vanguard. Work through these steps in order to rule out software conflicts and power management issues that commonly interrupt Valorant.

Why this happens

Valorant crashes are often triggered by aggressive Windows power plans, outdated GPU drivers, or third-party applications competing for system priority with the Vanguard anti-cheat.

Steps

1. 01
   Open Control Panel from the Start menu, go to Power Options, and select High performance. If it is not immediately visible, click Show additional plans to reveal it.
2. 02
   Identify your graphics card by opening Task Manager, clicking the Performance tab, and selecting GPU. Download the latest stable driver for your specific model from the NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel support sites.
3. 03
   Close Valorant and the Riot client completely, run the downloaded driver installer, and restart your computer to apply the changes.
4. 04
   Press Windows Key + R, type msconfig, and press Enter. Navigate to the Services tab, check Hide all Microsoft services, then click Disable all.
5. 05
   Scroll through the list in the Services tab to find vgc, ensure its checkbox is ticked, then click Apply and restart your PC to perform a clean boot.
6. 06
   After testing, return to the System Configuration menu and select Normal startup to restore your background services.

Still not working?

If you are still crashing, download the Riot Repair Tool to generate a log file and attach it to a support ticket with Riot Games. If your entire PC restarts or displays a blue screen stop code, inspect your system for hardware overheating or unstable system files, as these point to deeper Windows issues.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to keep the High performance power plan enabled permanently?

No, you can switch back to your preferred power plan after testing, though High performance is recommended for stability while gaming on desktops.

Why must I leave the vgc service enabled during a clean boot?

The vgc service is the Vanguard anti-cheat engine. If it is disabled, Valorant will fail to launch entirely.

Will updating my drivers delete my personal files?

No, updating your graphics driver only replaces the software controlling your GPU and will not affect your personal documents or game data.