How can I fix Valorant won’t launch and crash constantly in Windows 11?

You’re probably here because Valorant just isn’t working right on your Windows 11 PC. Could be lots of things causing this – maybe your computer and the game aren’t playing nice, or some weird glitch is mucking things up. 

Solution 1: Verify System Requirements

First off, let’s make sure your PC has the horsepower to handle Valorant. It’s not too demanding, but hey, better safe than sorry.

Here’s what you need at a minimum:

• Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 CPU (or something similar)
• Intel HD 3000 GPU (again, or equivalent)
• 4 GB of RAM

For the best experience, aim for:

• Intel i3-4150 CPU
• Geforce GT 730 GPU
• 4 GB RAM

You can check what you’ve got under the hood by:

1. Opening Task Manager (hit Ctrl+Shift+Esc).
2. Click on Performance.
3. Look at the CPU, Memory, and GPU tabs.

If your rig falls short, that could explain why Valorant is having a meltdown.

Solution 2: Force-Quit and Relaunch Valorant

Now, sometimes the game gets stuck because of background processes or bugs. Try force-quitting Valorant and relaunching it. Open Task Manager, find anything Valorant or Riot-related under Processes, click End Task, then fire up the game again.

Solution 3: Make Sure the Vanguard Service is Running

Make sure Vanguard (Valorant’s anti-cheat system) is running properly! It has to be chugging away in the background for the game to work. If it’s not, just:

1. Press Windows + R.
2. Type “services.msc” (no quotes!) and hit OK.
3. Find the “vgc” service, right-click, and select Start or Restart.
4. Double-click “vgc” and set Startup type to Automatic so it always runs.

Solution 4: Restart Windows 11 PC

If you’re still stuck, try the classic “turn it off and on again” trick – restart your PC! It might clear up any software conflicts that are tripping up Valorant.

Solution 5: Run Valorant With Administrative Rights

Another thing to try is running Valorant as an administrator. Just right-click the shortcut and select Run as administrator. If that helps, you can set it to always run with admin privileges:

1. Right-click the Valorant or Riot Client shortcut.
2. Go to Properties > Compatibility.
3. Check the box for “Run this program as an administrator“.
4. Click Apply.

Solution 6: Update the Graphics Card Drivers

While we’re at it, make sure your graphics card drivers are up to date. Outdated drivers can cause all sorts of headaches with games. Open Device Manager, expand Display adapters, right-click your graphics card, and select Update driver. Then have it automatically search for the latest drivers. You can also grab them directly from Intel, NVIDIA, or AMD‘s website.

Solution 7: Update Windows 11

Don’t forget to keep Windows 11 itself updated too! Go to Settings > Windows Update and click “Check for updates.” If any are waiting, hit Download and Install.

Solution 8: Run Valorant in Compatibility Mode

If Valorant still won’t cooperate, try running it in compatibility mode for an older version of Windows, like 7, 8, or 10. Right-click the shortcut, go to Properties > Compatibility, and select your desired Windows version from the dropdown menu.

Solution 9: Add Environment Variable

Some folks have found success by adding a specific environment variable. It’s a bit technical, but here’s how:

1. Open Settings and go to System > About.
2. Click “Advanced system settings“.
3. Go to the Advanced tab and click Environment Variables.
4. Under User variables, click New.
5. Enter OPENSSL_ia32cap as the variable name.
6. Enter ~0x200000200000000 as the value.
7. Click OK and restart your PC.

Solution 10: Update, Repair, or Reinstall Valorant

If all else fails, use the Riot Client to repair Valorant (Settings > Valorant > Repair) or uninstall and reinstall the game entirely. Just remember to remove Riot Vanguard first!

There’s nothing more frustrating than a game that just won’t work right. If you’ve tried everything here and Valorant is still giving you grief, don’t hesitate to reach out to Riot’s support team. They might have some extra tricks up their sleeve to squash this annoying problem once and for all.