Riot Games Updates Vanguard to Combat DMA Cheat Devices

"We would not, and cannot, impact your PC’s functionality in any other fashion."
— Riot Games, addressing hardware damage concerns

Riot Games has updated its Vanguard anti-cheat software to interfere with Direct Memory Access (DMA) cheat hardware used in Valorant and League of Legends. The company states the update does not damage or disable user hardware, contrary to rumors sparked by a company social media post. Users of DMA devices have reported issues including corrupted firmware and system instability, though Riot attributes these to expected behavior during cheating attempts.

The Anti-Cheat Update

Vanguard, which operates at kernel-level (ring-0), now enforces IOMMU (Input-Output Memory Management Unit) security features on accounts identified as using DMA cheating devices. According to Riot Games, this blocks those devices from accessing game memory. If a user disables IOMMU, the cheat device functions normally.

Community posts allege that Vanguard detects DMA devices connected via SATA or NVMe interfaces and triggers system changes that can leave firmware corrupted, even after uninstalling the game. Some users report that a full Windows reinstall is required to restore functionality. Riot Games states that fewer than 0.03% of players experienced crashes or boot loops since Vanguard was added to League of Legends, and it denies causing hardware damage.

Company Statement on Social Media Post

On May 21, 2026, Riot Games posted an image of hardware devices with the caption: "Congrats to the owners of a brand new $6k paperweight." This post led to rumors that Vanguard could render standard PCs unusable.

Riot later clarified that the image depicted DMA cheat hardware devices sold specifically for cheating in Valorant, not standard PCs or PC components. The company stated that while Vanguard now makes those devices ineffective for Valorant, it "does not in any way brick PCs or PC components or PC software."

Riot added: "We would not, and cannot, impact your PC’s functionality in any other fashion."

Effects on Cheat Hardware vs. Standard PCs

Riot Games stated that if cheaters continue cheating attempts, they may experience hardware faults, but described this as "expected behavior" rather than permanent damage ("bricking"). The company emphasized that only users of DMA cheat devices are affected, and Vanguard does not impact PC functionality otherwise.

Riot also addressed a similar controversy from 2024, stating it could not confirm any reports of bricking at that time.

Background on DMA Cheat Devices

DMA cheat hardware operates below traditional detection methods by accessing system memory directly. Vanguard, with its kernel-level access, is designed to interfere with such hardware. Riot Games stated that Vanguard may capture images of the game client in fullscreen or windowed mode when suspicious activity is detected, but not full desktop screenshots beyond the game context.