VAN 185: the game, Riot Client and Vanguard lost their session

Vanguard Error: VAN 185. An unexpected error with Vanguard has occurred and the client will now close.

What sits behind VAN 185

Three programs have to cooperate for a game to run: the game itself, the Riot Client and Vanguard. Riot's reading of VAN 185 is that the session or connection between them broke down. Players usually meet it as a kick from a game they were already in.

Riot's article carries two wordings of the error. One is the stock Vanguard sentence about an unexpected error closing the client; the other is VALORANT's connection-error line. They're the same code with the same fix, and the second one tells you VALORANT players see it too.

Nine steps, and the early ones are quick

This is one of the longest lists Riot gives any VAN code, but the first four steps don't reinstall anything. You check the PC meets minimum spec, unplug controllers and spare USB devices, restart the client and sign out of the Riot Client on any other PC. No other VAN article asks for that last one, and it fits Riot's session reading: a login left open on a second computer can clash with this one.

Further down, Riot puts the connection checklist ahead of the game reinstall (VAN 1067 does the same). Work through the network fixes before you commit to a full download.

Riot's fix, in Riot's order

1. Check your PC meets the minimum requirements

   Compare your PC with Riot's minimum spec for the game you're launching. Below it, the client or Vanguard can fail to start or drop its session, and none of the steps further down will change that.

   Riot's guide: Check your PC meets the minimum requirements

2. Unplug controllers and spare USB devices

   Unplug controllers, adapters and anything else on USB you don't need to play, restart, and launch again.

3. Restart the Riot Client

   Close the game, then right-click the Riot Client icon in the system tray (bottom right, next to the clock) and pick Exit. Closing the window alone leaves it running. Open it again and launch.

4. Sign out of the Riot Client on your other PCs

   A session still open on another computer can clash with this one. Sign out there first.

5. Restart your PC

   A full restart, not a sign-out. Vanguard's driver loads when Windows boots, so a restart is the only thing that gives it a clean start.

6. Uninstall Vanguard, restart, and let the game reinstall it

   1. Close the game and exit the Riot Client from the system tray.
   2. Right-click the red Vanguard icon in the tray, choose Advanced, then Uninstall Vanguard. If the icon isn't there, search Windows for Add or remove programs and uninstall Riot Vanguard from the list.
   3. Restart the PC. Vanguard is gone if its tray icon doesn't come back.
   4. Open the Riot Client and launch the game. It reinstalls Vanguard and will ask for one more restart before Play unlocks.

   Riot's guide: Uninstall Vanguard, restart, and let the game reinstall it

7. Do a clean boot

   This switches off every non-Microsoft service for one boot, so you can tell whether something in the background is the problem.

   1. Press Win+R, type msconfig and press Enter.
   2. On the Services tab, tick Hide all Microsoft services first (skip it and you'll switch off parts of Windows).
   3. Click Disable all, then tick vgc again so Vanguard still starts.
   4. Apply, OK, restart, and test.

   Some programs ignore a clean boot anyway, third-party antivirus and networking tools most of all. If the error goes away, turn services back on a few at a time until it returns, and you've found it.

   Riot's guide: Do a clean boot

8. Work through Riot's connection checklist

   Last on Riot's list for a reason: only get here once the Vanguard steps above have failed. Riot's PC connection guide covers the usual suspects: a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi, restarting the router, switching to a public DNS, firewall exceptions for the Riot Client and game, and turning off VPNs.

   Riot's guide: Work through Riot's connection checklist

9. Reinstall the game

   Uninstall from Windows' Installed apps list with the Riot Client closed. For a clean reinstall of League, Riot also has you delete the Riot Client folder under C:\Riot Games, the Riot Games folders under %localappdata% and %programdata%, and the League of Legends folder in Documents. That last one holds your replays, so copy them out first if you want them.

   Riot's guide: Reinstall the game

What players found

September 2026 brought a burst of VAN 185 reports, many from Turkish players, and they describe it in a way Riot's article doesn't. The error tends to fire several minutes after the client opens, which often lands in champion select, so the lobby breaks and the player collects a dodge or AFK penalty. Left alone, it can turn into VAN 2266 and close the client.

Players who opened tickets said Riot called it a known issue on the Turkish server, and some were told the lasting fix would come in a patch. Until then, the connection was what mattered:

• Playing on a wired connection stopped it for more than one player, and it came back the moment they switched to Wi-Fi.
• One player on a 5 GHz network fixed it by moving the router off an automatic DFS channel to channel 36 at 80 MHz, after the usual PC-side steps had done nothing. Another tried the same settings without luck.
• Some ticket replies suggested a VPN as a stopgap, and phone tethering worked for others.

To dodge the penalties while it lasts, one player's habit was to queue as soon as the client opened and restart the client after every game.

Player reports paraphrased from various Reddit threads, read September 25, 2026.

Related errors

• VAN 2266
• VAN 59
• VAN 193
• VAN 84
• Login session error
• Attempting to Reconnect

Source: Riot Games Player Support, Error VAN 185, updated July 17, 2026. Riot's steps are paraphrased here, not copied; checked September 25, 2026.