VAN 25: Vanguard couldn't finish its trust checks

Vanguard Error: VAN 25. An unexpected error with Vanguard has occurred and the client will now close.

What VAN 25 is actually complaining about

Vanguard won't let you play until it's satisfied your copy of Windows can be trusted, and Riot says VAN 25 is the code for one of those startup checks failing. So the first fix on the list doesn't touch Vanguard at all. It resets two Windows switches, test signing and driver signature enforcement, to their defaults. Riot's guide for that step says Vanguard may refuse to run if either has been changed. If you've ever flipped them to load an unsigned driver, this is almost certainly your step.

The step Riot's intro promises and then leaves out

Read Riot's VAN 25 article closely and there's a small gap. Its opening line says it'll begin with the Windows security and debugging settings tied to this code, yet only the security one made it onto the list. VAN 128's article went up the same day (March 14, 2025) with near-identical wording, and it does include the debugging fix: switching off debug memory dumps. If you've restored security, installed every update and VAN 25 still shows up, the VAN 128 page has that step spelled out.

Two more things set this article apart from most of its neighbors. It hasn't been revised since March 2025, while most numbered VAN articles were rewritten in July 2026. And there's no connection check at the bottom, so every fix Riot gives here happens on your own PC.

Riot's fix, in Riot's order

1. Turn test signing and integrity checks back to normal

   Windows lets you switch off driver signature checks, usually for modding tools or unsigned drivers. Vanguard won't run on a PC set up that way. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run both lines:

   bcdedit /set TESTSIGNING off
   bcdedit /set nointegritychecks OFF

   If Windows refuses the second line because Secure Boot policy locks that setting, you can ignore it: Secure Boot is already doing the job. Restart afterwards.

   Riot's guide: Turn test signing and integrity checks back to normal

2. Install every pending Windows update

   Open Settings, then Windows Update, and keep installing and restarting until it says you're up to date. Vanguard's checks lean on security components that ship in those updates, and optional driver updates are worth a look while you're there.

3. Set the vgc service to Automatic

   Vanguard has two parts: a driver that loads at boot and a Windows service called vgc. If the service isn't running when you press Play, the game closes.

   1. Press Win+R, type services.msc and press Enter.
   2. Find vgc in the list and double-click it.
   3. Set Startup type to Automatic. If the status says Stopped, click Start.
   4. Apply, OK, then restart the PC.

   The exception is Vanguard Pre-Check, Riot's opt-in mode where Vanguard only runs while a game is open. It needs Windows 11 25H2 or newer plus Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, IOMMU, VBS and HVCI, and if you're on it you shouldn't force the service to Automatic.

   Riot's guide: Set the vgc service to Automatic

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

Related errors

• VAN 128
• VAN 193
• VAN 9101
• VAN 57

Source: Riot Games Player Support, Error VAN 25, updated March 14, 2025. Riot's steps are paraphrased here, not copied; checked September 25, 2026.