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League of Legends error

VAN 289: Something on your PC is getting in Vanguard's way

Riot VanguardLeague + VALORANT

The message

Connection Error: VALORANT has encountered a connection error. Please relaunch the client to reconnect. Error Code: VAN 289

What it means

Another program on your PC is interfering with Vanguard or changing how it runs. That's the only cause Riot's article gives.

What to try first

Restart the PC first. If 289 comes back, do a clean boot and quit overlays and capture tools, then test with any extra antivirus uninstalled.

Is it you or Riot? If lots of players are hitting this at once, it's probably the servers. Check League server status before you start reinstalling things.

Why League shows a VALORANT connection error

Riot's article prints the message with VALORANT's name in it, and it reads like a network drop. It isn't really about your connection. Vanguard is the anti-cheat League and VALORANT share, so both games raise the same codes, and Riot's own explanation for 289 is software on the PC interfering with Vanguard or altering the way it runs. You won't find a network step anywhere in the fix list.

Where the fix list goes

A restart comes first, then a clean boot to narrow down what's interfering. Riot then adds a step that's easy to skip: some programs keep running even after a clean boot, so close anything you installed recently, overlays and capture tools especially. Last is antivirus, and for 289 Riot goes straight to uninstalling any extra security software for the test (Windows Security stays).

VAN 302 is the close relative. Riot describes it almost the same way, software interfering with Vanguard, but its list is shorter and starts by only disabling the antivirus before you uninstall anything. Only 289's list includes the clean boot, which is Riot's tool for pinning down which program it is.

A newer article

Riot's VAN 289 page is dated September 18, 2026, the most recent of the Vanguard articles. It shows up on Riot's category listings, though the main Vanguard error hub doesn't link to it yet. If the steps don't clear it, Riot wants a ticket with your logs attached.

Riot's fix, in Riot's order

  1. 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.

  2. 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

  3. Close overlays, capture tools and anything newly installed

    Fully exit overlays, screen recorders and anything that hooks into games, and anything you installed around the time the error started. Check the tray and Task Manager, because a closed window doesn't mean a closed program.

  4. Take third-party antivirus out of the picture

    If you've added an antivirus beyond the one built into Windows, disable it and restart. If the error stays, uninstall it for the test, since some of these keep running when they claim to be off. Windows Security covers you in the meantime.

    Riot's guide: Take third-party antivirus out of the picture

Other wordings of the same error

  • VAN289
  • Error VAN 289
  • Error Code: VAN 289
  • Connection Error VAN 289

Source: Riot Games Player Support, Error VAN 289, updated September 18, 2026. Riot's steps are paraphrased here, not copied; checked September 25, 2026.