VAN Missing -117: Vanguard is required to be running

VAN MISSING -117: Vanguard is required to be running.

A short message with one job

Most Vanguard errors arrive wrapped in a generic "unexpected error" or "connection error" sentence. This one skips the framing and says exactly what's wrong: Vanguard should be running and it isn't. It's also the only code on Riot's Vanguard error list that carries the word "Missing" in front of the number.

Riot's diagnosis is that Vanguard isn't running, and because the game depends on it, the client closes on its own. That's almost word for word how Riot describes VAN 57, so if you've seen both codes on one PC, you're chasing one problem.

How this list differs from VAN 57's

Riot's -117 article is old by the standards of this section: it was last updated on October 23, 2025, about nine months before the other negative codes were rewritten in July 2026. Its list is also shorter. There are four steps, and none of them is checking the vgc service, which is the very first thing Riot asks you to do for VAN 57 and one of the two steps for VAN -1.

So if the restart below doesn't hold and you'd rather not reinstall anything yet, VAN 57's first step fits this error too: open services.msc and make sure vgc is set to Automatic. The one exception is Vanguard Pre-Check, Riot's opt-in mode that runs Vanguard only while a game is open (it needs Windows 11 25H2 or newer with the full set of security features). If you're on Pre-Check, leave the service alone.

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. 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

3. 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

4. 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 57
• VAN -1
• VAN -104

Source: Riot Games Player Support, VAN Missing -117, updated October 23, 2025. Riot's steps are paraphrased here, not copied; checked September 25, 2026.