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League of Legends error

VAN RESTRICTION 3: the game isn't on your Windows drive

Riot VanguardLeague + VALORANT

The message

VAN: RESTRICTION: 3 - Boot Device Verification Failure.

What it means

Vanguard has to verify the game from the internal drive Windows boots from, and yours is installed somewhere else.

What to try first

Uninstall the game and reinstall it to the same drive Windows is on, usually C:.

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.

The one restriction that isn't a security setting

Of Riot's five restriction codes, this is the odd one out. The others want Windows updated or a feature like Secure Boot or Memory Integrity switched on. RESTRICTION: 3 is about where the game files sit. Vanguard verifies the game from the same internal drive Windows is installed on, and Riot lists what breaks that: a USB drive plugged in from outside, a second internal drive, or anything that isn't the Windows drive.

A game library on its own SSD counts, and so does a laptop running the game off a USB stick (handy for space, no good for Vanguard). Riot's fix for this one involves no BIOS settings at all.

Seeing a different number? Plain VAN: RESTRICTION, RESTRICTION: 1, RESTRICTION: 4 and RESTRICTION: 5 each have their own page.

Find the Windows drive first

Riot's first step is just knowing which drive to reinstall onto. Open File Explorer and click This PC. For most people Windows is on C:; to be sure, open the drive and check there's a Windows folder in it. That's the drive the game has to go on.

Riot's fix, in Riot's order

  1. Reinstall the game on the drive Windows is on

    Vanguard has to verify the game from the internal drive that holds Windows, usually C:. A USB drive or a second internal drive won't pass the check. Uninstall, then reinstall to the Windows drive.

Restart the PC once the reinstall finishes, then launch. If the game is already on the Windows drive and the restriction still shows, Riot's next step is a Player Support ticket with your logs attached.

Other wordings of the same error

  • VAN RESTRICTION 3
  • Error VAN: RESTRICTION: 3
  • Boot Device Verification Failure

Source: Riot Games Player Support, Error VAN: RESTRICTION: 3, updated March 13, 2026. Riot's steps are paraphrased here, not copied; checked September 25, 2026.