Valorant VAN 68 and VAL 68

On screen: Connection Error: VALORANT has encountered a connection error. Please relaunch the client to reconnect. Error Code: VAN 68

What it actually means

Riot maintains two registries whose numbers overlap, and 68 appears in both. VAN codes belong to Vanguard, the anti-cheat. VAL codes belong to the game. They are not the same error.

VAN 68, in Riot's current article, is Vanguard losing the connection or session it needs while starting or during play. That is on your machine.

VAL 68, in Riot's Valorant list, is CapEntitlementsFetchError — the game cannot fetch the content you own. That is on Riot's side.

Almost every page covering this number picks one meaning and presents it as the only one. That is how people end up rebuilding firewall rules for a problem on Riot's servers.

How to tell which one you have

Here is the test, and it takes a second. If your skins and agents have vanished but the game is playable, it is the entitlements branch — VAL 68, Riot's side, wait it out. If the game will not start or throws you out, it is the Vanguard branch — VAN 68, your side, work the list below.

Fixes, in the order worth trying

1. Reboot the PC — Riot's own first step for the Vanguard branch.
2. Check your system date, time and time zone — An incorrect clock breaks the TLS connection to Vanguard. Riot ranks this high and it is the step nobody expects.
3. Set the vgc service to Automatic
4. Uninstall Vanguard manually, reboot, then launch the game to reinstall it
5. Try a clean boot — To find a third-party service interfering.
6. Disable the Killer Network Service if you have one — Riot names it explicitly. It ships on many MSI and Alienware laptops.
7. Test in the Practice Tool between steps — Not in a competitive queue — repeated disconnects there earn penalties while you are troubleshooting.

Operator documentation: support.riotgames.com. The Valorant code list, which documents the VAL 68 meaning, currently carries a banner from Riot saying it is out of date. We are reporting both meanings because the game can print either, and saying so is more useful than picking one.

Common questions