Valorant VAN -81

On screen: Connection Error: VALORANT has encountered a connection error. Please relaunch the client to reconnect. Error Code: VAN -81

What it actually means

Vanguard could not start, could not hold its connection, or failed to finish initialising when the game launched. Riot's older Valorant list labels the same number Service Start Failed, which agrees.

The minus sign is part of the code. There is no VAN 81 — if you searched for that, this is the page you wanted.

How to tell which one you have

Run sc query vgc from an administrator prompt, and check Event Viewer for the vgk driver failing to load. If vgc will not start, the fixes below are the right path. If it starts cleanly and the error persists, collect logs with Riot's repair tool and open a ticket.

Fixes, in the order worth trying

1. Reboot the PC — Riot's first step, and for a driver that failed to load it is more than a formality.
2. Check your system date, time and time zone — A clock that is out of sync breaks the TLS connection Vanguard needs. This is the least obvious step on the list and one of the most effective.
3. Set the vgc service to Automatic
4. Uninstall Vanguard manually, reboot, then launch the game — The game reinstalls it. Doing this without the reboot in between usually reproduces the same failure.
5. Try a clean boot — Narrows down a third-party service blocking the driver.
6. Reinstall the game, then open a ticket — In that order, and attach the logs.

Operator documentation: support.riotgames.com. The official URL carries a double hyphen, because the code itself contains the minus. Riot keeps Vanguard codes separate from game codes and the numbers overlap, so check the prefix the game printed.

Common questions