What Vanguard On-Demand Mode Is and Why You Might Want It
Vanguard on-demand mode is a new way to run Riot’s kernel-level anti-cheat where the Vanguard driver starts only when you launch a Riot game and shuts down when you stop playing, instead of loading at Windows boot and staying active in the background at all times. If you like Valorant or League of Legends but dislike system-level software living in your tray 24/7, this change is aimed squarely at you. The core idea is anti-cheat on-demand: you still get kernel-level protection, but the driver’s runtime is tied to game sessions rather than the whole Windows session. From a player’s point of view, the benefit is straightforward. Once you qualify for Pre-Check, Vanguard no longer launches with Windows and no longer sits in your system tray unless a Riot title is open. According to Riot’s head of anti-cheat Phillip Koskinas, this switch is their answer to the long-standing complaints about Vanguard’s always-on overhead and boot-time presence. The catch is that you need modern Windows security features and compatible hardware before you can switch.
Vanguard Pre-Check: The Security and Hardware Requirements
Before you can enable Vanguard on-demand mode, your PC has to pass what Riot calls Vanguard Pre-Check, a bundle of modern Windows security features and hardware requirements. This isn’t cosmetic: the whole on-demand design depends on Windows being able to prove which drivers touched the kernel since boot, even when anti-cheat wasn’t running yet. That proof comes from the Runtime Driver Attestation Report, backed by the system’s Trusted Platform Module (TPM), which only exists on newer Windows 11 builds. Here’s the rough rule of thumb: most newer gaming PCs already qualify, many older but still capable rigs can qualify by flipping the right BIOS switches, and a small slice of machines lack the necessary hardware entirely. Riot estimates that roughly 34–35 percent of players already meet all requirements today, with about 3 percent needing a hardware upgrade if they ever want on-demand mode. For everyone else, the real work is enabling the right settings without breaking anything, which means being careful in BIOS and following your motherboard manual.
| Requirement | What It Does | Why It Matters for On-Demand |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 25H2 or later | Minimum operating system version for Runtime Driver Attestation Report. | Lets Vanguard query a secure list of drivers that loaded since boot. |
| UEFI Mode and Secure Boot | Verifies the Windows bootloader and blocks bootkits during load. | Helps ensure the system starts in a trusted state before Vanguard runs on-demand. |
| Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (TPM) | On-board cryptoprocessor that stores keys and backs driver attestation. | Provides the secure storage Vanguard uses to validate driver load history. |
| Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) and Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity (HVCI) | Isolates secure memory and verifies kernel code before it executes. | Hardens the kernel so cheats have fewer ways to insert code. |
| Input-Output Memory Management Unit (IOMMU) | Acts as a firewall between PCIe devices and system memory, blocking direct memory access abuse. | Protects against DMA-style cheats that go around normal software defenses. |
Step-by-Step: How to Enable Vanguard On-Demand Mode
The switch to anti-cheat on-demand happens inside Riot’s own software, but only after your system passes Pre-Check. Think of it like a gate: your hardware and Windows configuration either clear the bar, or Vanguard stays in its always-on boot mode. If you do nothing, Vanguard continues to load at startup and behave exactly as it has since Valorant’s launch, so this is an opt-in change rather than a forced migration. Because BIOS layouts differ wildly between manufacturers, Riot warns against blindly toggling options without consulting your motherboard documentation first. The real trap is turning on security features in the wrong combination and breaking your boot, so go slowly and write down what you change. Once you have the required features enabled, Riot’s client should surface the option to switch Vanguard into on-demand mode on eligible systems.
- Update Windows to at least Windows 11 25H2 so the Runtime Driver Attestation Report and related kernel security features are available.
- Enter your system BIOS/UEFI and enable UEFI boot mode and Secure Boot, following your motherboard manufacturer’s documentation for the exact menu names.
- Check that TPM 2.0 is present and enabled in BIOS or through Windows security settings, since it backs the driver attestation process Vanguard relies on.
- Enable Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) and Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity (HVCI) so Windows can isolate secure memory and validate kernel code.
- Confirm that your hardware supports and has an Input-Output Memory Management Unit (IOMMU) enabled to protect against direct memory access abuse.
- Reboot into Windows and install or update Riot’s client and games so that Vanguard can run its Pre-Check against your new configuration.
- Open a Riot game and, if your system passes Pre-Check, use the presented option in Vanguard settings to enable Vanguard on-demand mode.
What Changes Once Vanguard Runs On-Demand
When you succeed in enabling Vanguard on-demand, the biggest change is behavioral: the driver no longer launches at boot or sits in your system tray around the clock. Instead, with Pre-Check satisfied, it loads only when you open a Riot title and unloads when you close the game. Functionally, this brings Riot Vanguard setup closer to other kernel-level anti-cheats that tie their runtime to active game sessions rather than the operating system’s start sequence. It’s important to keep one thing clear in your mind. Vanguard is still kernel-level anti-cheat software; on-demand mode affects when it runs, not how deep it runs. The security model now leans on Windows’ attestation chain instead of the old “who loads first” race between cheats and anti-cheat, but the end goal hasn’t changed: block cheats from mapping code into the kernel. Riot reports that cheats still show up in about 0.7 percent of PC ranked matches, with kernel-level methods remaining the most common route, so they need this level of access either way.
Is Vanguard On-Demand Worth It?
If you were never comfortable with an always-on kernel driver but still want to play Riot’s games, Vanguard on-demand mode is worth the effort as long as your hardware can support the required security features. Once everything is enabled, you get the same protection against cheats while limiting Vanguard’s presence to the hours you are actually in-game. The main thing to watch for is the BIOS step. UEFI, Secure Boot, TPM, VBS, HVCI, and IOMMU are powerful tools, but they are also low-level switches that can affect how your PC boots and how older software behaves. Make a note of each change and consult your board’s manual rather than guessing. If your machine lands in the small group that can’t meet Pre-Check, you can still play; Vanguard will continue in its current always-on mode and Riot has said they are willing to wait for the wider hardware ecosystem to mature rather than forcing upgrades.
