Valorant Error Code Van 6: Here’s How To Fix It

Valorant can get pretty exciting considering how it perfectly blends tactical gunplay with the right amount of craziness of top-tier agents. However, the least thrilling part about the title is when it runs into glitches and bugs, particularly the Valorant error code van 6. If you’ve been scratching your head in confusion over what to do in the wake of this issue, follow along with the solutions listed in this guide for a prompt fix.

It’s important to know what actually causes the Valorant error code van before venturing out to fix it. This is to ensure that you acknowledge what you’re dealing with, so you can resolve the matter more effectively. The error states itself as a “Connection Error” and says, “Valorant has encountered a connection error. Please relaunch the client to reconnect.” 

Valorant error code van 6 implies that the game is having trouble trying to connect to the servers. Some users have reported that the issue closely relates to Riot Vanguard as well, which is the game’s anti-cheat tool employed by the developer to keep things fair and square. A bunch of other issues, such as the Valorant error code 57 arise from Vanguard-related hiccups, so it’s worth knowing that you have to take a fair number of measures to completely fix the error code.

That said, a multitude of users have had the problem sorted just by implementing one or two solutions, so here’s hoping that the same is the case with you. If, however, you cannot seem to get it done, then we advise following all of the listed fixes for the best results. Let’s get into all of that now.

Check Your Internet Connection

One of the first things where the mind wanders to when encountering the error is, of course, the internet connection. This is because the issue in question is actually related to server connectivity, so your connection to the internet has to be put under the guillotine first before any other system process.

You should be aware of the minimum internet speed requirements to play Valorant or any other multiplayer FPS to avoid running into errors similar to “Van 6”. Check out the following for a brief idea of the minimum internet speed that you need.

• Download Speed: 3 MBPS or above
• Upload Speed: 1 MBPS or up 
• Ping: Less than 70 ms
• It’s best that you take to a reputable website such as Speed test by Ookla and test your internet speed connection to see if it checks the minimum requirements. If you find the results satisfactory, then it appears that the Valorant error code van 6 you’re experiencing on your device is much more deep-rooted than that. Don’t worry though, as we’ve got a whole swath of fixes detailed below. Continue reading for the next solution to try.

Restart Valorant

One of the first things that you can do in order to fix the error code. This is something that has been recommended by the official Valorant support page as well, so it’s definitely worth taking the time to try it instead of moving forward to the more complicated end of fixes we have on this list.

1. Simply close the window of the game client, whether you’re launching it from Epic Games or using the official Riot Games launcher.
2. Once you do that, start the game again but do that with administrator privileges. Running anything as an administrator bodes well for both the program and the user and negates any potential problems that the user can possibly run into. 
   
3. Check whether running the game as an administrator does the trick for you. There is a good chance that you’ve fixed the error code van 6 right from the get-go, but in the unfortunate case that you haven’t, read on below for more top-notch fixes.

Optimize Valorant’s Windows Firewall Settings

Another possible reason that could be hindering you to experience the game to the full is Windows Firewall—the operating system’s full-fledged antivirus program. This software acts as a protective barrier between you and malware that’s always on the lookout to infect any vulnerable PC.

It can, however, mess up here and there when it tries to block applications that aren’t a threat to your system. This is the case with executable game files too, as many players have reported Windows Firewall to be the culprit behind the Valorant error.

We’re simply going to double-check whether this is the case or not for this solution. There’s a sizable chance that you’ll fix your copy of the game using this tutorial. Make sure to follow the steps listed ahead carefully for the best results.

1. First, you have to open up the “Firewall and network protection” section on your PC. You can do that by simply searching for it using the Windows Start menu. Complete this to get to the next step.
2. After you’re done, you’ll see a new window open up which is a part of the Windows Security department. You now have to click on “Allow an app through firewall” to get to the next step.
3. You now have to make a couple of clicks in the following window that opens after completing the last step. Click on “Change settings” first to make the “Allow another app” option accessible. Once done, click on the latter and see yourself opening another window.
4. A small-scale window will open up just after you complete the next step. This is where you’ll have to click on “Browse” and search your computer for two different Valorant game files, but definitely one by one though. The first one is going to be “RiotClientServices.exe” which is basically the Riot Client. The second game file that you have to allow through Windows Firewall is the executable application of Valorant itself—which is basically the game that you click on to launch the title. Let us go with the latter one first. If you have trouble finding these two files, look somewhere along the lines of “C:\Riot Games\Riot Client.” That is where the game files are typically found.
   
5. Once you have found the Valorant executable file application, select it by double-clicking on it. This will take you back to the previous small-scale window where the Valorant game will be listed as “BootstrapPackagedGame” under the “Apps” section. Click on “Add” to allow the app through Windows Firewall. You’ve made half the progress in completing this step. Continue the hustle to get to the bottom of it all.
   
6. You’ve got one more application left to be added to Windows Firewall’s list of allowed apps. That is the Riot Client that goes by the name of Riot Client Services on your PC’s local storage. Click on “Browse” again, similar to how you did in Step 4, and, find the application. Once done, double-click on it to add the app to the aforementioned list. Lastly, click on “Add” to further the process.
   
7. You’re quite not done yet. You just have to go through two fairly simple steps now where you check the box for “Public” and “Private” connections for Windows Firewall on the “Allowed apps” window. You can do this first for the Riot Client as shown in the screenshot below.
8. Enabling the Riot Client for Public and Private Connection on Windows Firewall. The last step is to check both the Private and Public boxes for the Valorant executable file that you added to the Windows Firewall in one of the preceding steps. The screenshot below illustrates how it’s done. Moreover, don’t forget to click on “OK” as soon as you’re done to save your progress.
9. Enabling Private and Public Connections for the Valorant Executable Application, that’s about it for this solution. You’ve successfully added two main Valorant-related files to Windows Firewall to hopefully fix the error.
10. You better run the game as an administrator following the fix in question to achieve the best results.

Check whether the game works now. If it still doesn’t, your issue might pertain to Riot Vanguard which is the game’s anti-cheat engine aiming to instill fair play in Valorant. Continue reading for more tip-top solutions. On a lighter note, read why the Valorant in-game currency makes no sense.

Change the VGC Service’s Startup Type 

We’re now going to focus on the Vanguard-related cause of the Valorant error code van 6. The game’s anti-cheat engine could be making it mess up in terms of server connectivity, so you’re bound to check if it’s working all right. More often times than not, Riot Vanguard that’s abbreviated as “VGC” in Windows, has an incorrectly set startup type in the Services application of the operating system. 

You’re simply going to change the VGC service’s startup type through the program in the hope of making the game work again. The process is neither difficult nor lengthy, so do rest assured. The following steps are going to take it from here. 

1. Open the “Services” application on your Windows PC by looking it up using the Windows Search bar.
2. Once done, a window with an expansive list of all the services on your computer is going to launch. You’ll have to look for “VGC” here. Scroll down until you find it. The services are arranged in alphabetic order, so skipping directly to the entries that start with “V” can come off as useful. As soon as you find the application, right-click on it and select “Properties” to get to the next step. That is where we’ll be tweaking its startup type.
3. Completing the last step is going to lead you to another window, but this will be more small-scale as compared to the previous one. You’ll see an option called “Startup Type” and there’s going to be a drop-down menu beside it. Select the menu and then choose “Automatic.” You can then click on “Start” and then finally select “Apply” before hitting “OK” to finalize the process.
4. That’s about it changing the startup type of the Riot Vanguard service.

We’ve done this in the hope to kickstart the program and let the game client detect it fully. That way, there’s a greater chance of not running into the Valorant error. However, if this solution still hasn’t brought the intended results, you might need to enable the VGC service from the System Configuration application. Speaking of which, this brings us to the next step. 

Enable the VGC Service 

Did changing the startup type of Riot Vanguard bring no good? You might have the VGC service disabled from the System Configuration program on your Windows PC. It’s certainly worth looking into the matter immediately before uninstalling the service and reinstalling it. Check out the following tutorial for a step-by-step guide. 

1. The first step is to open the System Configuration application on your device. You can do that in a couple of ways, but opening the Run program and typing in “msconfig” seems easier. Do that to get to the next step. Hint: The Run program can be brought up quickly by pressing the “Windows” and “R” keys together.
2. The next step is to click on the “Services” tab to bring up a series of different programs. You’ll have to scroll down the list here to find “VGC.” Once you’ve done that, check the box beside the service and then simply select “Apply.” Simply click on “OK” after that and it should do the trick for you.
3. That’s about it when it comes to enabling the VGC service on your Windows computer. You will have to restart your PC using the prompt that’ll follow after the last step to apply the changes.

Grab a bucket of good fortune and start Valorant now to see if the issue still persists. If the Valorant error code van 6 continues to be a menace nonetheless, you have to try other possible solutions. Let’s get into the next one now.  

Reinstall Riot Vanguard 

We’ve had all our possible shots trying to fix Riot Vanguard, but if nothing has worked so far, reinstalling it altogether might be the most beneficial measure we have up for grabs.

1. Get started by firing up the Command Prompt but be sure to launch it as an administrator. We genuinely don’t want anything else impeding our workflow at the moment.
2. You now have to enter the following command to delete the VGC service from your Windows PC, which is otherwise known as Riot Vanguard. Press the “Enter” key when you’re done to input the command. Continue to the next step once done.
3. Enter delete vgc.
4. The next step is to enter another command that will finish the uninstallation process for you, although you won’t be done just yet.
5. You have to restart your computer to completely apply the changes after deleting or uninstalling the VGC service through the Command Prompt. This can be done quite painlessly through the Windows Start menu, so get to that right away.
   
6. Uninstalling the Riot Vanguard tool from the Command Prompt is only half the work that you’ve done so far. The next step is to delve into the “File Explorer” application present on your PC and find Valorant’s game files from the Program Files folder. That is where most games and their associated files are kept unless placed somewhere else. The folder that you need to delete altogether is called “Riot Vanguard.” Check out the image below for a visual of the folder.
   
7. A prompt appears that indicates a Valorant-related program still running in the background. The service can be found in the Task Manager, going by the name of “Vanguard tray notification.” Simply end it from the Task Manager and continue on with the process in question. After deleting Riot Vanguard, you now have to launch Valorant and run the game as an administrator. This is going to increase our chances of yielding the best possible results moving forward.
8. Riot Vanguard should begin installing in the bottom-right corner of the Valorant screen as soon as you launch the game. This is a solid indication of things going just the way we want them to. Double-check if you see something similar on your screen as in the screenshot below. Once you confirm it, carry on to the next step.
9. The prompt above states, “After installation, a reboot of your computer will be necessary.” This is what brings us to the last step of reinstalling Riot Vanguard.  When the installation of the anti-cheat tool concludes, you’ll be shown an error called “Vanguard Not Initialized” along with another error code. You’ll simply select Reboot Computer here and proceed toward restarting your device. Doing so should work like a charm.
10. That’s all about uninstalling Riot Vanguard and installing it back on your PC again. There is a possibility that the solution to the error code in question resides in changing your DNS settings. This is what we’re going to basically do here in the fix at hand. Let’s get right down to it with the following steps. The first step is to open the “Settings” of your device. This can be done through the Windows Start menu or through the Taskbar if you have the app pinned there.
    
11. The next step after having the “Settings” application opened is to select the “Network and Internet” option. The following screenshot illustrates where to click.
12. Doing so will take you to the internet settings of your Windows PC. You now have to select the “Change adapter options” button under the “Status” page of the whole section. Check out the following screenshot for a visual explanation.
    
13. A new window will open now and it’ll be called “Network Connections.” You’ll be met with four different types of connections here. The way forward is choosing the right connection that you’re actually using on your PC. If you’re using a wired Ethernet connection, you’ll have to go with that one to move further, so do evaluate this crucial point right now. We’re going to go with Wi-Fi as an example here. Double-click on the correct connection type and then click on “Properties” to get to the next step.
14. You’ll now be seeing another small-scale window on your screen. This is where you’ll be getting to tweak the DNS settings, but not quite right now. Scroll down the list of the items on show and select “Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4).” Then, click on “Properties” to continue to the next step.
15. Yet again another window will be prompted to pop up following that last step. This is where you’ll finally be putting in the DNS settings we’ve been meaning to for 6 steps now. Toggle the “Use the following DNS server addresses” as specified in the screenshot below and enter “8.8.8.8” in “Preferred DNS server.” You’ll subsequently have to enter “8.8.4.4” in the blanks for “Alternate DNS server.” As soon as you’re done with all that, don’t forget to check the box beside “Validate settings upon exit” before finalizing the process by clicking on “OK.”
     
16. That’s all about changing your DNS settings for fixing the error code van 6.

You’ve made the necessary changes to an exceedingly important system component that makes multiplayer games and online play a reality. Try launching the game client now to see if it works properly now. Continue on to the solutions listed ahead if the issue still hasn’t gone away. 

Use a VPN

Trying using a Virtual Protocol Network (VPN) on your Windows PC to see if the Valorant error is a logical solution for the internet connectivity-related issue at hand. Many players have had success in starting up the game just fine by using a VPN on their devices. This privacy-focused software hides your IP address and uses a different one instead that could be from any country in the world.

ProtonVPN and Hotspot Shield are some of the best options that you currently have in the free-to-use bracket. You can download either one of them to try and see if Valorant van code error 6 goes away with this. If you’ve tried everything so far—even the route of the VPN—then it seems that you have one final method to turn your head to.

Reinstall the Game 

If none of the above-listed solutions have come to fruition on your end, then it appears we have one final ace up our sleeve. Several players have got their copy of the game to work by uninstalling it first and then installing it back again. This is a definite fix to the error that has the capacity to remove any corrupted game configuration files that might be causing the server connectivity issue. Adding or removing a program to a Windows PC is nothing but painless.