Valorant Couldn’t Start Error: How To Fix It

It’s definitely a bummer. It can be incredibly frustrating to encounter an error after hours of waiting to start your game. Unfortunately, Riot’s free-to-play FPS game, Valorant, is not free from any technical issues. In fact, there are several error selections you may face upon launching the game. Due to VALORANT’s Vanguard, some players find themselves in trouble with security issues. 

However, sometimes it is just a simple issue preventing game launch, such as the “Valorant Couldn’t Start” error. Here are its common causes and possible solutions to quickly get you back in the game. 

Understanding the “Valorant Couldn’t Start” Error

It can’t be helped sometimes that your VALORANT could not start after several attempts at launching the game. When facing “Valorant Couldn’t Start,”  it usually sends players an error message with details of the installation location. Don’t worry though, as this is nothing that will cost your account.

Common Causes of the Error

There are several potential causes why the “Valorant Couldn’t Start” is appearing in your screens. Here are the common causes of this error that may help you find where to start in addressing it: 

• Launcher Bug: Sometimes, your PC might think it’s already running the game even if it’s not. 
• Software Glitch: Outdated Windows or driver versions can refrain you from opening the game.
• Account Login Issues: Having your account logged in to any other device may restrict you from launching the game. 
• Overclocking: Overclocking the GPU can sometimes interfere upon launching your Valorant. 
• Vanguard Anti-Cheat System: VALORANT’s strict anti-cheat software may bar you from opening the game. 
• Administrative Rights: The game will not run without proper permissions. 

How to Fix Valorant Couldn’t Start Error

Close Other Applications

Close all the running background applications, such as League of Legends, before attempting to launch Valorant. You may use the Task Manager and force close any related processes when necessary.

Restart Your PC

Restart. Simply doing a reboot of your device can resolve the temporary glitches and clear your system’s RAM cache. This method is particularly effective when you’re experiencing memory leaks brought by Windows fast startup. 

Update Drivers and BIOS

Make sure that your system is up-to-date. Go to your graphic drivers to update through AMD Adrenalin or NVIDIA GeForce Experience. Once done, go to your Device Manager to check for any outdated drivers. If necessary, you may update your motherboard’s BIOS. However, this is a risky process if not done correctly. 

Disable Admin Rights for Valorant

1. Navigate your `C:\Riot Games\VALORANT\live`.
2. Right-click on your `VALORANT-Win64-Shipping.exe` file and open Properties data.
3. Ensure “Run this program as an administrator” is unchecked under the Compatibility tab. 
4. Click Apply changes before trying to launch the game.

Log Out from Other Devices

If the “couldn’t start: returned 5” error is the one appearing in your screen, you have to log out of your Valorant account from all other devices. Heading to the Login Management section will help you quickly sign out in all of them. 

Revert Overclocking

Overclocking your GPU also causes the restriction from launching the game. What you can do is to revert it to the default clock speed. Some players succeed in starting VALORANT after trying this method.

Reinstall Vanguard Anti-Cheat

 The strict anti-cheat system, Vanguard, sometimes caused the launch issues. Here’s how you can solve this issue:

1. From your Control Panel, click Uninstall Vanguard. 
2. Restart your PC.
3. Once done, launch your Valorant to reinstall Vanguard automatically.

Run Valorant as Administrator

1. Right-click the Valorant shortcut on your screen.
2. Head to Properties > Compatibility.
3. Check “Run this program as an administrator,” then select “Disable fullscreen optimizations.”.
4. Make sure to apply changes before launching VALORANT.

Check Available Disk Space

Insufficient free space sometimes hinders the launch of the game. Go check the drive where Valorant is installed and make sure it has sufficient free space. You may struggle to launch the game properly once your drive is full.

Reinstall Valorant

If the game still won’t launch after following all the steps, it may require you to do a clean reinstall. After uninstalling your Valorant from the Control Panel, do these steps to clear all the file traces:

1. Click Delete on any remaining Valorant and Riot Games folders.
2. Go to the official website to download and install the latest version of Valorant.

Conclusion

It is definitely not ideal to have your game barred you from playing. “Valorant Couldn’t Start” is just one of the errors you may encounter in the game. Fortunately, there are plenty of available troubleshooting options for Valorant to solve any errors encountered. However, if none of these work, you may reach out to Riot Games support. They will provide you with personalized assistance and access to the Riot Repair Tool to lead you back into the game. 

Remember, it may take you several attempts or combinations of solutions to fully resolve the launch issue. Bring a lot of patience as you attempt to fix it.