How to Unban a Valorant Account: HWID Lock vs Ban

Most players who see VAN 152 on their screen assume the account is gone for good. It’s not. VAN 152 is a hardware restriction, not a permanent account ban – it runs for 4 months from the date it was issued, and it can be appealed. Panicking and creating a new account is exactly the wrong move, because any account launched on the same hardware during an active VAN 152 gets flagged on first login.

That first decision – whether to appeal or work around it – is where a lot of Valorant unban cases go wrong before they even start.

VAN 152 and What It Actually Means for Your Account

Vanguard doesn’t just run when the game is open. It loads at system boot, operates at the kernel level, and logs activity from the moment the machine starts. When it flags something, the log already exists before you even launched Valorant.

VAN 152 means Vanguard flagged the hardware. VAL 61 means the account itself was banned. They look similar from the outside – locked out, can’t play – but they need different things in the ban appeal.

The one that surprises people most: you can receive a VAN 152 without having cheated yourself. Riot tracks lobby association, and queueing with someone Vanguard confirmed as a cheater can trigger the same hardware flag. If the ban appeared after a session where a teammate was later confirmed as cheating, that context needs to go into the appeal explicitly – it’s checkable on Riot’s end and it changes the framing of the entire case.

Appealing a Valorant Ban: Account, Hardware, or Lobby Flag?

Getting the type right before writing anything is what separates ban appeals that move from ones that sit unanswered.

Hardware flag (VAN 152) – The appeal needs to address the machine, not just the account. Vanguard logs from %ProgramData%\Riot Vanguard\Logs\ zipped as a full folder, a clean system scan showing active processes at the time, and a clear explanation of everything that was running. If the flag came from lobby association rather than detected software, name the session and the context. Riot can cross-reference lobby data with the flag timestamp.

Account ban (VAL 61 or standard suspension) – Same log requirement, but the framing shifts to account-level behavior. For cheat flags, an unedited POV clip or replay for the flagged match paired with the Vanguard logs is the core of the case. Complete clips only – cuts or gaps read as edits and consistently weaken cases that would otherwise hold up.

Compromised account – Riot adds extra ownership verification fields to these appeals specifically, so having account creation details, purchase history, and any ownership confirmation ready before opening the ticket saves time. IP login history showing location jumps, MFA now enabled, and a password reset confirmation are the essentials. Get the Valorant account secured first – an appeal submitted while access is still compromised creates an obvious problem for the reviewer.

Real outcome from a Valorant ban appeal case handled by our team. Personal details removed for privacy.
Case type: Toxicity ban appeal
What triggered it: Account was actioned due to chat or behavioral reports
What we included: Context-based appeal, acknowledgment where needed, and review request
Outcome: Ban lifted and account access restored

Boosting or account sharing – IP and device mismatch data is what Riot’s looking at. Solo-queue rank progression showing consistent self-play, travel proof or VPN disclosure if location jumps exist. Just denying it isn’t enough – showing why the data looks the way it does is what actually moves these cases.

Toxicity – Full transcript with surrounding context. Voice and text both feed into Riot’s report system. Hate speech and slurs are under a genuine zero-tolerance policy and those cases rarely move regardless of framing. Sarcasm flagged as a threat or reactive exchanges are different – the surrounding messages are what reframes those correctly.

Chargeback or payment issues – The negative balance needs to be resolved before the appeal can go anywhere. Riot won’t remove a Valorant ban through explanation alone on these. Legitimate purchase receipts and transaction history for Valorant Points are the starting point, but settling the balance comes first.

The Vanguard Logs Riot Wants to See First

Because Vanguard runs at kernel level from boot, its logs contain more than just in-game data – they show what was running on the machine before, during, and after the session. That’s why Riot’s reviewers go to them first.

The full log folder lives at %ProgramData%\Riot Vanguard\Logs\ — zip the entire folder, don’t pull individual files. Attaching partial logs is one of the more common reasons solid Valorant unban requests stall, because the relevant data is often in a file the player didn’t think to include.

A few things worth knowing before pulling the logs: don’t update or reinstall Vanguard before copying them. Don’t launch Valorant again if you haven’t grabbed them yet – some log data refreshes on launch. And if third-party software was running during the flagged session – overlays, hardware macro tools, performance monitors – list everything in the Valorant ban appeal. Vanguard already logged it. Omitting something it recorded creates a gap that’s harder to explain than just disclosing it upfront.

Real outcome from a Valorant unban appeal case handled by our team.
Case type: False cheat flag
What triggered it: Account was banned after a Vanguard-related cheating review
What we included: Clear appeal timeline, setup clarification, and manual review request
Outcome: Ban overturned and access restored

What Weakens a Valorant Unban Request

A few things come up consistently in cases that don’t move:

Disclosing VPN use only when asked. If a VPN was active during the flagged session, it’s in the login data. Mentioning it upfront – the exit node, why it was used, whether it’s a regular setup – is cleaner than leaving it as an unexplained flag for the reviewer.

Sending a new ticket before getting a reply. Each submission resets queue position. One ticket, everything attached at once, follow-ups inside the same thread only.

Not checking patch context. Vanguard updates alongside major Valorant patches, and false positive waves are documented. If the ban landed within a few days of a big update, that timing is relevant and worth naming – Riot tracks patch-related flags internally.

Creating a new account during an active VAN 152. It doesn’t bypass the hardware restriction. It adds a second flagged account and complicates the original appeal.

How to Get Unbanned from Valorant

The process of submitting a Valorant ban appeal is quite simple, and it takes place entirely on Riot’s Support Center.

On here, you need to scroll to the bottom of the page, and click on the red “Submit a ticket” button.

Source: support-valorant.riotgames.com

You’ll then be prompted to log into your account in case you aren’t already, and then you’ll be taken to the actual ban appeal form, which you’ll need to complete as such:

• select “Discuss Personal Suspension or Restriction” under the “Request type”;
• under “Subject”, you can write something concise yet relevant, such as “Valorant ban appeal“;
• write your ban appeal under the “Description” field. State your ban reason and type, provide solid evidence and explain the context around the incident. Or skip the hassle and let us handle it for you!
• choose “Discuss Game Bans” under “Inquiry”;
• select the correct duration of the ban – pick “31+ Days” for permanent bans;
• based on the type of Valorant ban you received, under “Do you know why your account was suspended”, you can choose:
  • Inappropriate Chat Communication / In-Game Behavior for toxicity bans;
  • Third Party Programs for allegations of cheating;
  • Hacked / Compromised account if the ban came as a result of an account compromise;
  • Unsure if you have no idea why you got banned from Valorant.
• attach any relevant files, if any (optional).

Source: support-valorant.riotgames.com

Do note that if your ban came as a result of your account getting compromised, you’ll also be required to verify your account ownership through a few extra fields as part of the Valorant ban appeal, so you should have this information ready.

Once all of that is done, all you need to do is press the red “Submit” button underneath the form, and your ticket will be sent to Riot for review.

Make sure to keep an eye on the email for an answer, which will be the same email address you’ve signed up for a Riot account with!

Real outcome from a Valorant appeal case handled by our team.
Case type: Compromised account recovery
What triggered it: Suspicious access and account activity that didn’t match the owner’s normal play
What we included: Ownership clarification, security timeline, and recovery-focused appeal
Outcome: Account restored after review and security steps