How to Fix Packet Loss in Valorant (Vanguard, Servers & More)

How to fix packet loss in Valorant is trickier than most games because Valorant runs Riot Vanguard — a kernel-level anti-cheat that actively interferes with certain network adapters, VPNs, and firewall rules. Generic networking advice often does not work here because the problem is frequently Vanguard itself, not your router or ISP.

This guide covers Valorant-specific causes first — the ones no other packet loss guide will tell you — and then moves to standard network fixes. Work through them in order.

Why Packet Loss in Valorant Is Different From Other Games

Most games sit on top of Windows networking like any normal application. Valorant does not. Vanguard loads at the kernel level before Windows even fully boots, and it can block or throttle network adapters it flags as suspicious — which sometimes includes perfectly normal hardware.

On top of that, Valorant uses specific UDP ports that many consumer routers and ISP-provided modems throttle or deprioritize. This means you can have zero packet loss in CS2 or Battlefield and still get heavy packet loss in Valorant on the exact same connection.

How to See Packet Loss in Valorant

Valorant has a built-in network stats display that shows packet loss in real time. You do not need third-party software.

Enable the Stats Overlay

1. Open Valorant and go to Settings → Video → Stats
2. Enable Network Round Trip Time and Packet Loss
3. Set both to Show — they appear in the top left corner during matches

Even 1% packet loss is enough to cause missed shots and ability delays in Valorant’s 128-tick environment.

Check With CMD

You can also test your connection to Riot’s servers directly. Open Command Prompt and run:

That is one of Riot’s primary game server IPs. Any “Request timed out” lines means packets are being dropped on the path to Valorant specifically. For more networking commands, see our guide on Windows CMD commands every gamer should know.

How to Fix Packet Loss in Valorant — 8 Fixes in Order

1Restart Vanguard Completely — Do This First

Vanguard running in a bad state is one of the most common causes of packet loss in Valorant that players never think to check. When Vanguard loads incorrectly at boot, it interferes with your network adapter at the driver level and causes persistent packet loss that no amount of router rebooting will fix.

1. Right-click the Vanguard icon in your system tray (bottom right of taskbar)
2. Select Exit Vanguard
3. Wait 30 seconds
4. Relaunch Valorant — Vanguard will restart automatically

2Open Valorant’s Required Ports in Your Firewall

Valorant uses specific UDP ports to communicate with Riot’s servers. Many routers and Windows Firewall configurations block or throttle these ports by default — which directly causes packet loss in Valorant even when every other game works fine.

Valorant needs these ports open for outbound UDP traffic:

To open these, search for Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security, go to Outbound Rules → New Rule → Port and add the UDP range 7000 to 8000. If you have a third-party antivirus with its own firewall (Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Norton), check its settings too — these frequently block Valorant’s ports without any warning.

3Select the Right Valorant Server Region

Unlike most games, Valorant lets you manually pick which Riot game server you connect to. If you are auto-connecting to an overloaded server, you will get packet loss that has nothing to do with your hardware.

1. From the Valorant main menu, click the flag icon next to your ping display (top right)
2. You will see a list of available server regions with current ping estimates
3. Select the region with the lowest ping — this is not always your default
4. Play a match and check your packet loss overlay

4Switch to Ethernet

Valorant is particularly sensitive to Wi-Fi instability because of its 128-tick server rate. Small packet drops that other games smooth over will show up immediately in Valorant’s packet loss display. Switching to a wired Ethernet connection removes Wi-Fi interference entirely.

If you are already on Ethernet and still getting Valorant packet loss, try a different cable. A damaged or low-quality cable causes intermittent drops that show up clearly as packet loss in Valorant but are hard to diagnose any other way.

For more on keeping your PC and hardware in good shape, see our gaming PC maintenance complete guide.

5Flush DNS and Switch DNS Servers

A stale DNS cache can route your Valorant traffic through degraded network paths. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

Then switch to a faster DNS. Go to Network Adapter Settings → IPv4 Properties and set Preferred DNS to 1.1.1.1 and Alternate to 1.0.0.1. Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 has consistently lower latency to Riot’s infrastructure than most ISP defaults.

6Disable or Reinstall Your VPN

This one is Valorant-specific. Vanguard actively blocks certain VPN drivers at the kernel level because they can be used to spoof player locations. If you have a VPN installed — even if it is turned off — the VPN’s network driver may still be active and Vanguard may be conflicting with it.

1. Open Device Manager → Network Adapters
2. Look for any adapter named after a VPN service (NordVPN TAP, ExpressVPN, Mullvad, etc.)
3. Right-click it and select Disable device
4. Relaunch Valorant and check your packet loss overlay

7Update Your Network Adapter Driver

Because Vanguard operates at the kernel level, it interacts with your network adapter driver directly. An outdated driver is more likely to cause conflicts with Vanguard than with other games, leading to Valorant-specific packet loss that does not affect any other title you play.

1. Press Windows + X and open Device Manager
2. Expand Network Adapters
3. Right-click your adapter and select Update driver → Search automatically
4. If nothing is found, visit your motherboard manufacturer’s website for the latest version

8Close Background Apps Eating Bandwidth

Valorant does not use much bandwidth compared to games like Battlefield, but it is extremely sensitive to latency spikes. A background download or a Discord screen share can cause just enough congestion to produce packet loss in Valorant without visibly affecting anything else.

1. Pause all downloads in Steam, Epic, and Windows Update
2. Switch Discord to voice-only — no video or screen share
3. Close any browser tabs streaming video

For more on keeping your PC lean before gaming: How to free up RAM on Windows and How to optimize your PC for best performance.

Is Riot’s Server Causing Your Valorant Packet Loss?

Before blaming your setup entirely, check Riot’s official server status page. Riot publishes live incidents for all regions. If Valorant is showing degraded performance in your region, no fix on your end will help — you simply have to wait.

You can also run a final test to confirm your home network is clean:

If this returns zero lost packets, your connection is fine and the issue is between your ISP and Riot’s servers. Contact your ISP with the results and ask specifically about packet loss on your line, not just download speed. Also see: PC connected to internet but not working — 7 fixes.

Quick Recap — Valorant Packet Loss Fixes

Frequently Asked Questions