Valorant server status: Is Valorant down right now?

"Is Valorant down?" – this guide shows you step by step how to check the status of the Riot servers properly, what the most common error codes mean and what you can do yourself.

First: Is it a real outage or is it on me?

Before you restart anything, a quick assessment pays off. Broadly, there are three situations: a genuine outage affects many players at once – nobody can get in, matchmaking is at a standstill, or entire regions are offline. Scheduled maintenance is announced, usually lasts a fixed window and often occurs around a patch. A local problem, by contrast, affects only you: your internet connection, your router, your client or the anti-cheat are not cooperating. The fastest way to tell these three cases apart is the official status page.

The reflex "the whole game is broken" is often misleading. That is exactly why it pays to take a breath and check first, before you spend half an hour pointlessly restarting. The order below saves you the most time – and nerves.

Check the official Riot server status

Riot runs an official status page that shows, separately for each game and region, whether everything is running. It is the only truly reliable source – everything else is guesswork. Here is how to proceed:

1. Open the status page: Open the official Riot status page in your browser or on your phone.
2. Choose your region: Select the game Valorant at the top and your region below it (e.g. Europe/EU, North America, Asia-Pacific). This is crucial, because an outage in one region does not mean yours is affected too.
3. Read the notices: Green or "no incidents" means Riot is aware of no problems. Reported incidents appear with a category – such as maintenance, degraded service or outage.
4. Watch the services: Login/authentication, game, store or matchmaking can each be disrupted individually while the rest runs normally.

The right region matters. If you play in Central Europe, look at Europe – a reported outage in North America or Brazil normally does not affect you. If the status page is green but you still can’t play, the cause is very likely on your end. In that case, the steps further down will help.

Login, game or store – reading disruptions individually

An important point many overlook: Valorant consists of several services that can fail independently. Sometimes only authentication is affected – then you’re stuck at login, even though ongoing matches keep running normally. Sometimes only the store is disrupted – you can play but cannot buy skins or load the shop. And sometimes only matchmaking stalls while the rest works. That is why it pays to look closely at the status page to see which service is marked red. This often explains why "something" is not working even though the game itself is running.

Scheduled maintenance and patch times

A large share of "the servers are down" moments are not errors at all, but scheduled maintenance. Riot regularly rolls out patches – new content, balance changes, bug fixes. Around these updates the servers are taken offline for a maintenance window. During that time you cannot get into the game, no matter how often you restart.

Such maintenance is announced in advance: on the status page, in the official patch notes and via Valorant's social media channels. So if you cannot get in on patch day, that is usually completely normal. A glance at the status page quickly confirms whether maintenance is currently running and when it is expected to end. The exact times differ by region, because maintenance takes place at each region's off-peak hours to affect as few players as possible.

Remember: if the status page reports maintenance, restarting is pointless. Save yourself the effort and simply wait out the window – afterward, everything runs normally again. Right after maintenance ends, there can also be long login queues for a short while, because everyone returns at once. This usually settles by itself within a few minutes.

Common error codes and what they mean

Valorant shows an error code when problems occur – usually with the prefix "VAL" (game/platform) or "VAN" (Vanguard, the anti-cheat). The code roughly tells you whether the problem lies with Riot or with you. Here are the most important ones at a glance:

All Vanguard codes with step-by-step solutions are in the overview of VAN error codes (especially VAN 1067); for FPS drops, lag and crashes, the tech fix guide helps.

The rule of thumb from Riot’s list: VAL 39 (unavailable server) and VAL 46 (planned downtime) are on Riot’s side – then it is worth checking the server status. VAL 29 and VAL 62 point to your network or firewall, VAN codes to Vanguard and your system. According to Riot, client codes like VAL 19, VAL 43 or VAL 51 are usually fixed by restarting the Riot Client. Riot itself notes that its VAL list is partly out of date; when in doubt, official support gives the most current explanation. If a problem persists, always note the exact number – it’s the fastest way to the right fix.

"There was an error connecting to the platform"

You see this message especially often, usually together with a VAL code. It means the client cannot connect to Riot's platform services. There can be two causes. Either the Riot servers really do have a problem right now – then it is on the status page. Or your connection to Riot is disrupted, for example by Vanguard not running, by a firewall, a VPN or a brief network glitch. That is precisely why the first step is always: check the status page. If everything is green there, work through the self-help steps.

What you can do yourself

If the status page is green but the problem persists, it is almost always your system or your connection. Work through these steps in order – they solve the vast majority of all connection problems:

1. Fully close and restart the client. Not just back to the menu – actually quit Valorant and the Riot Client, then reopen them. This fixes many session and party errors.
2. Restart Vanguard. The anti-cheat must be running before Valorant starts. The most reliable way is a full PC restart, because Vanguard only loads correctly at boot.
3. Restart the PC. The classic – and for good reason. A restart clears hung services, blocked ports and stale Vanguard states. Surprisingly often, everything is fine again afterward.
4. Check your internet. Is your connection working at all? Test another website or app. On Wi-Fi, switching to an Ethernet cable often helps; a router restart fixes intermittent dropouts.
5. Check firewall, antivirus and VPN. These programs sometimes block the connection to Riot. Disable a VPN as a test and make sure Valorant and Vanguard are not blocked by the firewall.
6. Check region and ping. If you happen to connect to a far-away region, that can cause timeouts. Read more in our guide to choosing a Valorant server and ping.

📶 Servers green but your game lags? With SpindTune, our second free app, you can measure ping to your router and the internet for 20 seconds for free – so you can see whether your Wi-Fi or your provider is to blame.

Checking the server status on your phone

A handy side effect: the status page runs in the browser and opens just as well on a smartphone. This is worth its weight in gold when your PC is stuck on the loading screen or you do not even want to boot it up before you know whether it is worth it. Open the page on your phone, choose Valorant and your region, and you know within seconds. If you play often, bookmark the page. That saves you from searching at the crucial moment and means you don’t have to rely on dubious sources.

Understanding third-party sites like Downdetector correctly

Sites like Downdetector or similar outage trackers are popular when Valorant is acting up. They show how many users are currently reporting problems and so give you a quick snapshot. They are useful as a first hint: a sudden spike in reports points to a larger problem. But be careful – such sites are based on user reports, not on real server data. They do not distinguish between regions, confuse local problems with genuine outages and sometimes spike when only a small group is affected. So use Downdetector at most as a rough indicator and always rely on the official Riot status page for the truth.

When you need support

Most problems resolve by waiting or restarting. But there are cases where you should contact official support: when an error code persists even though the status page is green and you have tried every step; when Vanguard simply will not start; or when it concerns account matters such as a supposedly wrongful ban (e.g. VAL 61). In those situations, Riot's official Valorant support is the right place to go. There, you’ll find targeted instructions and can open a ticket if needed. Have your error code and a short description ready – that speeds up processing.

Server status vs. server choice – don't confuse them

A common misunderstanding: "server status" and "server choice" are two different things. Status is about whether the Riot servers are running. Server choice is about which location you use for the best ping. If Valorant is running but you have high ping or lag, that is not an outage but a matter of connection and server location. How to find the best server, lower your ping and avoid jitter is explained in detail in our guide to server choice and ping. If you are brand new to Valorant, our beginner guide also helps you get started.

What happens to my rank when the servers act up?

A legitimate worry: if you get dropped from a ranked game because of a server problem, do you lose RR? In principle, the system distinguishes between actually leaving and a connection drop. If you get back quickly, you can often continue without penalty. In a large-scale outage affecting entire matches, Riot generally handles the affected games leniently. Even so: after a disconnect, try to get back into the match promptly. Everything else about ranks, RR and MMR is covered concisely in our guide to Valorant ranks.

Common misconceptions about the server status

• "If I can't get in, Valorant is down." Not necessarily – it is often your own connection, Vanguard or a firewall. Check the status page first.
• "Downdetector shows problems, so the server is down." Downdetector shows user reports, not real server data. Only the official status page is reliable.
• "Restarting always helps." During scheduled maintenance or a genuine outage, restarting does nothing at all – all you can do is wait.
• "An error code always means a server problem." Many codes (especially VAN codes) indicate a problem on your PC, not at Riot.

Prevention: how to get back in faster

A few habits will save you frustration in the future. On patch day, keep an eye on the patch notes and the status page so maintenance never catches you by surprise. Make sure Vanguard starts cleanly by booting your PC before playing instead of waking it from sleep. Use a wired connection where possible – it is more stable than Wi-Fi and reduces timeouts. And if you use a VPN, test whether Valorant runs better without it. Small things, big effect.

And where does the tool fit in?

Valorant-Spind is a free Windows tool that reads the value of your skin collection locally from your locker and shows it in VP (plus a money value in supported regions). It has nothing directly to do with the server status – but because it fetches your data from Riot through your running Riot client and game data (images, names) from valorant-api.com (community API, not run by Riot), it needs a working connection. If Valorant itself is not running because maintenance is active, just wait briefly until the servers are back online. After that, the tool shows you your current locker value as usual.

In summary

If Valorant will not start, always check the official Riot status page first and choose your region. Green means the problem is on your side – work through restart, internet, firewall and Vanguard. A reported incident or maintenance means waiting is the only solution. Error codes give you valuable hints as to whether Riot or your PC is at fault. Outage trackers like Downdetector are only a rough indicator, and for persistent problems official support is the right place to go. In this order, you’ll find out within a few minutes whether Valorant is really down – and are usually back in the game quickly.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Is Valorant down right now?

The fastest and most reliable way to find out is the official Riot status page. Choose Valorant and your region there. If it shows an outage or maintenance, the servers really are affected. If everything is green, the problem is usually on your side – then a restart and a connection check help.

How do I check the official Valorant server status?

Open status.riotgames.com, choose the game Valorant and your region (e.g. Europe). The page shows, separately by services like login, game, store and matchmaking, whether there are disruptions, degraded service or scheduled maintenance. It is the only truly reliable source.

What does "There was an error connecting to the platform" mean?

The client cannot connect to Riot's platform services. This is either a server problem at Riot (then it is on the status page) or on your side: Vanguard is not running, a firewall or VPN is blocking, or the network hiccups briefly. Check the status first, then restart the client and the PC.

What do error codes like VAL 51 or VAN 9003 mean?

VAL codes concern the game, client and platform: according to Riot, VAL 51 means a problem creating a party, VAL 46 planned downtime, VAL 39 an unavailable server and VAL 62 that no game servers can be reached (network). VAN codes come from the Vanguard anti-cheat and concern your system – VAN 9003 means Secure Boot isn’t enabled, VAN 9001 that TPM 2.0 is missing. For client codes like VAL 51, Riot recommends restarting the Riot Client, for VAN codes Riot’s steps for that code help, and for VAL 39 and VAL 46 a look at the server status.

Is Downdetector a reliable source?

Only to a limited extent. Downdetector shows user reports, not real server data, and does not cleanly distinguish by region. As a quick gauge it’s okay, but the truth is always on the official Riot status page.

When should I contact Riot support?

When an error persists even though the status page is green and you have tried all the self-help steps, when Vanguard will not start, or for account matters such as a supposedly wrongful ban. Riot's official Valorant support offers targeted instructions and the option to open a ticket.