If VALORANT opens to a black screen but Windows still responds, press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B once to reset the graphics driver, then restart the PC, update the correct graphics driver, and install Windows updates. Launch VALORANT after each change and confirm that the home screen appears. If Windows itself stays black or the monitor loses signal outside VALORANT, use Windows blank-screen troubleshooting instead.
While the black screen is visible, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc. If Task Manager appears, Windows is still drawing the desktop and this guide applies; close VALORANT from Task Manager. If Task Manager and the desktop are also invisible, follow Microsoft's Windows blank-screen guide instead.
2
Reset the graphics driver once
Press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B. Windows should beep or briefly flicker as the display driver resets. Open Riot Client, launch VALORANT, and stop here if the home screen now has a visible picture.
3
Identify and update the correct GPU
Press Windows + R, enter dxdiag, and open the Display tab. Note whether the GPU is NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel, then install its current driver from that manufacturer's official updater. Restart Windows before testing the VALORANT home screen again.
4
Install every Windows update
Open Settings > Windows Update, select Check for updates, install everything offered, and restart. Launch VALORANT from Riot Client and verify that the agent artwork and menu controls render instead of a black frame.
5
Lower VALORANT graphics after the picture returns
If the home screen appears but turns black again in a match, open Settings > Video > Graphics Quality. Set Material Quality, Texture Quality, Detail Quality, and UI Quality to Low; set VSync, Bloom, Distortion, and First Person Shadows to Off; then test the Practice Range.
6
Send Riot the crash evidence
If VALORANT alone still opens black, submit a technical ticket to Riot. Attach the black-screen screenshot, your dxdiag GPU name, the driver version you installed, and the zip created by Riot Repair Tool so Support can inspect the failed launch.
If it does not work
If a VAL or VAN code appears over the black screen, use that exact code's instructions; this page is for a black picture without a code.
If the display loses signal in other games or on the Windows desktop, stop changing VALORANT settings and use the PC or GPU manufacturer's hardware support path.
Do not enable Windows 7 compatibility mode for the current VALORANT executable; that was part of the historical video, not Riot's current black-screen procedure.
ⓘ Sources and verification
Checked against official documentation on . Scope: VALORANT on Windows 11.
Source-checked against Riot's current VALORANT crash procedure and Microsoft's blank-screen boundary. A black-screen failure was not reproduced during review.
