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How To Fix Valorant Not Responding on Launch / Not Launching Properly

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Answer

First of all, make sure to close Valorant and the Riot launcher. When this is done, open up your Windows settings. Navigate to Display under System. Make sure that your main display where you intend on playing Valorant is selected and set the Scale and Display Resolution options to their recommended values. Valorant will not properly launch when using an abnormal screen resolution. You can always change the resolution in your in-game settings later on.

Windows Display Settings

First of all, make sure to close Valorant and the Riot launcher. When this is done, open up your Windows settings. Navigate to Display under System. Make sure that your main display where you intend on playing Valorant is selected and set the Scale and Display Resolution options to their recommended values. Valorant will not properly launch when using an abnormal screen resolution. You can always change the resolution in your in-game settings later on.

Windows Settings > System > Display
Windows Settings > System > Display

Change Valorant Graphics Preference

Next, scroll down, select Graphics, or search for Graphics Settings to get here.

System Settings > Display > Graphics
System Settings > Display > Graphics

Here you can change the default GPU settings for applications installed on your W…

Here you can change the default GPU settings for applications installed on your Windows PC. Click on Browse, and your file explorer will open up.

Browser for Valorant in Graphics Settings
Browser for Valorant in Graphics Settings

From here, navigate to the drive on which you install Riot Games

From here, navigate to the drive on which you install Riot Games. In my case, this will be the default C: drive > Riot Games > VALORANT > live > ShooterGame > Binaries > Win64. Select the Valorant-Win64-Shipping application and click on Add.

C: drive > Riot Games > VALORANT > live > ShooterGame > Binaries > Win64
C: drive > Riot Games > VALORANT > live > ShooterGame > Binaries > Win64

This will add the Valorant game process to this list of applications

This will add the Valorant game process to this list of applications. If you cannot find your install location, search for Riot Games in your start menu. Click on Open File Location, which will open the file location for the Riot shortcut. Right-click the shortcut and click on Open File Location again to get to your Valorant game process. Click on Options for Valorant and set the Graphics preference to High performance. This will make sure that your graphics card gets utilized as soon as you launch the game, which will, for most users, fix issues when the game gets stuck while on start-up, and it can also reduce freeze frames while in-game.

Change Valorant Graphics Preference
Change Valorant Graphics Preference

Start Valorant as Administrator

Next, return back to the game process in your file explorer under Riot Games > VALORANT > live > ShooterGame > Binaries > Win64. Right-click the VALORANT application and select Properties.

Access Valorant Game Properties
Access Valorant Game Properties

In the Compatibility tab, check the Disable full-screen optimizations and Run thi…

In the Compatibility tab, check the Disable full-screen optimizations and Run this program as an administrator option before applying your changes. This will ensure that the game has all the necessary permissions to start properly without having Windows services make a change. You can then try to launch Valorant to see if this fixes your problem.

Disable Full-Screen Optimizations
Disable Full-Screen Optimizations

Troubleshoot Network Connection & Disable VPN

If the issue persists, especially while launching the game, then make sure you’re using a reliable network connection. You should also consider disabling your VPN service, which could prevent you from logging into your game account properly.

Windows Settings > Network & Internet > VPN
Windows Settings > Network & Internet > VPN

Update & Restart Windows

Next, head back to your Windows settings. From here, navigate to the Windows Update tab. Make sure to download and install the latest update before restarting your PC. This will ensure that your OS is not the culprit to your Valorant startup issues.

Windows Settings > Windows Update
Windows Settings > Windows Update

Update Valorant Graphics Settings

Lastly, you should consider reducing some of your Valorant in-game graphics settings. Follow the short guide below to apply the best settings for your system performance.

Update Valorant Graphics Settings
Update Valorant Graphics Settings

Video walkthrough

If it does not work

  • If the current interface differs, compare it with the recorded video walkthrough.