Riot Says VALORANT Hardware Bans Don’t Spread From One PC Part to Others

A player says a used Ryzen 7 5800X3D carried a ban logged in August, while Riot says its hardware restrictions last no more than four months.

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A hooded figure holds a CPU beside an open desktop PC, with crossed red chains suggesting a game hardware ban.

A German VALORANT player says a used Ryzen 7 5800X3D bought on Kleinanzeigen triggered a hardware restriction after installation. The player said the game had worked with their previous processor, then kicked them out after they installed the secondhand CPU on September 21.

The player also alleged Riot support said Vanguard had flagged the processor’s identifier on August 12 because its previous owner cheated. Their Reddit post does not establish who owned the CPU before the sale or what Riot found.

Gebrauchte CPU erlaubt kein Valorant
byu/After-Cartoonist-196 inPCBaumeister

Riot anti-cheat lead Phillip Koskinas said he could not find a support ticket matching the account and called the story unlikely. He said hardware bans last no more than four months, apply only to the game where cheating was detected, and have a remaining duration that players can request from support.

I couldn't find his ticket, but this is pretty unlikely. Our hw bans only last 4 months maximum, they're game-specific, and support tells you the time remaining on the ban when you write in.

We also don't add "everything else" onto the denylist when we match one component.

— Phillip Koskinas (@deteccphilippe) October 2, 2026

If the August 12 date is accurate, the four-month maximum would still allow a restriction to be active in early October. Koskinas has not confirmed whether this specific CPU carried an active VALORANT restriction.

The player also said support told them other components in the PC had been affected, that changing the graphics card would not solve the issue, and that replacing the whole computer might be necessary. Koskinas rejected the claim that Riot adds a PC’s other components to its denylist when it detects one flagged part.

Hardware bans last 4 months maximum, they apply only to the game cheats were detected in, and we don't ban "everything else" when we match one component. Support will give you the time remaining on request.

If it were up to me, we'd have soul bans that followed them into hell. https://t.co/HqRpsxLcyR

— Phillip Koskinas (@deteccphilippe) October 2, 2026

Have you ever had a used PC component trigger a game restriction? Stay connected for more context on Riot’s hardware-ban rules through X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.

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