How to Fix Valorant Black Screen on Startup
Ever since the release of Valorant, many players have been encountering the infamous black screen error which hinders their gaming experience. At times, this issue can be really annoying and frustrating as it makes the FPS title unplayable. While the developers are actively working to patch such issues, we’ve got you covered with a bunch of troubleshooting methods to get rid of the black screen issue in Valorant on startup. So without any further delay, let’s dive into the details.
Run VGC Service
VGC is a service used by Riot Games for the game’s anti-cheat called Vanguard, which is responsible for detecting cheaters in the game. Sometimes the VGC service doesn’t boot up automatically when you turn on your gaming system. As a result, you’re more likely to encounter a black screen after launching Valorant. Here are the steps to fix this issue:
- Open Task Manager and end-all of the Valorant, Riot, and Vanguard processes.
- Use the shortcut Windows key & R or simply search for RUN and hit enter.
- In the dialogue box, enter MSConfig and hit enter.
- In the General tab, set the startup selection to Normal Startup.
- Next, go to the Services tab.
- Search for VGC and make sure that the service is enabled.
Change Your Environment Variable
In a Reddit post, a Riot official has acknowledged the black screen issue and said that these types of Valorant errors occur due to an OpenSSL bug that eventually affects CPUs. Thankfully, the staff member has a solid fix for this pesky error: