Riot Games Introduces On-Demand Mode for Vanguard Anti-Cheat System Riot Games is implementing a significant update to its Vanguard anti-cheat system, allowing players to disable the software when not actively gaming. The change, set to roll out today, will shift Vanguard from a persistent background process to an on-demand activation model. This means the anti-cheat will only launch when a game is running and will terminate once gameplay ends, similar to how other titles like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty handle their anti-cheat measures. The update addresses longstanding criticisms of Vanguard’s intrusive nature. Originally launched in 2020, the system operated in "kernel mode," granting Riot Games deep access to users’ PCs. This approach sparked controversy due to its constant background activity and perceived overreach. The new on-demand feature aims to mitigate these concerns by reducing the software’s presence on non-gaming systems. Riot’s anti-cheat chief, Phillip Koskinas, outlined the changes in an update, stating that the "on-demand" functionality will be available to "sufficiently secured PC devices." This requires hardware meeting modern security standards, including Windows 11 25H2 or later, UEFI Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, VBS, HVCI, and IOMMU. Players meeting these criteria will automatically see the option to switch Vanguard to on-demand mode. Koskinas noted that approximately 35% of Riot’s players already satisfy these requirements, making the update seamless for them. For the remaining 65% of users, the transition may involve BIOS adjustments or hardware upgrades. A small subset—around 3% of players—currently use older hardware incompatible with the Pre-Check requirements.#windows_11 #riot_games #vanguard_anti_cheat #phillip_koskinas #xbox_os_security_team
