Valorant won’t launch after recent updates (PC Kernel Blockage?)

Troubleshooting Valorant Launch Issues on Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Post-Update: A Comprehensive Guide

If you’re experiencing difficulties launching Valorant after recent updates, you’re not alone. Many gamers have reported similar issues, especially on high-end laptops like the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i, which features Intel Evo, 13th Gen Core i7 H-series CPUs, and an RTX 4050 GPU. This article aims to provide a clear overview of the problem and offer potential solutions for resolving launch failures.

Understanding the Issue

In recent cases, players have observed that:

• The Riot Client opens without issue.

• Upon clicking ‘Play,’ a brief black screen appears.

• The game then immediately closes, returning the user to the Riot Client interface.

• No explicit error messages or crash logs are generated.

• Event Viewer does not record any related errors.

• Riot’s log files contain unreadable binary data, offering little insight into the cause.

Preliminary Troubleshooting Steps

Before diving into complex fixes, ensure you’ve attempted these common resolutions:

1. Complete Windows Reinstallation:
   Performing a full Windows reset can eliminate underlying system corruptions. This process involves backing up important data, then reinstalling the OS to start fresh.

2. Driver Reinstallation:
   Reinstall graphics drivers, including the latest Game Ready NVIDIA drivers and Intel Iris Xe drivers, ensuring they are cleanly installed, not just updated over existing ones.

3. Game and Riot Client Reinstallation:
   Multiple reinstalls of Valorant and the Riot Client may fix corrupted files or misconfigurations.

4. Verify Vanguard Service:
   Confirm that Vanguard’s background service (vgc) is active and that vgk.sys is present in your system directory. Vanguard is Riot’s anti-cheat engine crucial for Valorant.

5. Adjust Windows Security Settings:
   Disabling Memory Integrity under Windows Security > Device Security can sometimes resolve conflicts with anti-cheat components.

6. Registry and System Tweaks:
   Tweaking settings related to Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) and Hypervisor via registry or BCDEdit may be necessary. However, on Intel Evo laptops, VBS/Hypervisor features are often enforced by hardware or firmware, making full disablement challenging.

Potential Root Causes

Recent updates to Valorant, particularly those involving Unreal Engine or anti-cheat components, may conflict with system configurations or driver states. In some cases, hardware-specific security features