Riot Games divides players after boasting that Vanguard anti-cheat can “brick” hardware

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Riot Games is receiving criticism for claiming its Vanguard anti-cheat software can permanently disable hardware used by players who cheat in games like Valorant.

The issue began when Riot Games addressed reports that an update to their Vanguard anti-cheat system had blocked a type of cheating software called Heino 2s, which uses a technique called Direct Memory Access.

Riot’s anti-cheat team shared a picture of certain devices and jokingly called them “$6,000 paperweights,” implying they’re useless due to being detected by the anti-cheat system.

congrats to the owners of a brand new $6k paperweight

— Riot Games (@riotgames) May 21, 2026

Some players are using special hardware to try and get around anti-cheat software. Recent updates to the Vanguard system appear to be blocking these devices by targeting the firmware used for SATA and NVMe storage.

A popular online claim stated that a recent update broke DMA firmware, making it permanently unusable even after removing the Vanguard software. The suggested solution was a complete reinstall of the operating system.

A recent issue with the Vanguard anti-cheat software caused a critical error where the system’s input/output memory management unit would unexpectedly restart during gameplay. This rendered the DMA firmware unusable, even after closing or uninstalling the game and Vanguard itself. The only known solution is to completely reinstall the operating system, according to anti-cheat reporter ogisadaDMA.

Riot’s anti-cheat expert, GamerDoc, joked about how frustrating it is for cheaters to invest in expensive hardware (DMA gear) only to be stopped by a simple pop-up message, comparing it to a costly failure.

All that DMA gear to just get blocked by a pop up box is crazy 6k bricks all over the floor🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

— GamerDoc (@ItsGamerDoc) May 21, 2026

Players divided over Riot’s clampdown on DMA cheating

Vanguard, Riot’s anti-cheat system, is reported to now intentionally harm the software on Heino 2 devices when it identifies them. However, some users have stated that the hardware can still be fixed before Vanguard detects it again.

The issue immediately caused a lot of discussion online. Some players applauded Riot Games for taking a strong stand against cheaters, while others felt that blocking hardware was too far.

A popular online post stated that while hacking is serious, intentionally damaging someone’s device should be against the law.

Another replied to Riot: “congrats to the soon-to-be owners of a brand new class action.”

Some people disagree with the criticism of Riot’s actions, pointing out they’re likely within the law. Engineer Daax clarifies that the device won’t cause problems with a computer – it simply stops functioning when connected to a system with the block, but works normally on any other computer.

Cheating devices that exploit DMA (Direct Memory Access) are becoming more frequent in competitive PC gaming, as they can get around traditional anti-cheat software that operates at the core level of the operating system. Riot Games has consistently highlighted its Vanguard system as a powerful, core-level anti-cheat solution, especially for its game, Valorant.

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2026-05-22 14:50