Riot Games denies Vanguard can brick hackers' computers after update
Riot Games is pushing back against rumors that its Vanguard anti-cheat software can "brick" or break hackers' computers.
The buzz started after a May 2026 update targeting DMA cheats, plus a cheeky post from Riot showing cheat hardware devices sold for cheating labeled as "congrats to the owners of a brand new $6k paperweight."
Some people thought this meant Vanguard could actually disable PCs, sparking online debate.
Vanguard update affected cheat hardware only
On May 26 Riot cleared things up: Vanguard doesn't harm hardware or regular software: only cheat-specific gadgets were affected by the update.
While Vanguard's deep system access has raised privacy questions since its 2020 launch, Riot says it is committed to fair play and being open about how its anti-cheat works, even as some users still report technical hiccups.