Riot Games has taken another aggressive swing at cheaters in VALORANT, and this time, the target is not just cheat software. A new Vanguard anti-cheat update has reportedly made expensive DMA cheating devices useless for VALORANT, prompting Riot to mock the owners of those setups as having a brand-new “$6k paperweight.”
The post quickly sparked debate online, forcing Riot to clarify that Vanguard is not bricking normal PCs or damaging regular computer components.
Riot Games Targets VALORANT Cheating Hardware With Vanguard Update
VALORANT has always been one of the more aggressive shooters when it comes to anti-cheat enforcement, largely because Riot’s Vanguard operates at a deeper system level than many traditional anti-cheat tools. That approach has been controversial since launch, but it has also allowed Riot to go after cheat makers using increasingly advanced methods.
The latest Vanguard update appears to focus on DMA-based cheating hardware. DMA, or Direct Memory Access, devices are used by some cheaters to read game memory from outside the normal software environment, often through a second PC or external hardware setup. These devices are designed to bypass normal anti-cheat detection by avoiding the usual software-level hooks that anti-cheat systems monitor.
Riot’s response was not subtle. After reports surfaced that Vanguard had blocked the majority of certain DMA firmwares using SATA and NVMe, Riot posted a blunt message congratulating owners of a “brand new $6k paperweight.”
Riot Says Vanguard Does Not Brick Normal PCs
The “paperweight” comment immediately created confusion, with some players believing Vanguard was literally bricking PCs. Riot later clarified that this was not the case. According to Riot, Vanguard does not damage hardware, disable normal devices, or brick PCs, PC components, or PC software. Instead, the update makes specific cheating devices worthless for VALORANT.
Riot’s follow-up framed the situation more clearly. The studio said the photo it posted showed cheat hardware sold specifically for cheating in VALORANT, not normal PCs or standard gaming hardware. In other words, legitimate players should not suddenly find their graphics cards, motherboards, SSDs, or gaming setups disabled because of this update.
DMA Cheats Are Such a Big Problem in Competitive Shooters
DMA cheating has become one of the bigger headaches for competitive FPS developers. Unlike simple cheat software running on the same machine, DMA devices can access system memory in ways that are harder for standard anti-cheat systems to detect.
Even a small number of cheaters using advanced tools can ruin matches, damage trust in the ranked system, and make legitimate players feel like the ladder is not worth grinding.
Riot’s own Vanguard security update from December 2025 explained that it was trying to close pre-boot loopholes and raise the cost of unfair play by targeting an entire class of difficult-to-detect cheats.
IOMMU Appears to Be a Key Part of Riot’s Anti-Cheat Push
A major part of this crackdown appears to involve IOMMU, which stands for Input-Output Memory Management Unit. Riot’s support pages already list IOMMU as part of Vanguard’s restrictions, with instructions for enabling it on supported systems.
In simple terms, IOMMU helps control how hardware devices access system memory. By enforcing stronger protections around memory access, Vanguard can make cheating devices far less useful in VALORANT.
Riot’s update uses the PC’s IOMMU protections to prevent unauthorized DMA cheat cards from functioning with VALORANT. While affected devices may be recoverable through steps like disabling protections or reinstalling the operating system, doing so would leave them incompatible with Riot’s games.
Riot’s “Paperweight” Joke Sparked a Bigger Vanguard Debate
While many VALORANT players celebrated the move, Riot’s wording also reignited the long-running debate around Vanguard. Some players support aggressive anti-cheat measures, especially if they make cheating more expensive and less reliable. Others remain uncomfortable with how much access Vanguard has and worry about false positives, hardware interference, or the broader precedent of anti-cheat software affecting connected devices.
Vanguard has always been one of the most talked-about anti-cheat systems in gaming because it operates at the kernel level and starts early in the system boot process. Riot argues that this is necessary to protect competitive integrity, while critics believe it gives the software too much control over players’ PCs.
Still, in this specific case, Riot’s message is clear. The company says normal players are not the target. The update is aimed at hardware sold explicitly for cheating in VALORANT.
A Major Win for VALORANT’s Anti-Cheat Fight
Whether players love or hate Vanguard, this update sends a loud message to cheat developers and hardware cheat users. Riot is no longer just banning accounts after the fact. It is trying to make the tools themselves useless inside VALORANT.
Riot’s latest Vanguard update may be controversial, but if it successfully turns high-end cheating hardware into dead weight, many players will see it as exactly the kind of punishment cheaters deserve.
