Vanguard Accused of Pausing Cheater Bans During Riot’s Holiday Period

Concerns have once again surfaced around Riot Vanguard, VALORANT’s anti-cheat system, after a clip showing blatant cheating in ranked matches began circulating on social media. While Riot Games has not acknowledged any large-scale malfunction, the incident has reignited debate around Vanguard’s reaction speed and reliability.

What Sparked the Controversy? 🎥

• A user named jesse shared a video of obvious suspicious gameplay in ranked
• According to the post, the cheaters were not banned immediately
• The user tagged Riot staff and sarcastically suggested Vanguard was “on winter break”

The clip quickly gained traction, with players questioning whether cheat detection slows down during holidays.

Riot Games Responds 🛡️

Riot employee ItsGamerDoc publicly addressed the situation:

• Issued an apology for the incident
• Confirmed the case was escalated to the Vanguard team
• Stated that both players shown in the video have already been banned 🚫

Riot also clarified that reports like this are valuable for identifying edge cases and detection gaps.

Key Takeaways 📌

• No confirmed systemic failure of Vanguard
• Riot is actively investigating why the ban was delayed
• The case highlights concerns around automatic detection speed, especially in ranked play

Community Reaction 💬

Despite Riot’s response, the incident has:

• Reignited doubts about real-time cheat detection
• Raised concerns over competitive integrity during high-traffic periods
• Fueled ongoing discussions about whether Vanguard should act faster and more transparently

While Riot maintains confidence in Vanguard, players are once again calling for instant bans and clearer communication when cheating slips through — especially in competitive environments.