How to Fix Valorant Black Screen on Startup

Ever since the release of Valorant, many players have been encountering the infamous black screen error which hinders their gaming experience. At times, this issue can be really annoying and frustrating as it makes the FPS title unplayable. While the developers are actively working to patch such issues, we’ve got you covered with a bunch of troubleshooting methods to get rid of the black screen issue in Valorant on startup. So without any further delay, let’s dive into the details.

Run VGC Service

VGC is a service used by Riot Games for the game’s anti-cheat called Vanguard, which is responsible for detecting cheaters in the game. Sometimes the VGC service doesn’t boot up automatically when you turn on your gaming system. As a result, you’re more likely to encounter a black screen after launching Valorant. Here are the steps to fix this issue:

• Open Task Manager and end-all of the Valorant, Riot, and Vanguard processes.
• Use the shortcut Windows key & R or simply search for RUN and hit enter.
• In the dialogue box, enter MSConfig and hit enter.
• In the General tab, set the startup selection to Normal Startup.
• Next, go to the Services tab.
• Search for VGC and make sure that the service is enabled.

Change Your Environment Variable

In a Reddit post, a Riot official has acknowledged the black screen issue and said that these types of Valorant errors occur due to an OpenSSL bug that eventually affects CPUs. Thankfully, the staff member has a solid fix for this pesky error:

1. Click on the Start button and search for Environment Variables.
2. Click on Edit the System Environment Variables.
3. Navigate to the Advanced tab and select Environment Variables.
4. Choose New under System Variables toward the bottom right side of the tab.
5. Type or paste OPENSSL_ia32cap as the Variable Name.
6. Paste or type “~0x200000200000000” without the quotation marks for the Variable Value and click on OK.

Delete Cache Files

Outdated or corrupted cache files can also cause black screen issues while playing Valorant. If tweaking the above-mentioned settings doesn’t work for you, try clearing up the game cache files to see if it fixes the problem. These are the steps to delete Valorant cache files:

1. Press the Windows logo key and R on your keyboard.
2. In the run dialogue, input %ProgramData% syntax and press enter.
3. Delete the Riot Games folder.
4. Relaunch Valorant on your system.

Run Valorant as Administrator

One of the common ways to fix the Valorant black screen issue at startup is running the game as an Administrator. This option provides all the privileges that the program requires to run properly. Follow these steps to run Valorant as an administrator:

1. Right-click on the Valorant icon.
2. Select Properties, and navigate to the compatibility tab.
3. Click on the checkbox that says, “Run this program as an administrator.”
4. Tap on the “Apply” button, and close the window.

Reinstall Valorant

If the above fixes don’t seem to work for you, your system may be storing the corrupted game files. Unfortunately, there’s no way to verify Valorant files like Steam and Epic Games provide for their games. In such a case, uninstalling and reinstalling VALORANT is your last hope of getting everything back on track. On top of that, Riot’s support section can assist you with unusual errors when you provide them with your system’s log files.

So, there you have it. That’s everything you need to know about fixing Valorant Black Screen on Startup. For more tips and guides, be sure to search for Twinfinite.