How to Fix Valorant Error 43 (A System Has Timed Out)

By FixMyError · Updated October 17, 2026 · 5 min read

What error 43 means

When you launch Valorant, the game doesn't just open on its own — the Riot Client first has to phone home, verify your session, and pull down your account and store data from Riot's servers. Error 43 appears when that handshake times out: the client waited, got no satisfactory answer, and stopped instead of hanging forever on a loading screen.

Riot's official support documentation defines error 43 exactly this way — "a system has timed out" — and its recommended solution is a single line: restart the Riot Client. That makes this one of the simpler Valorant errors to understand, but there is a catch that trips up a lot of players. Closing the Valorant window does not restart the Riot Client. The client often keeps running quietly in the background, in the Windows system tray, holding onto whatever broken state caused the timeout in the first place. Relaunch the game from the desktop shortcut, and you're reconnecting with the same half-broken client that just failed. Many players loop on error 43 several times before realizing they never actually restarted the piece Riot told them to restart.

There is also an important second possibility worth ruling out early: scheduled maintenance. Valorant patches, season launches, and emergency fixes all take servers offline, and error 43 is exactly what you see when the servers you tried to reach simply aren't there. If a patch just dropped, five minutes on the server status page will save you an hour of troubleshooting.

Common causes

• Riot Client not actually restarted: the most common cause — the game window was closed but the client kept running in the system tray with its broken state intact.
• Riot server maintenance or outage: if the servers are down for a patch, no amount of restarting on your end will connect you.
• Leftover background processes: zombie Riot Client or VALORANT processes from a crashed session block a clean new connection.
• Unstable internet connection: packet loss or a flaky connection can stretch the server handshake past its timeout limit.
• Corrupted Riot Client installation: damaged client files can fail the connection step on every single launch, no matter how often you restart.

How to fix error 43 — step by step

Work through these steps in order. Step 1 resolves the vast majority of cases.

1. Exit the Riot Client fully. Close Valorant, then look in the Windows system tray (bottom-right corner, near the clock) for the Riot Client icon. Right-click it and choose Exit. This is the critical difference from just closing the game window: Riot's own guidance for error 43 is to restart the client, and that means the actual client, not the game window on top of it. Relaunching from a half-running client just replays the same timeout.
2. Kill leftover Riot processes. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, then look through the processes list for anything named Riot Client, VALORANT, or RiotClientServices. Select each one and click End task. Leftover processes from a previous session can hold locks or half-open connections that sabotage the next launch. Once the list is clean, start Valorant fresh.
3. Check Riot server status. Open the official Riot Games Service Status page in your browser and check your region for maintenance, outages, or degraded service. Valorant patches and season updates routinely take servers offline, and error 43 is exactly the message you get when there's nothing on the other end to connect to. If the status page shows a problem, stop troubleshooting and try again once Riot marks it resolved.
4. Restart your PC. A full restart clears hung network state, flushes DNS-related oddities, and wipes out any Riot or Vanguard processes that Task Manager missed. It's also the single most reliable way to confirm the problem isn't transient: if error 43 survives a clean boot, you know something more persistent is wrong and can skip straight to step 6.
5. Check your internet connection. Load a few websites or run a quick speed test to confirm your connection is stable. If pages are slow or dropping, restart your router — unplug it for 30 seconds, plug it back in, and wait for it to reconnect. Timeouts at launch often trace back to a weak or congested link on your end rather than anything Riot did.
6. Repair or reinstall the Riot Client. If error 43 appears on every single launch even after a reboot, the client installation itself is likely damaged. Uninstall the Riot Client from Windows Settings, download a fresh copy from Riot Games, and reinstall. Your account, skins, and in-game settings are stored server-side, so nothing you own is at risk. After the reinstall, launch once and give the client time to finish updating before opening Valorant.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• The Riot Client exits fully from the system tray, not just the game window
• No Riot Client, VALORANT, or RiotClientServices processes remain in Task Manager
• Riot's server status page shows no maintenance or outage in your region
• You reach the Valorant main menu without error 43

If error 43 persists after all six steps, make sure you are launching the game directly rather than through a third-party launcher or shortcut that points at an old executable. Also confirm Valorant is allowed through Windows Firewall — a blocked connection can masquerade as a timeout. As a last resort, submit a ticket on Riot's support site with the exact error code and the steps you already tried.