How to Fix Valorant VAN 68 (Connection Error)

By FixMyError · Updated October 16, 2026 · 7 min read

What VAN 68 means

The full error reads like this:

“CONNECTION ERROR — VALORANT has encountered a connection error. Please relaunch the client to reconnect. Error Code: VAN 68.” The game gives you no option but to quit, which makes the error feel more serious than it is.

Any VALORANT error that starts with VAN 6x is a connection issue, and VAN 68 is the code for a sync problem between your PC and Riot's servers. In plain terms, your client and Riot's servers started talking and then lost track of each other, so the game pulled the plug on the session. This failure is often tied to Cloudflare, the DDoS-protection layer that sits in front of Riot's servers — when that layer can't connect cleanly, players see VAN 68.

That is also why VAN 68 behaves differently from other connection codes. VAN 1067, for example, means Vanguard started fine and then lost contact — a Vanguard problem. VAN 68 points at the network path itself: the handshake between you and Riot never fully completed. Sometimes the cause is entirely on Riot's end and the fix is patience; other times your own setup — an IPv6 conflict, a blocked port, a glitchy Vanguard session, a hiccupy connection — is what broke the sync.

Common causes

• Riot server or Cloudflare issue: an outage or maintenance on Riot's side breaks the connection for many players at once — nothing on your PC can fix this.
• Glitchy Vanguard session: Riot's anti-cheat failed to initialize its connection cleanly at boot and never recovered.
• IPv6 conflict: your network adapter's IPv6 configuration clashes with the path to Riot's servers, a well-documented trigger of VAN 68.
• Firewall or security software block: Windows Firewall or a third-party suite is silently blocking Riot Client or Vanguard traffic.
• Stale DNS or an unstable connection: old DNS entries, a dropped packet storm, or an interfering VPN broke the sync mid-handshake.

How to fix VAN 68 — step by step

Work through these in order, and try launching Valorant after each one. Most players are back in the lobby by step 3.

1. Check whether Valorant's servers are down. Before touching anything on your PC, check Riot's official service status page and the VALORANT social channels for outage reports. If servers — or Cloudflare's protection layer in front of them — are having a bad day, VAN 68 is hitting everyone and there is nothing to fix on your end. Wait an hour or two and try again.
2. Fully close the Riot Client and restart your PC. Right-click the Riot Client icon in the system tray and choose Exit — don't just close the window. Then restart your PC, not just sleep it. Vanguard only initializes at boot, so a full restart clears stuck sessions and gives you a clean connection attempt. This is the single most effective fix for VAN 68 when the problem is local.
3. Check your internet connection. VAN 68 feeds on flaky connections, so rule yours out early. Restart your router (unplug it for 30 seconds), switch from Wi-Fi to an ethernet cable if you can, and test whether other devices on your network are also slow or dropping. If your whole network is misbehaving, the problem was never Valorant.
4. Make sure the vgc service is running. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter. Scroll to the service named vgc — that is Riot Vanguard's engine. Double-click it, set Startup type to Automatic, and click Start if the status shows Stopped. Vanguard cannot hold a connection while its service is down, and Windows updates have a habit of disabling it.
5. Switch to Google Public DNS and disable IPv6. Open Control Panel, go to Network and Internet, then Network and Sharing Center, then Change adapter settings. Right-click your active adapter, choose Properties, select Internet Protocol Version 4, and set the DNS servers to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. Then uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) in the same list and click OK. IPv6 conflicts are a known trigger of VAN 68, and fresh DNS rules out stale entries.
6. Reset the connection and contact Riot Support. Open Command Prompt as Administrator, then run ipconfig /flushdns followed by ipconfig /renew. Disconnect any VPN completely and test again — VPNs commonly break the handshake. Also open Windows Settings, go to Network & Internet, then Proxy, and make sure proxy settings are set to Automatic. If VAN 68 still appears after all of this, the problem is deeper: reinstall Riot Vanguard (or Valorant itself) from a fresh download, and if even that fails, submit a ticket to Riot Support with your logs — they can see server-side details you can't.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• Riot's service status page shows no outage or maintenance
• The vgc service shows "Running" in services.msc with Startup type Automatic
• Valorant launches past the login screen without VAN 68
• Google DNS is applied and IPv6 is disabled on your active adapter

If VAN 68 keeps returning after a few days, look at what changed around when it started: a new antivirus, a router firmware update, or a Windows update are the usual suspects. And if the error only appears when your VPN is on, leave the VPN off for Valorant or use split-tunneling so the game connects directly — Riot's servers and VPNs have never gotten along.