You buy a used chip, plug it in and it runs fine, but opening Valorant gets you kicked out immediately. A gamer in Germany says the second-hand Ryzen 7 5800X3D carried the previous owner’s hardware ban. The story spread across the internet, but Riot’s head of anti-cheat says that is “pretty unlikely”.
Quick facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Component | Used AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D |
| Who is telling the story | A Reddit user in Germany, posted September 26, 2026 |
| Claim | Blocked by the previous owner’s hardware ban from August 12 |
| Riot says | Hardware bans last at most 4 months, apply per game and do not spread to every component |
| Status | Unresolved |
The buyer’s story
On the German PC-building forum r/PCBaumeister on September 26, 2026, a user said they bought a used Ryzen 7 5800X3D and had been using it since September 21. The CPU ran normally, but Valorant kicked the player out immediately. According to the account, Riot support said the chip’s identifier had been on the Vanguard anti-cheat system’s ban list since August 12, most likely because the previous owner cheated, and that the ban could not be lifted. The user also said other components in the PC were listed as well.
The post drew about 190 comments, then was picked up by Cybernews, PC Gamer and many other sites. Note: this is the player’s own account, and the support messages have not been published.
Riot pushes back
Phillip Koskinas, Riot’s head of anti-cheat, wrote on X that a hardware ban “lasts at most 4 months, applies separately to each game, and support will tell you the remaining ban time when you contact them”. Koskinas also said Riot does not ban “everything else” just because one component matches, and on this case: “I could not find that person’s support ticket, but this is pretty unlikely to happen.”
If that is right, according to PC Gamer’s reasoning, a ban that began on August 12 would expire around mid-December 2026. However, the 4-month figure only appears in Koskinas’s X post and not on Riot’s public policy page.
How do Riot’s hardware bans work?
According to Riot’s official support page, a hardware ban (HWID ban) is a “strong measure” for serious violators, such as using cheat software or deliberately threatening or sabotaging games. When logging in on a banned machine, players get the error VAN 152. Riot writes that it “bans the physical components of a machine”, so reinstalling the operating system or switching accounts does not help. A banned player can submit a request for review, and a ban can be lifted, “but it is not guaranteed”.
Vanguard requires TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot. Talkesport argues that on many AMD machines the TPM chip is built into the CPU, so banning by TPM effectively bans the CPU. This is the site’s own inference, not a statement from Riot.
Buying used hardware: what to watch for
- Buy from somewhere that allows returns, and test Valorant as soon as the part arrives.
- Keep the invoice or proof of purchase to attach when contacting Riot support.
- If you hit error VAN 152, submit a support request and ask about the remaining ban time.
OtaHub’s take
In Vietnam, buying used CPUs and graphics cards to play Valorant is very common, so this story is worth noting even though it is unverified. Riot’s statement is somewhat reassuring: if bans really last at most 4 months, buyers of a “banned” part do not lose everything. Even so, testing right when the part arrives remains the safest approach.
FAQ
Can buying used hardware get you banned in Valorant?
According to Riot’s support page, hardware bans target the physical components of a machine. However, Riot’s Phillip Koskinas said the ban lasts at most 4 months and applies only to a single game.
What error do you see with a Valorant hardware ban?
According to Riot, when you log in on a machine with a hardware ban, you get the error VAN 152.
What if you are hardware-banned unfairly?
Riot advises submitting a support request for review, and a ban can be lifted but it is not guaranteed. Phillip Koskinas said support will tell you the remaining ban time when you ask.
What should you watch out for when buying a used CPU for Valorant?
Buy from somewhere that allows returns, test Valorant as soon as the part arrives, and keep the invoice or proof of purchase to attach when contacting support.
Sources: Reddit r/PCBaumeister, Riot Games (support page), Phillip Koskinas (X, via Mixed and Talkesport), Cybernews, PC Gamer, Digital Citizen, Mixed, Talkesport.