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van 185
Easy Fix
Valorant · Gaming
Vanguard initialization timed out — the anti-cheat took too long to start and the game client cancelled the connection
Quick Answer
Error code VAN 185 on your Valorant Gaming means: Vanguard initialization timed out — the anti-cheat took too long to start and the game client cancelled the connection. This is usually fixable — see the step-by-step guide below.
Likely Causes
  1. Slow hard drive (HDD) causing Vanguard to take too long to load at boot
  2. Too many startup programs competing for system resources
  3. Corrupted Vanguard installation requiring a clean reinstall
  4. Background Windows updates or disk operations consuming I/O bandwidth
How to Fix It
1
Restart your PC and wait 2-3 minutes before launching Valorant
2
Reduce startup programs: open Task Manager > Startup tab and disable unnecessary applications
3
If Valorant is installed on an HDD, consider moving it to an SSD for faster load times
4
Ensure no large Windows updates are downloading in the background (Settings > Windows Update)
Pro Tip
This is a common issue that most users can resolve without specialized tools. Try the first step before moving on to more complex solutions.
Related Error Codes
VAN 57VAN 9001VAN 1067VAN 81VAN 79
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