A German player seeking to save money on hardware found themselves unexpectedly banned from Valorant due to the previous owner of their used graphics card having cheated in the game. The player purchased a used Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor in late September and, upon attempting to play Valorant, was immediately kicked. According to a Reddit post by the user After-Cartoonist-196, they were informed by Riot Games that their CPU ID was blacklisted by the Vanguard anti-cheat system. The ban was reportedly issued on August 12th because the prior owner had used the component to cheat.
Riot Games' Vanguard system is known for its thoroughness in detecting and preventing cheating. In this instance, the system appears to have flagged not only the specific component but, as the player was informed, all parts within their rig were similarly affected by the previous owner's actions. The player was told that the only solution would be to replace the entire PC, a significant and unforeseen expense stemming from the purchase of a secondhand component.
The incident highlights the extensive reach of anti-cheat technology and the potential consequences for consumers who purchase used hardware. Popular anti-cheat systems can indeed tag individual computer components, creating a digital footprint that can follow the hardware even after it has changed hands. While Vanguard has faced scrutiny for being overly aggressive in the past, this case demonstrates how such measures can impact players who have no involvement in the cheating itself, especially as high-performance components face increasing scarcity and price inflation.