Can You Run Valorant on Your PC? The honest answer, with official specs and the one catch nobody mentions.

Can You Run Valorant on Your PC? The honest answer, with official specs and the one catch nobody mentions.

Can You Run Valorant on Your PC? (Honest Answer for 2026)

Here is a rare thing in the "can you run it" world: a major competitive shooter with official, modest requirements that have not changed in years. Valorant will run on hardware that struggles with a web browser full of tabs.

But there is a catch, and it has nothing to do with your graphics card. Keep reading.

Quick Answer

Yes, almost certainly. Riot's official minimum specs ask for a processor from 2008, integrated graphics, and 4GB of RAM, targeting 30fps. The recommended tier, aimed at 60fps, asks for an Intel i3-4150 or Ryzen 3 1200 with a GeForce GT 730. For 144fps and up, the high-end tier wants an i5-4460 or Ryzen 5 2600X with a GTX 1050 Ti.

The real gatekeeper is not your GPU. It is Vanguard, Riot's anti-cheat. On Windows 11, Valorant requires TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot enabled. A gaming PC from 2019 with a fine GPU can be blocked by a motherboard setting.

The Official Specs (Straight From Riot)

Riot publishes three tiers on its support site. These are the current numbers:

Minimum (30 FPS)

• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 / AMD Athlon 200GE
• GPU: Intel HD 4000 / AMD Radeon R5 200
• RAM: 4GB
• OS: Windows 10 (build 17134 or newer), 64-bit, or Windows 11, 64-bit

Recommended (60 FPS)

• CPU: Intel i3-4150 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200
• GPU: GeForce GT 730 / AMD Radeon R7 240
• RAM: 4GB
• OS: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit

High-end (144 FPS and up)

• CPU: Intel i5-4460 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
• GPU: GeForce GTX 1050 Ti / AMD Radeon R7 370
• RAM: 4GB (16GB is the comfortable pick in practice)
• OS: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit

These are official and stable. Unlike the GTA 6 situation, nobody needs to guess here.

The Catch: Vanguard, TPM 2.0, and Secure Boot

Valorant runs at the kernel level through Vanguard, and on Windows 11 that means your PC must have TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot turned on. This is where most "why won't Valorant launch" threads start.

If you built or bought your PC after 2016, you probably have the hardware. It is often just disabled in the BIOS. The fix is usually three steps: reboot into your motherboard's UEFI settings, enable TPM (sometimes labeled fTPM, PTT, or PSP fTPM depending on your board), enable Secure Boot, and save. Valorant's own support pages walk through it per manufacturer.

Two more things worth knowing: Riot's current minimum OS is Windows 10 build 19041 or newer, 64-bit. Running the game in Windows 7 or 8 compatibility mode is not a fix anymore, despite what old forum threads say. And budget roughly 40 to 60GB of free storage, since Riot does not publish one fixed install size and live-service games grow.

What Each Tier Feels Like

Minimum: The game opens and runs. At 30fps on integrated graphics you are playing, but you are not competitive. Fine for casual unrated games, rough for anything serious.

Recommended: 60fps on low to medium settings. This is where most laptops from the last decade land, and it is genuinely playable. The step up from a Core 2 Duo to an i3-4150 sounds small on paper, but frame consistency is night and day.

High-end: 144fps and beyond. This is the competitive standard, and it is still cheap to hit. A used GTX 1050 Ti or any modern entry-level card clears it. In 2026, almost any discrete GPU from the last eight years qualifies.

The realistic sweet spot: If you are buying or upgrading specifically for Valorant, 16GB of RAM and any modern CPU with a mid-range GPU gets you 144fps without trying. Valorant does not support DLSS or FSR, but NVIDIA Reflex works on GTX 900-series cards and newer, and it genuinely lowers input latency.

The Honest Verdict

Valorant is one of the easiest major shooters to run in 2026, and the barrier is trust, not graphics. Check two things: does your hardware meet the official tiers above, and does your Windows 11 install have TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot enabled. If both are yes, you are in.

Run your specs through the free Can You Run It checker to get a straight answer on where your PC lands against Valorant and the other games in your library. Free, no signup.

Check if your PC can run it. Free, no signup.

For the full breakdown of how the checker scores your hardware, read our guide on how the Can You Run It checker works.

FAQ

Will my PC run Valorant?
Almost certainly yes, unless you are on very old hardware or blocked by Vanguard's security requirements. Check the official tiers above, then verify with our free checker.

Why does Valorant say my PC is unsupported on Windows 11?
Almost always TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot. Enable both in your UEFI/BIOS settings and reboot. This is a Vanguard requirement, not a performance one.

Can I run Valorant on a laptop?
Yes. The official minimum includes integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics, which any laptop from the last decade has. Expect 60fps on modest settings with most modern integrated graphics, and much more with a discrete GPU.

Does Valorant need a good graphics card?
No, and that is the point. The high-end 144fps tier asks for a GTX 1050 Ti, a card from 2016. Your CPU, RAM, and monitor refresh rate matter more than GPU horsepower for this game.

How much storage does Valorant need?
Plan for 40 to 60GB free. Riot does not publish a single fixed number, and patches add up over time.

Is 4GB of RAM really enough?
It meets the official minimum, but 4GB leaves no room for Discord, a browser, or background apps. 8GB is the practical floor and 16GB is the comfortable pick for competitive play.