- A German gamer was banned from Valorant after purchasing a used AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D that was already blacklisted by Riot’s Vanguard.
- Riot Games confirmed that its hardware ID (HWID) bans last for a maximum of four months, but other anti-cheat software may issue permanent bans.
- There is currently no official tool or method for buyers to verify if used PC hardware carries active anti-cheat bans before purchase.
The thriving market for second-hand PC hardware has hit a major snag that could leave gamers locked out of their favorite titles. A recent viral case has highlighted a growing vulnerability for builders: buying a used CPU can inherit a hardware-level ban from anti-cheat systems, with absolutely no way for buyers to verify the processor’s clean history beforehand.
The issue came to light on the r/PCBaumeister Reddit community, where a German gamer posting under the handle u/After-Cartoonist-196 detailed their frustrating experience. After purchasing a used AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, the buyer found their system ran perfectly—until they booted up Riot Games’ popular tactical shooter, Valorant. They were immediately flagged and banned by Riot’s aggressive Vanguard anti-cheat engine.
The Hidden Danger of HWID Blacklisting
Upon contacting Riot Games customer support, the user discovered that the CPU had been blacklisted weeks prior because its previous owner had cheated. Because Vanguard utilizes Hardware Identification (HWID) bans to deter repeat offenders, the unique identifier of the Ryzen processor was flagged. Unfortunately for the second-hand buyer, Riot support stated they could not lift or bypass the ban, even though a completely different person was now using the chip.
Responding to the situation on X, Riot Games anti-cheat specialist Phillip Koskinas offered some clarification, stating that Riot’s HWID bans are game-specific and capped at a maximum of four months. While this offers a light at the end of the tunnel for this specific victim, other major anti-cheat platforms enforce permanent, non-expiring hardware bans. As it stands, the used hardware market remains a gamble for online gamers, who must trust that a seller’s past digital behavior was entirely clean.
Source: Original Coverage
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