VALORANT Player Says Used CPU Carried Prior Owner's Hardware Ban
A Reddit user claims a secondhand Ryzen 7 5800X3D bought on Kleinanzeigen was flagged by Vanguard for a ban issued to its previous owner.
A VALORANT player reported on October 12, 2026 that a secondhand AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor bought through the German classifieds site Kleinanzeigen was flagged by Riot Games' Vanguard anticheat system because of a hardware ban issued to the CPU's previous owner. The user said Riot Games support told them the processor's identifier appeared on Vanguard's ban list.
According to the user's account, the previous owner received a hardware ban on August 12, 2026 for cheating in VALORANT. The user said the ban then spread to their motherboard and storage and remained in place even after the CPU was removed.
Riot Games anticheat lead Phillip Koskinas responded to the report, saying he could not locate the support ticket the user described and calling the situation unlikely. He stated that hardware bans last at most 4 months and are specific to a single game.
The background: the Reddit user bought the used Ryzen 7 5800X3D on September 21, 2026 and said it worked without problems at first. Riot Games' support page states that a hardware-banned PC cannot play the game even with another account, and that reinstalling does not lift the ban. The exchange was reported by gigazine.net.
Quick answers
What happened with the used Ryzen 7 5800X3D and VALORANT?
A Reddit user said Vanguard flagged the CPU's identifier because its previous owner had received a hardware ban on August 12, 2026, and that the ban spread to their motherboard and storage.
How did Riot Games respond?
Anticheat lead Phillip Koskinas said he could not find the reported support ticket, called the situation unlikely, and stated that hardware bans last at most 4 months and are game-specific.
When did the user buy the CPU?
The user said they bought the used Ryzen 7 5800X3D on Kleinanzeigen on September 21, 2026, and that it initially worked without problems.