Valorant players are not new to errors in the game. There is a whole archive of them. A recent bug that’s been troubling users is the Valorant Couldn’t Start CreateProcess Returned 5 error and the game failing to launch. There are a number of reasons this error can arise, but the main culprit is the anti-cheat from Riot Game – Vanguard. Reinstalling the anti-cheat fixes most of the problems with the game, so that’s the first thing you must try.
Causes of Valorant Couldn’t Start CreateProcess Returned 5 Error
Other causes of the error can be not sufficient permissions. Since, this is an online game, it relies on special permissions to communicate with the server. Hence, you must run the game with admin permission. Some configuration problems on the system may also cause the Valorant couldn’t start error, and others like Valorant not working or crash at startup or launch.
If you are experiencing crashes, the first place to look is your graphics settings. When it’s set to too high, the game can crash. You do not need very high graphics settings in order to enjoy the game. Hence, tune down some of the settings from the Nvidia Control Panel.
As a gamer’s modus operandi, you must always have the drivers and Windows updated. The error can also appear when you are logged-into Valorant or other Riot games on multiple devices.
These are the reasons you may be seeing the error message, let’s proceed to the fixes.
Fix 1: Restart Computer to Resolve Valorant Couldn’t Start CreateProcess Returned 5 Error
If our website is the first stop you have made after receiving the error message, it’s likely you forgot to implement the age old mysterious fix – restart the system. A simple restart may resolve the error. Hence, before you attempt any other fix just restart the system.
When the system reboots again, ensure that only your current device is using the log-in credentials and you are not logged-in from other devices. Once done, try playing the game. If it does not work, let’s try the next fix.
Fix 2: Uninstall Vanguard
Riot Vanguard is an anti-cheat software that comes bundled with the game. However, it’s available as a separate piece of software on your computer and runs even when the game is not running. You can check it in the tray. If there is a problem with this software, the will not launch. It’s imperative that Vanguard remains in healthy condition for the game to work. So, let’s reinstall Vanguard to fix the Valorant Couldn’t Start error. Here are the steps to follow.
- Press Windows Key + X and select Settings
- Click on Apps > Apps & features
- Locate and click on Riot Vanguard, select Uninstall
Follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the software.
Once you have uninstalled Vanguard, launch Valorant and the anti-cheat would automatically download and install. You should be able to play the game now without any launch problems.
Fix 3: Run the Game as Administrator and Disable Full-screen
This fix comes handy in resolving a bunch of errors with the game such as crash at startup, launch problems, Valorant not working, and Couldn’t start. However, don’t perform this step from the desktop shortcut of the game, instead go to the installed folder. Here are the steps you can follow.
- Right-click on the desktop shortcut of Valorant and select Open file location
2. RiotClientServices application will be auto highlighted, right-click on it and select Properties
3. Go to the Compatibility tab and check Disable fullscreen optimization and Run this program as an administrator
4. Click Apply and OK.
Now, try launching the game after suspending all unnecessary tasks from the Task Manager and the Valorant Couldn’t Start CreateProcess Returned 5 error should not appear.
To fix any type of performance issue with the game, run Valorant with default settings and keep the graphics at minimal including shadows and texture. We hope your error is resolved, let us know in the comments what worked and if you have a better solution.
already did everything that was said but it still doesnt work what could be the problem?