Valorant will only start under Windows 11 if controversial security features are enabled in the BIOS, according to reports.
The system requirements of Windows 11 always cause a stir. One of the reasons is that they require the activation of the security functions Secure Boot and TPM 2.0. In principle, Windows 11 can be installed and used even if the two modules are deactivated, but then you will have to live with significant restrictions.
Now a first game is to make use of the two security functions: Valorant. Developer Riot Games has already caused quite a stir with regard to anti-cheat software for its multiplayer shooter. Last year, for example, Vanguard was introduced, which is supposed to put an end to cheaters with the highest system privileges at the kernel level.
However, the players quickly became disgruntled because Vanguard was also active when Valorant was not being played. As a result, Riot Games repeatedly made adjustments to the software
Will Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 become mandatory?
Now Valorant, respectively Vanguard, are causing a stir again. According to a tweet from the Anti-Cheat Police Department @AntiCheatPD, the League of Legends developers apparently want to implement Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 in Vanguard and make them mandatory for Valorant.
Players are said to have tried unsuccessfully to start Valorant on a Windows 11 on which Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 were disabled – apparently there was only an error message
Valorant has started to enforce both TPM and Secure boot if YOU are playing on Windows 11 to ensure a trusted platform when playing Valorant. @RiotVanguard team yet again leading the anti-cheat industry in the right direction for competitive integrity pic.twitter.com/qgTM1yNqdA
— Anti-Cheat Police Department 🕵️ (@AntiCheatPD) September 3, 2021
What are the security features in Valorant supposed to do? XDA-Developers According to them, the Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (TPM 2.0) in Valorant ensures that banned machines don’t get back into the game with fake device IDs. As far as Secure Boot is concerned, however, it is not entirely clear exactly what function it is supposed to perform. It could be a similar one, though.
So for now, Windows 11 users seem to have no choice but to enable the two security features, or switch back to Windows 10 if they don’t want to be forced to enable them.
And what about Windows 10?
This, however, raises the question of what exactly Riot Games plans to do in the future. After all, it simply doesn’t make sense to assume that the security features will only work on Windows 11. If the reports prove to be true, it is highly likely that Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 will also have to be activated on Windows 10 in the future in order to play Valorant.
What do you guys think? Is this the right way to fight cheaters, or is this going too far for you? Feel free to write it in the comments!