A gamer from Germany faced an unexpected situation after purchasing a used AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor. Upon launching Valorant, they were banned from the game. The user, known as u/After-Cartoonist-196, shared their experience on the r/PCBaumeister subreddit. Although the CPU was functioning well, the player was immediately kicked from the game due to its prior owner’s cheating history, which resulted in a hardware ban from Riot’s anti-cheat system, Vanguard.
The ban on the CPU was enforced on August 12, 2026, but Riot stated that the ban is set for four months. Unfortunately, customer service was unable to lift the ban, leaving the user in a tough spot, as their entire system was potentially blacklisted. Riot’s anti-cheat specialist, Phillip Koskinas, confirmed that hardware bans are game-specific and can be lifted after four months. However, it’s noted that some other systems can impose permanent bans.
The incident sheds light on the risks of buying used gaming hardware. Players could unknowingly purchase banned components, leading to frustrating experiences where their accounts get flagged without prior warning. Ultimately, while the player can potentially return to Valorant once the ban expires, this scenario highlights the importance of caution when purchasing second-hand parts.
