How to fix “something unusual has happened” error in VALORANT

Dealing with VALORANT errors is never a delightful experience, but you know you’re in deep when even Riot Games throws up its hands and calls it “something unusual.”

If you can’t launch VALORANT due to the “something unusual has happened” error, don’t rage-quit just yet. While it may seem like a dead end after a few tries to patch it up, don’t worry—we’ve got some tricks up our sleeve that may help eliminate the error for good, letting you get back to your daily ranked grind.

What does “something unusual has happened” mean in VALORANT?

The “something unusual has happened” error usually indicates an issue with Vanguard, VALORANT’s anti-cheat service. According to player reports, you may see the error if you install a third-party program (especially one that’s pirated) that conflicts with Vanguard’s policy. 

As a first step, try rebooting your PC as the error message suggests. But if that doesn’t help, here’s how to fix the error.

How to fix “something unusual has happened” error in VALORANT

Run VALORANT as administrator

If restarting your PC doesn’t work, this is a simple alternative fix. Right-click on the VALORANT executable file or icon and go to Properties. Go to the Compatibility tab, and then, under Settings, check the box beside Run this program as an administrator. Click on Apply and then OK. Try launching the game now.

Update system software

To prevent anti-cheat conflicts and errors, make sure Windows is updated to the latest version. You can manually check system updates in the Settings app and Windows Update. 

This error may occur if you’re trying to play VALORANT on a pirated version of Windows. We recommend switching to legal software to fix it, but if this isn’t an option, move on to the next workaround.

Use the Registry Editor workaround (PC only)

This one’s a bit complicated, but it has worked for several VALORANT players struggling with the “something unusual has happened” error. Just follow these steps:

1. Open Windows search bar and type “regedit.” Open the Registry Editor app that pops up.
2. Now, paste the following address in the text box below the File menu bar: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options.
3. Here, double-click to open the DevOverrideEnable option. If the value is one, change it to zero. Save and exit.
4. Restart your PC and then try to launch VALORANT.

If you don’t see the DevOverrideEnable option, you can create it yourself:

1. Right-click in the white space under Image File Execution Options, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it DevOverrideEnable.
2. Now, set its value to zero, save, and exit.
3. Restart your PC.

Reinstall VALORANT and Windows

Uninstall both the game and the launcher and download fresh copies. If this doesn’t help, try reinstalling Windows. As annoying and time-consuming as they are, these are potenfixes you may want to try.

Contact support

If none of the above workarounds help, your best bet is to contact Riot Support for further help.