6 Ways to Fix the Valorant Black Screen Error on Windows PCs

The Valorant black screen error is a widely reported startup issue. When this issue occurs, Valorant gets stuck on a black screen during the game’s startup. One player’s Reddit post described that issue like this: “Every time I launch Valorant, the program is just a black screen. It plays the menu sounds, but the screen is just black, and my mouse cursor is just blinking.” The game doesn’t start when it gets stuck on a black screen. This is how you can fix the Valorant black screen issue on a Windows PC.

Read also: 8 Ways to Fix Valorant Not Launching on a Windows PC

Switch Valorant’s Display Mode to Windowed Mode

Changing the game’s display mode to windowed is a widely cited way to fix the Valorant black screen error. You can do that by starting Valorant and pressing the Alt + Enter hotkey or F11 when the screen goes black. Then be prepared to wait a few minutes to see if the black screen disappears and the game starts.

If this works, proceed to permanently set the windowed fullscreen. Select Settings and the Video tab within Valorant. Click Windowed Fullscreen on the Display Mode drop-down menu to set that option.

Enable and Start the Vgc Service

Vgc is a Riot Vanguard service that needs to be enabled and running for Valorant to launch. Many players have said enabling and running that service resolved the Valorant black screen issue on their PCs. This is how you can enable and start the vgc service.

1. Press the magnifying glass button or click in the search box on your Windows 11/10 taskbar.
2. Type in a services.msc search keyword to find the matching app.
3. Click Services to start that app.
4. Double-click on the listed vgc service.
5. Select the Automatic startup option on the drop-down menu if the vgc service is set differently.
   
   

   The Automatic Startup type option

6. Click on Start in the vgc Properties window to run the service.
7. Press Apply to save the new vgc settings.
8. To exit the vgc Properties window, click on the OK button.

Set New Compatibility Settings for Valorant

Setting Valorant to run as an administrator with fullscreen optimizations disabled is worth a try. Then the game will have full system access with fullscreen optimization turned off. You set those new compatibility settings for Valorant like this.

1. Right-click on the Valorant desktop shortcut you start the game with to select Properties.
2. Click on Compatibility inside the properties window.
3. Next, click Run this program as an administrator to add a tick to that checkbox.
   
   

   The Compatibility tab

4. Select Disable fullscreen optimizations to set that option.
5. To save the new compatibility settings, press the window’s Apply and OK button.

Add a New Environment Variable

Players confirm adding a new system environment variable can fix the Valorant black screen error and other startup issues for that game. This resolution sets a new OPENSSL_ia32cap environment variable, which addresses an Intel OpenSSL crash bug that causes gaming issues. You can add that new environment variable like this.

1. Bring up the file and app Windows search tool.
2. Enter Edit the system environment variables inside the search tool.
3. Click the Edit the system environment variables search result.
4. Press the Environment Variables button.
   
   

   The Environment Variables button

5. Click the New option for System variables.
6. Next, input OPENSSL_ia32cap into the Variable name box.
7. Enter ~0x200000200000000 in the Variable value box.
   
   

   The New System Variable window

8. Click OK in the New System Variable window.
9. Select OK to exit the Environment Variables.

Set Riot Client Services to Run With a Higher Priority

1. Activate Task Manager with that tool’s Ctrl + Shift + Esc keyboard shortcut and go to the Details tab.
2. Right-click on the RiotClientServices.exe in the Details tab and select Set priority.
3. Next, select the High or Above Normal priority option.
   
   

   The Set priority option

4. Select Change priorityto confirm.

Install a New Graphics Card Driver

An old or faulty graphics driver could be causing a black screen display issue on your PC. Installing the latest driver for your PC’s GPU (graphical processing unit) will address such a possible cause. These are the steps for manually updating an NVIDIA or AMD graphics card driver.

1. If you need to check your PC’s graphics card details, press the Windows logo keyboard key + R, input a dxdiag Run command, and click on OK. This will bring up the DirectX Diagnostic Tool where you can view graphics card details by clicking on the Display tab.
   
   

   The Display tab in the DirectX Diagnostic Tool

2. Start the Edge web browser and to go the AMD or NVIDIA driver download webpage.
3. Select your PC’s Windows platform and graphics card model and click Submit or Search.
   
   

   The NVIDIA driver selection page

4.  Click on the Download option for the latest NVIDIA or AMD driver
   
   

   The Download button for a NVIDIA driver

5. Press Ctrl + J to view downloaded files in Edge.
6. Click the driver package file to open its installer.
7. Go through the installer and select the option for installing the graphics card driver.

Other Possible Ways to Fix the Valorant Black Screen Startup Issue

There are other ways you might be able to fix the Valorant black screen issue beyond the potential solutions above. These additional troubleshooting methods could work for some users:

• If you’ve applied processor or graphics card overclocking, undo the overclocking by restoring your PC to its system defaults.
• Disable or uninstall the Razer Cortex software.
• Select the Repair option for Valorant within the Riot Games client software.
• Set Valorant to run with your PC’s dedicated NVIDIA or AMD graphics cards if your PC has two GPUs.

The resolutions in this guide are widely confirmed to fix the Valorant black screen error on Windows PCs. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to work for everybody, but one will probably get that gaming issue sorted on your PC. If not, I recommend contacting Valorant’s help service about the issue by clicking Submit a Ticket on this Riot Games page.