Used AMD Processor Leads to Riot Games Ban After Previous Owner Cheated
Used AMD chip tied to prior cheating reportedly blocks new owner from Riot games, including Valorant.
The case, described in a Reddit account, shows how second-hand PC hardware can carry consequences beyond its physical condition. According to the report, the processor is on an internal blacklist. When installed in the new owner's PC, the blacklist apparently affected not only the CPU but also other components such as the mainboard.
Riot support does not manually remove such entries, according to the report. That means the new owner cannot simply appeal to have the hardware cleared. The affected games include Valorant and other Riot titles: League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, Legends of Runeterra and 2XKO, with future titles also likely to be affected, the report said.
The ban is linked to Riot's Vanguard anti-cheat system. Vanguard has traditionally run deep in the Windows kernel and started with the PC. A June 2026 update allows it to launch with a game if security features such as TPM and Secure Boot are enabled, according to the report.
It remains unclear how Riot uniquely identifies processors. The report said possible methods include hardware fingerprinting based on chip behavior or storing identification hashes in the Trusted Platform Module, which Vanguard accesses in the newer mode.
The report highlights a risk for people buying used components for a gaming PC. It is not only a question of whether the parts still work, but also what the previous owner did with them. In this case, a cheating ban tied to one used CPU followed the hardware into a new system and blocked access to multiple online games.