If you’ve ever been banned in Valorant and wondered whether swapping your mouse or keyboard could get you back in, you’re definitely not the only one asking. Valorant’s anti-cheat system, Vanguard, is pretty tough, and the whole idea of an HWID ban sounds pretty hardcore. But does it really go after your peripherals—like your gaming mouse, keyboard, or headset—or is it focused only on your computer’s main hardware parts?
Let's sort out how Valorant's HWID bans work, what hardware they actually track, and the truth behind the rumors about peripherals getting banned. Plus, I’ll share what real players have experienced, so you know what you’re dealing with if you ever face an HWID ban.
What Is a Valorant HWID Ban Anyway?
HWID stands for Hardware Identification. When Valorant hands out an HWID ban, it’s not just locking your account. It’s tying the ban to the unique IDs found in your computer’s hardware. This means creating a new account won’t help because the ban detects your whole machine.
Think of it like this: a regular account ban stops you from playing with a particular username, but an HWID ban says, “Nope, this entire computer is blocked.” Even if you open a fresh account, it won’t get you past the ban.
These types of bans are designed to be much harder to get around. It’s not just about deleting files or reinstalling Windows. You need to change parts inside your PC to get past an HWID ban.
How Does Vanguard Spot Your Hardware?
Riot’s Vanguard isn’t just a normal anti-cheat software—it’s a kernel-level system. That means it runs at the most basic level of your PC’s operating system, starting as soon as your machine boots. It has deep access to your hardware info and system processes, letting it catch cheats that try to stay invisible.
Here’s a look at what Vanguard checks:
- Motherboard IDs: The motherboard usually holds unique serial numbers. These are the main thing Vanguard looks at when issuing an HWID ban.
- CPU Identifiers: Your processor also has unique platform IDs that Vanguard can detect.
- GPU (Graphics Card) Info: Sometimes monitored, though not as commonly locked for bans.
- Storage Devices: Occasionally checked but less important.
- Network Interface Cards (NIC) and MAC Addresses: Vanguard can check these, but since MAC addresses can be changed (spoofed), they’re less reliable for permanent bans.
The important point is that these pieces of hardware have baked-in IDs that can’t just be wiped out by resetting software or reinstalling your system.
So, Does Valorant Ban Your Mouse, Keyboard, or Other Peripherals?
This is the big question lots of players have: are gaming peripherals part of an HWID ban? The short answer is, usually not.
What Are Peripherals?
These are external devices connected to your computer—your mouse, keyboard, headset, controllers, even monitors or sound cards. Most connect via USB or Bluetooth and work through the operating system’s standard drivers.
Why Peripherals Usually Don’t Get Banned
There are a few important reasons:
- Peripherals Usually Lack Persistent Unique IDs That Matter: Unlike motherboards or CPUs, most mice and keyboards don’t broadcast fixed, unique serial numbers that an anti-cheat system can reliably use to identify a device. Some fancy gear might have serial numbers, but reading those would require special permissions, and it’s not common practice.
- They’re Designed to be Swapped Easily: People change or upgrade their peripherals all the time. If Vanguard banned peripherals, banned players could just buy a new mouse to get around it. Riot likely avoids that because it’d punish everyone who just needs to replace broken gear.
- Privacy and Technical Limits: Digging into peripheral serial numbers could raise privacy issues or cause system instability. So anti-cheat systems generally keep their focus on the internal components that are harder to spoof or change.
What Do Actual Players Say?
If you look at forums, gaming communities, and discussions across Reddit and other sites where banned players share stories, they mostly agree: swapping your mouse, keyboard, or headset doesn’t do a thing once you’re HWID banned.
What does work? Replacing key internal parts—most often the motherboard and sometimes the CPU. That matches what Vanguard’s design suggests and what Riot has officially implied.
Changing network cards or storage devices might have some effect, but usually, it’s the motherboard and CPU that really matter.
Why Does Riot Focus on Internal Hardware?
Valorant’s HWID bans work because of how deeply Vanguard scans your PC. Running at the kernel level means it can safely and accurately read unique hardware IDs that are welded into your main components.
Motherboards and CPUs come with factory-assigned serial numbers and hardware identifiers. These don’t change unless you physically swap out the parts. That gives Vanguard a solid way to say, “This machine is banned,” no matter what account you use.
And because this happens at boot, Vanguard sees everything before the game even starts, making it harder to sneak past.
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The ban is also enforced on Riot’s servers, so even if you reinstall Windows or change software details, the server still sees your hardware ID and keeps the block in place.
This all adds up to bans that last a long time—even indefinitely—until you change hardware.
What Happens If You Get HWID Banned in Valorant?
If you’re unlucky enough to run into an HWID ban, here’s what typically happens:
- You can’t log in to Valorant from that machine, no matter how many accounts you make.
- Changing your mouse or keyboard, unplugging devices, or reinstalling the game won’t help.
- You need to replace core hardware parts—most commonly your motherboard and sometimes your CPU—to hope to access Valorant again.
- You can appeal the ban, but Riot rarely reverses HWID bans unless there’s concrete proof of a mistake. Learn more about hwid ban frequently asked questions.
Honestly, it’s a rough spot for anyone banned, because hardware upgrades aren’t cheap or easy.
Could Valorant start banning Peripherals?
As anti-cheat tech evolves, some wonder if Vanguard or other systems might start banning peripherals too.
On the tech side, it’s possible to read serial numbers or unique fingerprints from peripherals—but doing that across all kinds of devices, without invading privacy or breaking systems, is tricky. Plus, banning peripherals could unfairly punish people who just want to swap a busted mouse or upgrade their keyboard.
For now, Riot seems to prefer sticking with internal hardware identifiers because they’re reliable, stable, and hard to fake.
Why Understanding This Matters for Gamers
Knowing that your mouse or keyboard won’t get you banned helps you avoid wasting money. If you’ve been HWID banned, buying expensive gaming gear won’t do anything. The fix, if you want to find a way around the ban, is in the PC’s guts—the motherboard and CPU.
Also, this gives gamers a clearer picture of how serious Riot is about catching cheaters. They go after the hardware that's difficult to change or fake, keeping the playing field fair without overreaching.
If you’re someone who cheats and then hopes a quick mouse or keyboard swap saves you, it won’t.
The Bottom Line
Valorant’s HWID ban system focuses on your computer’s core hardware—like the motherboard and CPU—not on external peripherals. Gaming mice, keyboards, headsets, and other plugged-in devices don’t get blacklisted by Vanguard.
So, if you’re banned, swapping your peripherals alone isn’t going to help. You’ll need to make bigger hardware changes or risk being locked out indefinitely.
In a way, that’s good. It keeps things fair for most players by only targeting parts that are really connected to your machine, rather than punishing people who simply upgrade or replace gear as they normally would.
Understanding this helps you make better decisions, whether you’re trying to avoid getting banned or figuring out how to handle a ban if it happens.
If you’re looking for tools that help keep you safe from bans, like HWID spoofers, it pays to understand what gets tracked and what doesn’t. It’s about knowing where the system catches you and where you might find some breathing room.
Playing smart means playing informed. That’s always the best way to keep enjoying Valorant without getting locked out.