Valorant doesn’t seem to play nice with certain computers. If you’re here, you’ve probably encountered the couldn’t install required dependency error. This message appears when Riot Vanguard encounters a problem, but the message doesn’t say what you should do about it. Fortunately, we know how to fix the missing dependencies error in a few simple steps.
Valorant | Couldn’t Install Required Dependency Fix
The message saying “We couldn’t install a required dependency” indicates a problem with Riot Vanguard, Valorant’s anti-cheat system. To fix it, you need to uninstall and reinstall both Valorant and Riot Vanguard.
This fix is very simple. Here’s how to fix the missing dependencies error in Valorant:
- Open the Windows Start menu, then type “Add or remove programs”
- In the Settings dialog box, click on Riot Vanguard, then click Uninstall
- Follow the prompts to complete the uninstall procedure
- Return to the Settings dialog box, click on Valorant, then click Uninstall
- Follow the prompts to remove Valorant. You may need to restart your computer afterward
- Download and install Valorant again. The game client will reinstall Vanguard for you
After the game and Vanguard have been uninstalled and then reinstalled, the missing dependencies error will disappear. Easy, right?
Heyo, so in order to fix this, you'll have to do an uninstall of VALORANT and Riot Vanguard. You can do so by following the steps here: https://t.co/9ZeRZhntTA ~dArt
— Riot Games Support (@RiotSupport) April 8, 2020
Well, not exactly. There are some specific instances where reinstalling Vanguard will not remove the missing dependencies error. More often than not, the error will appear when users are running outdated versions of Windows (such as Windows 7) or pirated versions of the operating system.
If you’re still running Windows 7, you need to make sure you have all of the latest Windows updates installed. Vanguard roots itself deeply into Windows, and it won’t work with out-of-date versions of an unsupported operating system. Run Windows update, then try to reinstall everything again.
If you’re running a pirated or illegal copy of Windows, well, you should know better. Chances are good you disabled automatic updates to keep your OS usable, which is why Vanguard has become unstable. You should consider purchasing a proper license if you want to keep playing Valorant.
