Riot Games Outage: Is the Service Down or Is It Just You?
If League of Legends, Valorant or Teamfight Tactics suddenly won’t load, you’re probably wondering whether this is a genuine Riot Games outage or a problem on your end. You’re not alone. Thousands of UK players run into login errors, patch failures and server disconnects every week, and most of the time there’s a simple explanation. This page helps you work out what’s going on and gives you practical steps to try before you need to contact Riot Games support.
At the top of this page, you’ll find live outage reports submitted by other UK players. If you’re seeing a spike in reports, it’s likely a wider fault rather than something specific to your set-up.
Is Riot Games Down Right Now?
Before you start troubleshooting, check the reports above to see if others are experiencing the same issue. A genuine service outage usually affects logins, matchmaking or the Riot Client across the board, not just one feature or one game mode.
Common signs of a wider problem include:
- The Riot Client won’t launch or gets stuck on “connecting”
- You can log in but can’t queue for a match
- Chat, the shop or the client news feed fail to load
- Multiple games (League of Legends, Valorant, TFT) are affected at once
If only you seem affected while other players report no issues, the fault is more likely local, meaning your connection, your PC or your account settings.
Riot Games Not Working: What to Try First
Most login and connection problems can be fixed without any help from support. Work through this checklist in order before assuming there’s a server-side fault.
- Restart the Riot Client completely, including via Task Manager if it’s frozen
- Check your broadband connection and restart your router if needed
- Confirm your game and client are fully updated to the latest patch
- Temporarily disable VPNs, as these can trigger regional login blocks
- Run the Riot Client as administrator on Windows
- Clear the client’s cache or reinstall it if problems persist
If the Riot Client works fine but only one game won’t launch, the fault usually sits with that specific game’s files rather than your whole account or connection.
Frequent Faults and How to Fix Them
| Fault | Likely Cause | Suggested Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Riot Client stuck on loading screen | Corrupted client cache or background update failure | Close via Task Manager, restart, allow full update to complete |
| Can’t log in, password rejected | Incorrect credentials or account security flag | Reset your password through the official Riot account portal |
| Long queue times or matchmaking failure | Regional server congestion | Wait and retry, or check reports for a known regional outage |
| Game crashes mid-match | Outdated graphics drivers or corrupted game files | Update GPU drivers and run the client’s repair tool |
| Voice chat not connecting | Firewall or antivirus blocking ports | Allow Riot Client and the game through your firewall settings |
Common Error Codes and Solutions
| Error Code | Meaning | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|
| Error 003 / 004 | Client can’t reach Riot’s servers | Check your internet connection, then restart the Riot Client |
| Error 900 | Client connectivity issue, often after an update | Fully close the client and relaunch, allowing any pending update to install |
| VAN 9 / VAN 44 (Valorant) | Riot Vanguard anti-cheat driver not running correctly | Restart your PC, as Vanguard requires a driver that loads at boot |
| VAN 68 (Valorant) | Vanguard service conflict, often after a Windows update | Restart Vanguard through Task Manager or restart your PC |
When to Contact Riot Games Customer Support
If you’ve worked through the steps above and the problem still hasn’t cleared, it’s worth reaching out directly. This is especially true if your account is locked, you suspect unauthorised access, or an error message isn’t listed here.
You can raise a ticket or check known issues through the official Riot Games support site, where Riot publishes updates on ongoing server problems and maintenance windows affecting UK and EU players.
Before contacting support, it helps to have a few details ready:
- Your region (EUW for most UK players)
- The exact error code or message you’re seeing
- Which game and platform you’re playing on
- Roughly when the fault started
Keep an Eye on Reports Above
Outages affecting Riot Games are usually resolved within a few hours, particularly during known maintenance periods. Checking the live reports at the top of this page, alongside the fixes here, is the fastest way to work out whether you need to wait it out or take action yourself.
Bookmark this page and check back whenever League of Legends, Valorant or Teamfight Tactics isn’t working as expected. It’s a quick way to confirm what’s happening before you spend time troubleshooting something that might already be on Riot’s radar.
