Riot Client

ApplicationRiot Games

Also called riot launcher, riot games client

Riot GamesGames

Launcher for League of Legends, Valorant, Teamfight Tactics, and other Riot titles. The process is RiotClientServices.exe. It is not Steam.

What you need to know

Riot Client starts League and Valorant. It is not a general store.

RiotClientServices.exe is Riot’s 2020 front door. Vanguard is the Valorant anti-cheat. Warcraft, Fortnite, and Assassin’s Creed do not live here.

What is it?: Launcher for League, Valorant, and other Riot titles
Is it a store like Steam?: No. It only launches Riot games
Vanguard?: Valorant’s anti-cheat. Not the League patcher

Feex says

If League will not patch, I would open RiotClientServices.exe, not Steam and not Battle.net. If Valorant refuses to start, I would look at Vanguard next, not upc.exe.

What is Riot Client?

Riot Client is Riot Games’ Windows launcher. RiotClientServices.exe signs in, then starts LeagueClient.exe or VALORANT.exe. It does not sell Assassin’s Creed or Warcraft.

If you have never used it

If you play League, Valorant, TFT, or another Riot title, this is the 2020 unified launcher. Download it from Riot’s site, not from a “LoL setup” ad. Sign in with a Riot account. It is not Steam. League’s supported PC path is this client. Valorant also installs Vanguard, Riot’s kernel anti-cheat. Epic, EA, Ubisoft, and Battle.net do not start League. This is not a general store.

What is it used for?

League, TFT, and Riot IDs

Patch and launch League-family titles. Battle.net will not patch League. Steam is optional later, not the historic path.

Valorant plus Vanguard

Valorant requires Riot’s Vanguard anti-cheat. No other launcher in this batch installs that kernel driver as part of the product story.

Riot store, not a third-party shop

Skins and battle passes stay on the Riot account. This is not Epic’s weekly free claim window.

Who is it for?

League and TFT players
Valorant players who also have Vanguard installed
Anyone who should not download a League installer from a search ad

Current status

Riot Client (2020) is a current publisher launcher from Riot Games. The vendor still points Windows users at https://www.riotgames.com/.

How old is it?

League shipped for years with its own patcher. Riot Client unified that front door in 2020. Valorant (2020) brought Vanguard. The stack is new next to Battle.net 1996 and Steam 2003. A 2014 “repair the League patcher” guide may predate this exe name.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Riot Client

Legacy League patcher

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per Riot’s title notes. Valorant’s Vanguard has its own bar
RAM	The launcher is light. Valorant and League want their own RAM

Resource profile

Network demand: Patches and live services
Disk demand: League and Valorant installs are large

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
RiotClientServices.exe	Main Windows executable
LeagueClient.exe	League of Legends client after this launcher starts it
VALORANT.exe	Valorant. Vanguard is a separate anti-cheat stack

Startup components

Riot Client can start with Windows. Vanguard can load at boot when Valorant is installed. That is Riot’s anti-cheat, not a Steam overlay.

File locations

Common Riot Client locations
Typical install	C:\Riot Games\Riot Client\

File formats

Riot manifests

Common problems

Vanguard blocks a boot or another anti-cheat

That is Valorant’s kernel anti-cheat, not League’s old user-mode patcher. Riot documents Vanguard uninstall if you drop Valorant.

Old League patcher leftover

Repair from Riot Client. A 2016 RADS folder guide can be stale.

Getting unstuck

Install from riotgames.com, then pick the title

The unified client is the current path. A third-party “LoL.exe” is bait.

Use Riot’s repair, not Steam verify, for League files

Unless you truly installed a Steam listing, the files belong to Riot Client.

Treat Vanguard as a Valorant component

If the PC fails to boot after a Valorant install, Riot’s Vanguard help is the path. Uninstalling Epic will not remove it.

Alternatives

Steam only if Riot listed a title there later. Battle.net if the game is Warcraft, not League. This client is not a Playnite-style unifier.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	www.riotgames.com/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	support.riotgames.com/ Vendor support
Official site	www.riotgames.com/ Start here, not a random exe host
Valorant support	support-valorant.riotgames.com/ Vanguard and VALORANT.exe issues

Related hardware

The launcher is light. Valorant and League set the GPU bar. Vanguard is an anti-cheat, not a graphics setting.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Riot Client official site · Vendor product page
Riot Client help · Vendor support
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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