NOTE: If you’re looking for info about account permabans, head over here. HWID bans are a different thing!
What are HWID bans?
HWID bans are different—and more serious—than normal account bans. A hardware ID ban is a drastic step we take against players who've consistently chosen not to adhere to our Community Pact or to abide by our terms of service. When we determine a player should receive an HWID ban, it's effectively a statement that we don't want that particular person to create, access, or use any account on a Riot platform or game for the duration of the ban.
An HWID ban is also a message to players who play Riot's games publicly, via streaming or otherwise. Getting a hardware ID ban means you aren't allowed to play the game publicly.
HWID bans generally result after one of the following things happen:
- A player shows extreme aggression in chat and/or intentionally feeds across many permanently banned accounts.
- A player makes a verifiable threat of harm against other players or Rioters.
- A player is flagged for using third-party tools (scripting or cheating).
What happens when a player receives an HWID ban?
Game access will be restricted, and any login attempt will result in a VAN 152 error code. Whenever an HWID ban is active, we'll regularly search for Riot account activity on the part of the banned player. If any accounts are found, they will be immediately, manually banned. The behavior of the HWID-banned player on these accounts is not taken into consideration—if you've been HWID-banned it means we'll suspend you on sight.
However, if a player received an HWID ban because of a verifiable threat of harm against a player or Rioter, we won't consider lifting it and may even cut off our communication with the affected player entirely. Exceptions to this will only be made in unique circumstances and at our discretion.
Reinstalling a game or deleting the responsible account won't remove an HWID ban.
What if another player logs in on a computer that has an HWID ban?
When a computer has a hardware ID ban, it means that we've banned the physical components of that computer rather than just banning an account. This type of ban aims to prevent the use of that device for accessing the service—in this case, Riot's games—regardless of the account being used.
If another account (a friend's or family member's, for example) is used to log into a game on a computer that has a HWID ban, two things will happen:
- That account will be restricted from accessing Riot Games products on the hardware-banned device.
- That account will be banned for a set period, as the system assumes that the account is attempting to circumvent the original ban.
If you suspect a computer has an HWID ban, it's best not to try to log in with any account.
How can an HWID-banned player get their HWID ban removed?
If a player receives an HWID ban as a result of negative in-game behavior or suspected cheating, it's possible (but never guaranteed) that the ban will be lifted. A few things must happen first:
- Submit a player support request to ask for a re-evaluation of the HWID ban.
- If you have more than one account affected, you should open a different ticket for each so Player Support can look into everything separately.
- We'll investigate the account to review whether the penalty is valid
- We'll then make a final call on whether to lift the ban or extend it.
When a player's HWID ban is lifted, it means that we'll no longer ban their accounts on sight. Any previously banned accounts, however, will remain banned until the HWID period ends.
Because of the seriousness of HWID bans, we'll continue to pay close attention to in-game behavior. If a player lapses back into their old negative behaviors, it's possible that we'll re-apply the HWID-ban.
As a general rule, we don’t discuss the status of HWID-banned players with anyone except the affected players themselves.
