If your problem sounds like this, you're in the right place:

  • VAN: RESTRICTION: 3 - Boot Device Verification Failure.
  • What does VAN: RESTRICTION: 3 mean?
  • I can't launch my game because of VAN: RESTRICTION: 3.

Resolution

Before You Start

This article is for VAN: RESTRICTION: 3. If your error message shows a different VAN: RESTRICTION error, use the matching article instead:

VAN: RESTRICTION: 3 means Vanguard couldn't verify your game from the drive where it's installed. This can happen if your game is installed on an external USB drive, a secondary internal drive, or a different drive than Windows.

Vanguard needs to validate your game from the same internal drive where Windows is installed.

  1. Identify your Windows drive. Knowing where Windows is installed tells you where your game needs to be installed for Vanguard to verify it.

    Not sure where Windows is installed?
    1. Open File Explorer.
    2. Select This PC.
    3. Find the drive where Windows is installed. For most players, this is the C:\ drive.
    4. To confirm, open the drive and check that it contains the Windows folder.
  2. Reinstall your game on the same internal drive as Windows. Installing your game on an external USB drive or a different internal drive can prevent Vanguard from validating it correctly. Follow our guide to uninstall and reinstall your game, and choose the same internal drive where Windows is installed.

After reinstalling your game, restart your PC and try launching your game again.

Still having issues?

If your game is installed on the same internal drive as Windows and you still see the restriction, submit a ticket to Player Support. Make sure you attach your logs so we can take a closer look.