You made a new account. You never cheated on it. You launched the game and got banned anyway, or kicked with an error you've never seen. That is the classic sign of an HWID ban: a ban on your computer, not just your account.
This guide explains what a hardware ID ban is, how anti-cheat builds your hardware fingerprint, how to tell an HWID ban from a normal account ban, how each major game handles them in 2026, and what actually fixes one.
What Is an HWID Ban?
HWID stands for hardware ID. Every PC carries serial numbers and identifiers in its parts: the motherboard, storage drives, network adapter, graphics card and more. Anti-cheat combines these into a fingerprint of your machine.
A normal ban blocks an account. An HWID ban blocks the machine. Any account you play on from that PC, new or old, can be flagged, because the fingerprint matches a banned one.
Riot Games is one of the few publishers that documents this openly. Its support site describes HWID bans as more serious than normal account bans and says they're used when a player is flagged for things like third-party tools or cheating. Riot also says that reinstalling the game or deleting the account won't remove an HWID ban, and that accounts found on banned hardware are banned as well.
What's in Your Hardware Fingerprint
| Identifier | Where It Comes From | Changes If You Reinstall Windows? |
|---|---|---|
| SMBIOS / motherboard | Board serial, system UUID, BIOS info | No |
| Disk serials | SSD and HDD identifiers from the drive controller | No |
| MAC address | Network adapter | No |
| GPU identifiers | Graphics card | No |
| TPM | Trusted Platform Module, built into many CPUs and boards | No |
| Traces | Files, registry entries and logs left by earlier sessions | Mostly, but leftovers can survive |
That table is why the usual fixes fail. Reinstalling Windows, swapping one drive or using a VPN leaves most of the fingerprint unchanged.
HWID Ban or Account Ban? How to Tell
Account ban
Only the banned account is affected. A brand new account plays normally on the same PC. The ban notice or email names your account.
HWID ban
A brand new account with a new email gets banned, kicked or blocked within its first sessions on your PC, even though it did nothing wrong. The same new account works fine on a different PC.
Don't burn a good account testing. If you suspect an HWID ban, assume it is one and fix the hardware side first. Logging a clean account into a banned PC can get that account flagged too.
HWID Bans by Game in 2026
Valorant (Riot Vanguard)
Riot officially uses HWID bans and documents them. Banned hardware typically shows the VAN 152 error at login. Vanguard runs at kernel level from boot and, on Windows 11, requires TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, which makes it the strictest case. See our Valorant HWID spoofer guide.
Rust (Easy Anti-Cheat)
A Rust EAC ban appears as a game ban on your Steam profile, and players widely report that Rust bans follow the hardware, so a fresh Steam account on the same PC gets caught. More in our best Rust spoofer guide.
Fortnite (Easy Anti-Cheat)
Epic documents account, matchmaking and competitive bans, but not hardware bans. Players report new accounts getting flagged on banned PCs, which is the HWID pattern. Our Fortnite ban screen guide breaks down every Fortnite ban type.
Apex Legends (Easy Anti-Cheat)
Apex runs EAC with the same hardware fingerprinting as other EAC games. See the Apex spoofer guide.
R6 Siege (BattlEye)
BattlEye also reads hardware identifiers, and players report new accounts being banned on flagged machines. See the R6 Siege spoofer guide.
PUBG (BattlEye plus Krafton's own system)
Krafton confirmed hardware bans for PUBG PC years ago and has kept tightening enforcement. Its 2026 anti-cheat roadmap focuses on repeat offenders who come back on new or compromised accounts and promises stronger hardware-based restrictions. See our PUBG spoofer guide.
How Long Does an HWID Ban Last?
It depends on the publisher, and most don't publish exact lengths for hardware bans. Riot says an HWID-banned player can't create, access or use any Riot account for the duration of the ban, and that for the most serious cases, such as threats of harm, it won't consider lifting it. In practice, treat an HWID ban as long-term unless the publisher tells you otherwise.
What Doesn't Fix an HWID Ban
- Reinstalling Windows. Your hardware serials don't change.
- A new account or email on its own. The PC is still flagged.
- A VPN. HWID bans aren't tied to your IP.
- Swapping one part. The rest of the fingerprint still matches.
- Free or usermode spoofers. Kernel anti-cheat reads past them, and many free tools carry malware.
What Does Fix One
- Appeal first if it was a mistake. Shared or second-hand PCs, a hacked account or a false positive are what appeals exist for.
- Use a kernel-level HWID spoofer that covers SMBIOS, disks, MAC and GPU, so the fingerprint no longer matches.
- Clean traces left by earlier sessions so nothing links the new identity to the old one.
- Start fresh with a new account and email that were never used on the banned hardware.
Not sure whether you need a permanent or temporary spoofer? Read our permanent vs temporary HWID spoofer guide. For setup, follow the beginner's HWID spoofer setup guide.
Hardware Banned? TATEWARE HWID Spoofer
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Get the SpooferFrequently Asked Questions
What is an HWID ban?
It's a ban on your computer's hardware identity instead of only your account. Any account used on that PC can be flagged because the hardware fingerprint matches a banned one.
Does reinstalling Windows remove an HWID ban?
No. Hardware serial numbers for the motherboard, drives, network adapter and GPU stay the same after a reinstall. Riot also states that reinstalling the game won't remove its HWID bans.
Can an HWID ban affect other games?
Usually a ban applies to the game or publisher that issued it. But many games share the same anti-cheat, so traces and flags from one ban can make other games on that PC riskier.
How do I know if my PC is HWID banned?
If a brand new, clean account gets banned or blocked on your PC but works on another one, your hardware is flagged. In Valorant, the VAN 152 error is the typical sign.
Related guides: Does Apex Legends HWID ban? · How to check your HWID
HWID spoofer guides by game: Fortnite · Apex Legends · Rust · R6 Siege · PUBG · Valorant · Escape from Tarkov · DayZ · ARK · Squad · Elden Ring · Halo Infinite · Palworld · Naraka: Bladepoint
Bottom Line
An HWID ban targets your machine, not your account, which is why new accounts, Windows reinstalls and VPNs don't help. Confirm which ban you have, appeal if it was a mistake, and if your hardware is flagged, fix the fingerprint with a kernel-level spoofer and full trace cleaning before you start fresh.
Need help working out what kind of ban you have? Ask in the TATEWARE Discord.