Windows says the launcher has a virus

Windows Security, or another antivirus, can remove the launcher and say it contains a virus or unwanted software. The launcher is not yet signed with a code signing certificate, it is new, and it downloads and starts the game, which is what some unwanted programs do too. So antivirus sometimes flags it without having found anything in it. This is a false positive.

Only ever download RiftArmada from riftarmada.com/download. If you got the launcher or the game from anywhere else, delete it and download it from there instead.

Get the launcher back

1. Open Windows Security from the Start menu, then choose Virus & threat protection.
2. Under Current threats, choose Protection history.
3. Find the entry for the RiftArmada launcher. The file is in your RiftArmada folder, named app.exe or RiftArmadaLauncher.exe.
4. Open it, choose Actions, then Restore. If the entry offers Allow on device instead, choose that. Windows may ask for an administrator account.
5. Start the launcher again. If the file is gone for good, install it again from the download page: your game files stay where they are.

The same steps work if the game itself (RiftArmada.exe, in the game folder inside your RiftArmada folder) is the file Windows removed.

Allow only that one file. Never switch Windows Security off to play.

Windows protected your PC

When you open the installer, SmartScreen may show a blue window that says Windows protected your PC. That is a different thing: it means the file is new to Windows, not that anything was found in it. If you downloaded it from riftarmada.com, choose More info, check that the app is the RiftArmada installer, then choose Run anyway.

Tell us

Open a ticket with the name Windows gave the detection (it is in the Protection history entry) and the file it removed, so we can report the false positive to the antivirus maker.