Riot Games has announced major updates to reduce smurfing, boosting, and griefing in League of Legends while improving protections for streamers and content creators. Source: https://www.leagueoflegends.com
Smurfing and botted accounts crackdown
Earlier this year, Riot began issuing LP refunds for games affected by cheaters through Vanguard in patch 25.6, followed by improvements to detection systems in 25.9 that increased daily bans for inters and griefers tenfold. The Behavioral Systems team continues refining these tools based on in-game data and player feedback.
Patch 25.18, released on September 9th, expanded enforcement against smurfing, boosting, hitchhiking, and botted or shared accounts. Riot has banned over 400,000 accounts used in Ranked, 1.5 million botted or sold accounts, and 2.5 million pending sale accounts, with more expected in the coming months.
Riot emphasizes that players who purchased botted accounts a long time ago but played responsibly will not be unfairly banned. This update serves as a final warning: purchasing, selling, or sharing accounts will result in enforcement going forward.
Account linking coming in patch 25.23
To make penalties more effective, Riot is introducing account linking, connecting alt accounts to a player’s main account. When a linked account receives a penalty, it will also apply to other accounts tied to the same player, preventing users from avoiding consequences by hopping between alts.
Riot is taking care to ensure high accuracy in linking accounts before enforcing penalties. Cases in regions with unique ID verification systems, such as Korea, will follow local policies.
Streamer mode improvements in patch 25.20
The upgraded streamer mode adds three anonymity levels:
- Hide Other Names – hides other players’ names on your screen only.
- Hide My Name – hides your Riot ID and Game Name from all players while keeping account progression visible.
- Hide My Everything – hides Riot ID, Game Name, and all account progression in champ select, in-game, and third-party apps.
This update aims to protect pros, streamers, and content creators from griefing, lane camping, and unwanted attention while allowing fans to enjoy fair gameplay.
Ongoing improvements
Riot notes that work in this space is ongoing, with continual refinements to behavioral detection, account linking, and streamer protections. Players are encouraged to continue reporting disruptive behavior to maintain a fair and enjoyable experience for all.
These updates mark a major step toward fairer games and safer environments for both casual players and content creators alike.
For more details, check out the official dev blog
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