Riot Games has released an Account Penalties and Enforcement FAQ to clarify common questions regarding smurfing, boosting, purchased or botted accounts, and account sharing. These updates aim to ensure fair play and maintain competitive integrity in League of Legends. Source: League of Legends
Timing of enforcement actions
Riot has outlined when penalties take effect for different infractions:
- Purchased and botted accounts – penalties started September 9, 2025 (Patch 25.18), retroactive where possible.
- Account sharing – also effective September 9, 2025 (Patch 25.18).
- Smurfing (boosting and hitchhiking) – bans rolled out in waves starting Patch 25.18 for 2025 behavior.
- Account and penalty linking – set to begin November 19, 2025 (Patch 25.23).
Key definitions
- Intentional deranking – deliberately playing below skill level to lower rank/MMR.
- Hitchhiking – queuing with another account, often a booster, to be carried.
- Boosting – playing on an account not your own, or duo queuing to increase the other’s MMR.
- Ranked manipulation – includes boosting, deranking, or using accounts to artificially push rank.
- Purchased and botted accounts – accounts created or used by someone other than the main player.
- Account sharing – allowing another individual to use your account.
- Account linking – connecting multiple accounts of the same player.
- Penalty linking – applying penalties across linked accounts to prevent evasion.
- Bans, suspensions, restrictions – bans/suspensions prevent access, restrictions limit account features temporarily.
Account and penalty linking
- All penalties including queue delays, suspensions, bans, and chat restrictions will apply across linked accounts.
- Main accounts purchased long ago with good behavior are generally safe, but frequently rotated accounts may be banned proportionally.
- Regions like Korea with unique identification systems follow local policies for account linking.
Smurfing, boosting, and ranked manipulation
- Accounts meeting strict parameters for smurfing and boosting are automatically banned.
- False positives are rare; players who believe they were wrongfully banned should contact Player Support.
- Boosting is determined by MMR shifts rather than visual rank.
- Playing legitimately from Iron to Challenger is allowed; intentional deranking for placements is prohibited.
- Duos with friends on alts in Ranked are considered boosting and prohibited; normal or other queues are unaffected.
- Pros and streamers are treated equally; no exceptions are granted for creating smurf accounts.
- Penalties for smurfing/boosting escalate: first offense 3-day ban, second offense 14-day ban, third offense permanent ban. Additional sanctions include Honor reduction and Ranked reward exclusion.
Account sharing
- Riot evaluates more than IP addresses to detect account sharing.
- Occasional shared games (e.g., TFT or one-time use) usually do not trigger penalties.
- Sharing for boosting or ranked manipulation leads to suspensions and loss of rewards.
- Using a friend’s old account as your main is risky if ranked manipulation occurs.
Purchased and botted accounts
- Buying or using botted accounts is against Riot’s Terms of Service.
- Legitimate main accounts that were purchased years ago are generally safe if used responsibly.
- Frequent use of purchased or botted accounts increases the likelihood of penalties.
Legitimate alt accounts
- Players may maintain multiple accounts if they are hand-leveled, not shared, and not used for ranked manipulation.
- Placement errors or using alts for non-ranked modes like ARAM or TFT do not count as smurfing.
Reporting
- Players can report suspected smurfing or purchased accounts using the Ranked Manipulation category.
- Riot currently does not plan to reintroduce the Tribunal system due to scalability and fairness concerns.
Riot emphasizes that these updates aim to protect the integrity of League of Legends, making games fair and enjoyable while ensuring repeat offenders are penalized appropriately.
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