League of Legends: Understanding Server Locations, Transfers, and Regional Issues

Understanding Riot Games Servers: Locations and Regions

Riot Games hosts multiple servers around the world to solve the issues of high latency caused by long distances and to avoid language barrier problems. The server locations include:

• São Paulo, Brazil
• Frankfurt, Germany
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Miami, Florida, United States
• Santiago, Chile
• Chicago, Illinois, United States
• Sydney, Australia
• Stockholm, Sweden
• Istanbul, Turkey
• Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Tokyo, Japan
• Seoul, South Korea
• Manila, Philippines
• Singapore
• Taipei, Taiwan
• Bangkok, Thailand
• Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

In addition, the People’s Republic of China (CN) has established servers since 2011, managed by Tencent Game. This setup includes a total of 29 servers, with 19 hosted by China Telecom and 7 by China Unicom. Each server can accommodate up to 650,000 players, some dedicated to different skill levels. The languages supported are Mandarin Chinese and Simplified Mandarin Chinese.

On November 26, 2024, Riot announced that the servers for the Philippines and Thailand would merge with those of Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, forming a Southeast Asia server expected to launch on January 9, 2025.

Riot Games operates League of Legends servers in various regions, including:

• North America (NA) – Chicago, Illinois, United States and Canada
• Latin America North (LAN) – Miami, Florida
• Latin America South (LAS) – Santiago, Chile
• Oceania (OCE) – Sydney, Australia

League of Legends servers are also present in regions such as Brazil (BR), Europe Nordic and East (EUNE), and Europe West (EUW). An account created for a particular region is restricted from logging into the website or game client intended for other regions. To play in a different region, players need to log in with an account linked to that specific region. Each Riot Account is globally unique and connected to a specific League of Legends region.

Although players can access multiple servers through the same launcher, it’s important to note they must patch each server separately. Moreover, Valorant features 7 shards of servers, boasting a total of 33 server locations, including:

• US West (Oregon)
• US West (N. California)
• US East (N. Virginia)
• US Central (Texas)
• US Central (Illinois)
• US Central (Georgia)

Riot Games is headquartered in Los Angeles and operates a total of 23 office locations worldwide.

How to Change Your Server in League of Legends

The most important step in preparing for a League of Legends account transfer is to ensure that your account is in good condition. This means:

• Having no outstanding bans or suspensions.
• Making sure all your personal information is up to date.
• Using your account for at least a month before transferring.
• Having a valid email address associated and verified with your account.

This email will be how Riot Games contacts you during the transfer process, so ensure you’re the only one with access. If everything looks good, you’re ready to begin the transfer process!

Now that you have everything in order, follow these steps to start the transfer:

1. Log into your account in the League of Legends client.
2. Click the store icon.
3. Click the “account” option.
4. The account section will show you available transfers.
5. Select the region you want to transfer to.
6. It will cost you 2600 RP, which is roughly $20.
7. Click submit and you are done.

If you want to see which regions you can transfer to from your current region, please click here.

It is important to note that:

• You cannot transfer to or from the Korean server (KR). This is because each account is tied to a Korean ID.
• You also cannot transfer to or from the Chinese server due to their own client and vast server options, totaling 27 servers.

For another way to transfer, you can:

1. Go to the Store tab within the LoL client.
2. Select the Account section.
3. Choose Transfer to Another Server and follow the instructions to complete your purchase.

Keep in mind that you can transfer your Riot Games account to other regions. The process costs 2,600 RP (around USD $20), and you can only transfer to specific regions based on your region of origin.

Transfers should be near-instantaneous for most accounts. However, accounts with an astronomical amount of RP will have a short waiting period due to a manual review conducted to protect them from any potential malicious behaviors.

League of Legends Regional Restrictions Explained

When it comes to playing League of Legends, the server you choose can greatly impact your gaming experience. Each server is hosted in a different region, and your choice will affect factors such as latency, communication with teammates, and the skill level of players you’ll encounter.

Choosing the right server is crucial for a great gaming experience in League of Legends. The server you select will determine factors like your connection quality, the community you’ll interact with, and the overall difficulty of your matches. Playing on a server that’s geographically closer to you usually results in lower latency, which means more responsive gameplay and fewer connection issues.

League of Legends has multiple server regions, each catering to players from specific parts of the world. The primary languages spoken on these servers vary, with servers like North America (NA) focusing on English, and Latin America North (LAN) primarily using Spanish. Understanding these regional restrictions is important for players wanting to select a server that aligns with their language and community preferences.

In League of Legends, ‘regional server restrictions’ mean that a player can only access and play on the servers geographically closest to their location where their account was created. This limits players from easily switching to different regions without creating a new account, essentially maintaining a balanced competitive environment within each area.

• Key points about regional server restrictions:
• Account-based: Each Riot account is tied to a specific region when created, meaning you can only play on servers within that region with that account.
• Latency optimization: By restricting players to their local servers, the game aims to minimize lag and provide a smoother gameplay experience.
• Competitive balance: Different regions may have varying skill levels, so restricting access helps maintain a fair competitive environment within each region.

To play in a different region, you’ll need to log in on an account associated with that region. If you want to play in a different server, you need to create a new Riot account specifically for that region.

There are two ways you can play League of Legends with players in other countries:

• Create a new Riot Games account in a different region.
• Transfer your existing account to a different region. This option requires a payment and you can only transfer to specific regions based on your account’s region of origin.

Additionally, access to the Chinese Super Server is restricted. Players must achieve a high rank (typically Diamond or above) on the regular Chinese servers to be eligible for an invitation. Furthermore, players must have a valid Chinese ID and a Tencent account to access the Chinese servers.

Is Account Transfer Disabled in LoL?

Account transfers in League of Legends are not disabled but come with certain conditions and limitations.

• You can purchase a transfer for 2600 RP in the store.
• Transfers generally take near-instantaneous for most accounts.
• However, due to a 90-day cooldown, you will have to wait before transferring again after your first transfer.
• Additionally, if there is a transfer promotion, eligible accounts may receive a transfer token that can be used for free; however, it must be utilized within the promotional period.

Currently, account transfers are unavailable while we work on a reported issue.

Furthermore, the transfers will remain disabled until we have a confirmed fix to an issue that impacts account integrity. We are very much aware of the frustration brought on by the situation, but we cannot bring transfers back any earlier than that.

90-Day Cooldown on Server Transfers: Why the Delay?

With Patch 14.18, we have some changes coming to League transfers that you’ll now see when you go through the transfer process. These changes should now be reflected in the Player Support Article.

Account Transfer Changes:

• Account transfers will now have a 90-day cooldown. This means that after a transfer, accounts are only eligible to be transferred again after 90 days.
• To better protect accounts with astronomically high amounts of RP from malicious behaviors, transfers of these accounts must now undergo a player support review before the transfer will complete.

Additionally, the transfers will remain disabled until we have a confirmed fix to an issue that impacts account integrity. While we are very much aware of the frustration brought on by the situation, we cannot bring transfers back any earlier than that.

In summary, after transferring accounts, a 90-day cooldown is applied before you can transfer to another region again.

Some players feel that the 90-day cooldown should be removed or adjusted to 30 or 60 days, arguing that it is just a blanket solution that causes more issues.

Finding Your Region in League of Legends

With League of Legends’ global presence, Riot Games has created numerous server locations to cater to players in different regions! Understanding the various server options and how to swap between them is important for optimizing your gaming experience, as you’ll have lower ping on the one closest to you. This guide will explore all the League of Legends server locations and provide step-by-step instructions on switching between them!

Riot Games has League of Legends servers in the following regions:

• North America (NA) – Server Name: NA1
• Europe West (EUW) – Server Name: EUW1
• Europe Nordic & East (EUNE) – Server Name: EUN1
• Oceania (OCE) – Server Name: OCE/OC1
• Russia (RU) – Server Name: RU1
• Brazil (BR) – Server Name: BR1
• Latin America North (LAN) – Server Name: LA1
• Latin America South (LAS) – Server Name: LA2

Choosing the right League of Legends server is essential for a better gaming experience. By looking at factors like location, language preferences, friend lists, and server population, you’ll be able to select the server that best suits your needs!

To change your server in League of Legends, you’ll need approximately 20 USD/GBP/EURO worth of Riot Points, that is, 2600 RP, for a one-way transfer. Remember, transferring to a new server will reset your ranked progress, friends list, and server-specific data. Additionally, some servers may have transfer restrictions or requirements.

If you’re moving, you can buy an Account Transfer from the in-game store. Here’s a step-by-step guide to initiate the process: Go to the Store tab within the LoL client, select the Account section, and choose Transfer to Another Server and follow the instructions to complete your purchase.

To change your game location in League of Legends without a full Account Transfer, you need two things: a VPN and a new Riot account. The process is simple: connect to a VPN server in the region where you want to play, and create a new Riot account for when you want to play there.

List of League of Legends Regional Servers

Here are all the LoL server locations to give you a heads up of all the available ones!

• Brazil (BR)
• Europe West (EUW)
• Europe Nordic & East (EUNE)
• North America (NA)
• Republic of Korea (KR)
• Latin America North (LAN)
• Latin America South (LAS)
• Oceania (OCE)
• Russia (RU)
• Turkey (TR)
• Japan (JP)
• China (CN)
• Southeast Asia (SEA)

Below are additional details on the servers:

Riot Games has established servers to host aspects of League of Legends by region. These include logins, games, chat, and the Store. To alleviate the problems of high latency caused by long distances and to avoid language barrier issues, Riot Games splits the Live game into various server shards around the world. As of now, there are 18 different LoL servers accessible running from Europe to America to Asia.

In November 2024, Riot announced the merging of the Thailand, The Philippines, and the Singapore, Malaysia, & Indonesia servers, creating the new Southeast Asia (SEA) server to improve matchmaking and latency.

FAQs about League of Legends Region Transfers

Frequently Asked Questions about League of Legends Region Transfers:

• Will I lose my account progress after transferring?No, you will not lose your account progress after transferring.
• Can I transfer my account back to the original region?Yes, you can, but you’ll need to complete the transfer back process.
• Do I need to redownload the game?No, you won’t need to redownload the game after transferring. Your existing game client will remain intact.
• What if I have items or Riot Points in my account?All items and Riot Points will be transferred along with your account progress.
• Can I use a VPN to play in a new region?Yes, you can, but be aware that playing with a VPN may result in an IP ban.
• How long does the transfer process take?The transfer process typically takes 24-48 hours.
• What happens to my account if the transfer fails?If the transfer fails, Riot will contact you to resolve the issue or provide further instructions.

Is It Free To Change Region In League of Legends?No, it is not free to change the region on your League of Legends/Riot Games account. You will be charged a fee to facilitate the change. The cost is 2600 RP for a one-way transfer and is near-instantaneous after you have paid and selected which region you wish to transfer to.

What Will Transfer In League of Legends?When you transfer from one region to another, not everything will transfer with you. Below is a list of what will and will not transfer:

• THINGS THAT WILL TRANSFER:
  • Summoner Level
  • Champions and skins (ward skins, too)
  • Emotes
  • Rune pages
  • Summoner Icons
  • XP boosts
  • BE balance
  • Remaining RP (after the cost of the transfer)
  • Friends List
  • Hextech Crafting Inventory
  • Champion Mastery levels
  • Hidden MMR value (adapted to the new region)
  • Statistics: games played, takedowns, wins, etc.
  • Loading screen borders
  • Item Sets
  • Summoner name (if it’s available)
  • Username (as long as it’s globally unique)
  • Eternals Progress
  • Challenges Progress
• THINGS THAT WON’T TRANSFER:
  • Victory Points
  • Honor Level
  • Forum Badges
  • Current Ranked League placement
  • Mission Progress
  • Your Shop offers
  • Clash trophies
  • Clash Banners
  • Clash Flag Frames
  • Clash Club affiliations
  • Loot Milestone Progress

More questions?Don’t worry, Riot Games have created an Account Transfer FAQ with plenty more questions and answers you might have before deciding to transfer to a new League of Legends region.

Steps to transfer your League of Legends account to another region:

1. Check your account’s eligibility for transfer on the League of Legends website.
2. Determine your region.
3. Gather required documents.
4. Create a new Riot account.
5. Request a region transfer.
6. Verify your transfer.

Important note:When you change region on League of Legends, certain things will not be transferred from your account. Your friends list and server-specific data will be reset.

Additional Information:Since each Riot Account is globally unique, each one is linked to a specific League of Legends region. To play in a different region, you’ll need to log in on an account associated with that region. While you can play on multiple servers through the same launcher, you must patch each server separately.