So, you're here suspecting your latest bout of “Attempting to Reconnect,” screen stutters, and SFX dubstep have nothing to do with the five smartphones, four smart TVs, and one smart blender currently connected to your wifi and instead have something to do with us... which is definitely a possibility! Let's get you some answers.
Connection issues are one of the highest drivers of Support tickets for us at Riot so we’ve come up with a number of possible solutions to help you get back in the game.
If you’ve already tried the steps below, it might be time to check out our Advanced Connections Troubleshooting Guide. There, we’ll walk you through everything from submitting logs to our Support team, firewall configuration, port forwarding, DNS configuration, and more.
Riot, Your ISP, and You
The way we see it, there are only three total possible sources of latency, packet loss, jitter, and instability when playing League.
- It’s either something on Riot's end (server problems, outage, forgot to pay the power bill)
- It's your internet service provider (ISP)
- Or it's something else within the software, environment, or settings of your equipment
We’ll start by helping you isolate which of these three sources it might be first.
Helpful definitions
Latency is the amount of time it takes data packets to travel from your computer to Riot game servers and back in milliseconds.
When your internet connection works normally, your physical distance from Riot game servers is the largest contributing factor to latency.
Lower latency is better.
Packet loss occurs when data packets don’t reach your computer or Riot game servers. Missing packets need to be re-transmitted and the delay in processing information results in lag.
Packet loss should be as close to 0% as possible.
Want a tl;dr? Watch our awesome video on Reducing Packet Buffering below!
Please know that some third-party applications also contribute to high buffering rates. Here are examples of common applications/causes which increase packet buffering rates:
- Discord
- Spotify
- Hamachi
- Anything that streams HD video content (i.e. Youtube, Twitch etc.)
- Torrent programs (i.e. uTorrent)
- Active downloads (i.e Steam)
Jitter is the change in latency over time. Your computer and Riot game servers expect a steady flow of data packets. When some packets arrive too late or out of order, it causes lag.
Jitter should be as close to 0ms as possible.
Riot Server Statuses and Lag Report
First, go here to learn the status of your regional server:
If there are no ongoing issues reported, next check out your regions’ Lag Report. (Available in most regions.)
After signing in, the Lag Report aggregates data from your last few games to issue you a “Connection Score.” You’ll see how your connection holds up compared to other players and ISPs in your area.
Check Twitter
We post about known problems and their statuses here: Riot Games Support (@RiotSupport)
Start here: Is it even my connection?
Before taking the time to fight your way through this and the Advanced Connections Troubleshooting Guide, let’s find out for certain if it’s your connection that’s at fault. The following article will walk you through collecting and uploading the connection log data that’s automatically collected every time you play a game of League. Get your score and we'll go from there!
Simple Fixes
The Riot Automated Repair Tool
The Riot Repair Tool can resolve a variety of troublesome connection issues. It’s a lightweight application that can also gather the log data you may need to submit to our Support team!
Switch to a wired connection
Wireless connections tend to be difficult to troubleshoot due to potential interference from the environment and other radio signals. This often causes lag spikes and/or packet loss in the game. In order to eliminate this factor from our troubleshooting, we recommend switching to a wired (Ethernet) connection whenever it is possible.
Go here for more help troubleshooting wireless and router issues.
Do not use proxies or VPN connections
Please make sure that you are not using a VPN or a Proxy to connect to a League of Legends server, as they can cause a number of connection issues which will be impossible to resolve!
A VPN should only be used to test your connection routing path in very specific cases when advised by our Technical Specialists.
Other Simple Fixes for Mac OS
Mac OS: Updating your operating system
Many updates to the Operating System include critical bug fixes and extensions to graphical software that allow games to run with fewer problems. If you're experiencing lag or connection-related issues, a software update may help.- Click the Apple icon on the top left of the screen, click on "About This Mac", and choose "Software Update..."
- The App Store will open and display any software updates available for the latest Mac OS and the App Store. OS updates will be at the top of the list.
- Click "Update All" to install all available software updates. If prompted, enter an admin name and password, then your Apple ID and password.
- If required, restart your system.
Mac OS: Check your administrator settings
League of Legends on Mac requires you to have administrator privileges. You can manage user settings in the Users & Groups pane of System Preferences. Not having administrator privileges may cause issues with installation, patching, as well as playing League of Legends. Also, in some cases, you may not have the correct file or folder permissions in your League of Legends installation. You can follow the steps below to verify that you have the correct access level.
Modifying User Admin Privileges:
- Click the Apple icon on the top left of the screen, and choose "System Preferences..."
- Double-click "Users & Groups"
- You can view a list of accounts in the left pane of this screen. If you don't see "Admin" by your account, you'll need to enable Administrator access:
1. First, click the lock icon on the bottom left of the window
2. In the resulting popup, log in with an Administrator account
3. Under your user account, check the box marked "Allow user to administer this computer"
4. Relaunch League of Legends to see if you're able to patch without issues
Setting Folder Permissions from the Info Window:
- Find your League of Legends install location. If you installed to the default location, press the command key+Shift+G, and paste in: /Applications/League of Legends.app/Contents/
- Use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+i to bring up the Info Window
- Expand the "Sharing & Permissions" section of the info window
- Ensure that the "Privilege" column next to your account says "Read & Write". If not:
- Click the lock icon on the bottom right of the window and enter your password
- Click the entry in the "Privilege" column next to your user account (It should say (Me) next to the account name)
- Select "Read & Write" from the dropdown
Mac OS: Updating Network Adapter Drivers
Sometimes, outdated network drivers can cause issues playing League of Legends. Here's how to update your drivers:- Click the Apple icon in the top left, and select "System Update..."
- Check for updates and apply all required updates, especially if an update appears for your wireless or ethernet adapter.
Update your network adapter driver (Windows)
Sometimes, outdated network drivers can cause issues playing League of Legends. Here's how to update your drivers. Find the Mac OS version of these steps in the "Network Driver" tab above.
Windows
- Press the Windows Key (the key on the left side of the spacebar, between ctrl and alt)
- Type "device manager" and hit enter
- Expand the "Network adapters" category
- Right click the network adapter you're using and click "Check for updates..." or "Update driver"
- If you're not sure which adapter you're currently connected with, try updating each one in the list.
Disable Peer-to-Peer Updates (Windows 10 Only)
If other Windows 10 users are downloading updates from your machine while you play League of Legends, your connection quality can drop. Here's how you disable Peer-to-Peer updates to prevent this.
- Open the Start menu and select "Settings", then click "Updates & Security."
- Make sure Windows Update is selected in the left-hand navigation pane (it’s the default when you open Updates &Security) and then click Advanced Options in the main pane.
- Click "Choose how updates are delivered" To fully disable peer-to-peer updates, switch the first option to "Off".
Still having issues?
Next steps
Time to visit the Advanced Troubleshooting Connections Guide!
Visit the Advanced Troubleshooting Connections Guide for more ways to fix your connection. Or, please submit a ticket to Player Support. In order to help us resolve your issue quickly, please include the following logs in your ticket:
- Network Analysis
- Trace Route
- Process List
Learn more about Network, System, and League of Legends Logs.