If you’ve just heard friends rave about their latest ranked wins or funny ARAM clashes, your first question is probably can i run league of legends without dropping hundreds on a new PC. Riot’s iconic MOBA has been around for well over a decade, and one of its biggest strengths has always been its broad accessibility for players with all types of hardware. But that doesn’t mean every old laptop or budget desktop will run it well enough to avoid missing skill shots or lagging out during team fights. I’ve tested the game on everything from a 10-year-old college laptop to a high-end custom build, so I’ll break down exactly what you need to get in the rift without frustration.
Minimum and Recommended Specs to Run League of Legends
Riot publishes official system requirements for the game, but these are often a bit more conservative than what you actually need for playable performance. It’s important to remember that the listed minimum specs are for 30 FPS on the lowest possible settings, which might feel choppy if you’re used to smoother games.
Minimum specs (official, for 30 FPS on low settings) include a 2GHz dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 12GB of free storage space, and a DirectX 9 compatible integrated or dedicated graphics card. I’ve personally run the game on a 2015 laptop with these specs, but I had to close every other app on my device to avoid random frame drops in team fights. This level of hardware is only really suitable for casual ARAM play, not ranked games where reaction time matters.
Recommended specs (for 60+ FPS on medium to high settings) bump the requirements up to a 3GHz quad-core processor, 4GB of RAM, 16GB of free storage, and a dedicated GPU like the NVIDIA GTX 560 or equivalent AMD card. This is the sweet spot for most players, as 60 FPS is smooth enough for ranked play, and medium settings still make the game look crisp without sacrificing performance. Most budget laptops built after 2018 will hit these specs without any upgrades.
If you’re a competitive player looking for 144 FPS on max settings or 4K play, you’ll need a newer mid-range dedicated GPU, 8GB of RAM, and a modern quad-core processor. That said, this level of hardware is totally unnecessary for casual players who just want to have fun with friends.
How to Check If Your Current PC Can Run League of Legends
You don’t need to be a tech expert to figure out if your device can handle the game. All you have to do is pull up your device’s specs and compare them to the requirements we listed above. The whole process takes less than two minutes, and you don’t need to download any sketchy third-party tools to do it.
For Windows users, follow these simple steps to find your hardware specs:
- Right-click the Windows Start button and select "System" to see your processor, RAM, and operating system version
- Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), go to the Performance tab, and select "GPU" to see what graphics card you have installed
- Compare your specs to the minimum and recommended requirements we listed earlier to get a baseline idea of performance
For Mac users, click the Apple logo in the top left corner and select "About This Mac" to see all your hardware specs in one place. Riot updated its Mac support a few years back, so even older MacBooks from 2017 onwards can run the game on low settings with no issues. You don't need to download any third-party tools to check your specs, and any sites that ask you to install software to test compatibility are usually full of ads or malware.
If your specs fall just below the minimum requirements, don’t panic. There are plenty of tweaks you can use to get playable performance even on lower-end hardware, which we’ll cover next.
Simple Tweaks to Run League of Legends Smoothly on Low-End Hardware
I spent three years playing LoL on a beat-up 2016 laptop with only 4GB of RAM and integrated Intel graphics, so I’ve tested every possible performance tweak to get steady frame rates. The best part is that most of these changes take less than a minute to apply, and you don’t have to mess with any complicated system settings.
Turn off shadow quality first if you’re struggling with low frame rates. Shadows are by far the biggest performance hog in the game, and turning them off completely can boost your FPS by 20-30% with almost no impact on how the game looks during actual play. You won’t even notice they’re gone once you’re focused on a team fight.
Next, go to the Riot Client settings and Enable "Low Spec Mode" in the Riot Client settings. This built-in feature disables unnecessary animations in the client and reduces the load on your CPU when you’re browsing skins or waiting in queue. I’ve seen this tweak fix random client lag even on mid-range PCs, so it’s worth turning on no matter what hardware you have. You can also lower your in-game resolution to 720p if you’re still getting low frame rates, which is another quick fix that doesn’t impact gameplay too much for casual players.
Outside of game settings, make sure you close any unnecessary background apps before you launch LoL. Chrome tabs, Discord, Spotify, and streaming services all use up RAM and CPU resources that could be going to the game. If you’re on a laptop, make sure it’s plugged in and not on battery saver mode, as Windows will throttle your processor speed to save power when you’re not connected to an outlet. I made this mistake for months before I realized it was cutting my frame rate in half.
Common Issues That Stop You From Running League of Legends Even With Good Specs
Sometimes you’ll have a PC that meets or exceeds the recommended specs, but you still get choppy frame rates or can’t launch the game at all. These issues are almost always easy to fix, and they don’t require any hardware upgrades.
Always update your GPU drivers before troubleshooting other performance problems. Outdated graphics drivers are the number one cause of random frame drops and launch errors in LoL. Both NVIDIA and AMD release regular driver updates optimized for new game patches, so installing the latest version only takes a few minutes and will almost always fix performance issues. You can find the latest drivers for your GPU directly on the manufacturer’s website.
If updating your drivers doesn’t work, try repairing your game files through the Riot Client. Corrupted game files can cause all sorts of weird issues, from random crashes to missing texture bugs that drop your frame rate. To repair files, click the gear icon next to the Play button in the Riot Client, select "Repair" and wait for the process to finish. It usually takes 5-10 minutes depending on your internet speed.
Another common issue is confusing FPS lag with internet lag. If your frame rate drops only during team fights, it's almost always related to your graphics settings, not your internet connection. If your game feels choppy but your frame counter shows 60+ FPS, that’s high ping from a bad internet connection, not a problem with your PC. You can also try adding the Riot Client and League of Legends to your antivirus exception list, as some antivirus software will flag the game’s anti-cheat tool as a false positive and throttle its performance. If you use a laptop, make sure it’s not overheating — propping it up on a stand to improve airflow can make a huge difference in consistent performance during long play sessions.
At the end of the day, very few modern devices will leave you asking can i run league of legends without any workarounds. The game’s intentionally accessible design means even budget and older hardware can get you into the rift with a few small adjustments if you don’t hit the official recommended specs. You don’t need a fancy gaming PC to have fun playing ARAMs with friends or climbing the ranked ladder, as long as you’re getting a steady enough frame rate to react to plays in real time. If you’re still running into issues after trying the tweaks we shared, you can always reach out to Riot’s support team for personalized help to get you playing as soon as possible.