If you've ever had a friend move abroad for work or school, or you're relocating yourself, you've probably run into the frustration of unplayable ping when trying to queue for League of Legends together. If you're one of the thousands of players searching for how to change region league of legends every month, you've probably come across conflicting advice that makes the process feel way more complicated than it is. I've helped dozens of friends complete this transfer over the years, and I even switched my own main account from NA to EU last year to play with my family based in Berlin. This guide walks you through every step of the process, what to avoid, and how to decide if a full transfer is even the right choice for your situation.
How to Change Region in League of Legends Without Losing Your Account Progress
The first step to complete when learning how to change region league of legends is to log out of your LoL client entirely, and head directly to the official Riot Games account website. You can't initiate a transfer from inside the game client, no matter what random forum posts you might have read. Once you log into your Riot account, navigate to the "Account Management" tab, and you'll see a "Region Transfer" option listed under your account details. This is the only official way to complete the process, so avoid any third-party sites that claim to do transfers for you, as they are almost always scams. Select the region you want to move to, and the site will automatically show you any eligibility requirements or fees for that specific transfer.
You don't have to worry about losing most of your hard-earned account content when you transfer correctly. All your owned champions, skins, emotes, ward skins, and unopened loot box content will carry over to your new region. The only things that don't transfer are your RP, blue essence, ranked match history, current rank, and friend list. You also need to know that you can only transfer your account once every 3 months, so you don't want to make the decision on a whim if you're only planning a short trip.
Reasons to Switch Your LoL Region (And When It's Not Worth It)
There are tons of valid reasons to transfer your region, and the most common one is to play with friends or family who live in a different part of the world. A lot of players also transfer if they're moving permanently to a new country, to avoid 150+ ping that makes team fights impossible to keep up with. Some more competitive players transfer to regions like Korea or EU West to test their skills against a more challenging player base, or to try out new meta builds before they spread to other regions.
That said, a full region transfer isn't always the right call. If you're only traveling for a month or two, paying the transfer fee and losing your ranked progress isn't worth it for a short stay. You also want to hold off on transferring if you're close to hitting a big ranked goal, or if you have a ton of unspent RP you haven't used yet. Your ranked progress resets completely after a transfer, so you'll have to climb all the way from the bottom of the ladder again once you move to the new region.
Before you start the transfer process, make sure you check off these critical pre-transfer steps to avoid headaches later:
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Changing Your LoL Region
A lot of new players who are figuring out how to change region league of legends make the mistake of selecting a new region from the client dropdown menu, which does not trigger a transfer at all. All that does is create a brand new, empty account on that region, and you'll be confused when you log in and none of your skins are there. It's an easy mistake to make, and I've seen at least three friends panic when they did this thinking they lost their main account.
Another huge mistake is using a VPN to fake your location to get lower transfer fees or cheaper RP on other regions. Riot actively tracks location changes tied to purchases, and this counts as a violation of their terms of service. Using a VPN to manipulate region pricing or bypass transfer restrictions can result in a permanent account ban, so it's never worth the risk just to save a few bucks.
You also want to make sure you cancel any active subscriptions, like the LoL Pass or Prime Gaming rewards tied to your account, before you transfer. These subscriptions don't carry over to the new region, so you'll lose any remaining time on your pass if you don't cancel it first and spend all your existing pass tokens. It's a small step, but it saves you from wasting money on content you'll never get to use.
Alternatives to a Full Account Region Transfer
If you're not ready to commit to a full transfer while learning how to change region league of legends, these alternatives will let you play cross-region without risking your main account progress. The most popular option is to make a free smurf account on the region you want to play on. You'll have to unlock champions again, but it's completely free, and you can keep all your progress on your main account intact. It's also a great way to practice new champions without ruining your main account's rank.
Riot has also been rolling out limited cross-region queue support for casual game modes over the past year. For many regions, you can now queue for ARAM or normal unranked Summoner's Rift with friends on other nearby regions without transferring your account at all. This feature is still rolling out to more regions, so check the official Riot support page to see if it's available for your region pair before you pay for a transfer.
If you're only traveling for a short period, you can also use a gaming-focused VPN to reduce your ping on your home region, instead of transferring. Just make sure you're only using it to improve latency, not to access region-locked content or cheaper pricing. Only use VPN services that are explicitly approved for gaming and don't mask your location for purchasing purposes to avoid running afoul of Riot's terms of service.
At the end of the day, figuring out how to change region league of legends doesn't have to be a stressful process, as long as you follow the official steps, do your pre-transfer checks, and avoid the common pitfalls we outlined. If you're planning a permanent move or want to play with friends on another region long-term, a transfer is totally worth the small fee and minor hassle. If you're only looking to play cross-region every once in a while, a free smurf account or the new cross-region queue feature will be a much better fit for your needs. I followed these exact steps when I transferred my account last year, and I was playing with my family in Germany with 25ms ping less than 15 minutes after I started the process.