If you’ve ever queued up for a League of Legends match and felt a twinge of envy seeing a teammate load in with a flashy, rare skin for your main champion, you’re not alone. Skins don’t give any in-game advantage, but they make every match feel more personal, turning your go-to pick into a reflection of your style. Whether you’re a casual ARAM player or a ranked grinder chasing Master, figuring out how to get League of Legends skins that fit your budget and playstyle doesn’t have to be a hassle. I’ve spent 7 years playing LoL on and off, and I’ve tested every legitimate method out there to build my 120+ skin collection without spending hundreds of dollars unnecessarily.
Free, Low-Effort Ways to Get League of Legends Skins
You don’t have to drop real money to add new skins to your collection, even if you only play a few matches a week. Most free methods rely on regular play and taking advantage of official Riot rewards that many players don’t even know exist. You don’t have to spend Riot Points to earn Hextech loot, for example: you get chests for earning S ranks on any champion, and keys as random drops from regular matches, no purchase required. Prime Gaming subscribers also get free monthly LoL loot drops that often include permanent skins, emotes, and orange essence, so if you already pay for Amazon Prime, this is free stuff you’re leaving on the table.
Here are the most reliable free skin sources I’ve used consistently over the years:
- Hextech chests and keys earned from S-rank match performances
- Monthly Prime Gaming loot drops for active subscribers
- Free track rewards from all in-game seasonal and thematic events
- Clash tournament rewards for teams that place in top brackets
- Riot Games code giveaways hosted on official social media channels
A lot of players skip the free event tracks because they assume the good rewards are only for paid pass holders, but I’ve unlocked 14 permanent skins just from free event tracks over the last two years, including a legendary Project skin for Lucian. Avoid any third-party sites promising free skins in exchange for your login info—all of these are scams that will steal your account, and Riot will never ask you for your password outside of the official client.
Budget-Friendly Paid Methods for Rare Skins
If you don’t mind spending a little money to get specific skins you want, you don’t have to drop $20+ for a single legendary skin every time. In fact, most players who know how to get League of Legends skins on a budget rely on these methods to build their collection without overspending. First, make use of the skin shards you get from Hextech chests: you can reroll three skin shards to get a permanent random skin, or disenchant shards you don’t want for orange essence to unlock shards you do want. Orange essence lets you unlock most skins for 50-75% less than their full Riot Point price, so it’s always smarter to save your essence for skins you love instead of buying them outright from the store.
Keep an eye out for the Your Shop feature that pops up every few months too. It gives you personalized discounts on skins for champions you play regularly, with discounts ranging from 20% to 70% off. I’ve gotten skins for my main support, Thresh, for as low as $3 from Your Shop, which is a steal compared to the normal $10 price tag. Riot also runs regular weekly sales on older skins, plus bigger sales during events like Mid-Season Invitational or Worlds, where you can get even premium skins for half off. Don’t sleep on the Mystery Skin gifting option either, if you have a friend who plays too: you can send each other mystery skins for a lower price, and you might get a rare skin you’ve had your eye on for ages.
How to Unlock Exclusive, Limited-Edition Skins
Some skins are only available for short windows, or for specific in-game achievements, so you have to plan ahead to get them. First, event-exclusive skins: these are skins that only drop during specific thematic events, like the Star Guardian, Arcane, or Worlds events. Most of these are only available for purchase during the event, and some can’t be unlocked any other way after the event ends. If there’s a thematic event for your favorite champion, set a reminder to check the store before the event wraps up, because you might not get another chance to buy that skin for years.
Ranked rewards are another great way to get exclusive skins you can’t get anywhere else. At the end of every ranked split, you get a free victorious skin for the champion featured that split, as long as you hit Gold rank or higher in any ranked queue. Ranked Victorious skins are never re-released, so they’re one of the rarest types of skins you can own, and they show other players you put in the work to climb that split. Esports skins, like Worlds pass skins and team championship skins, are also only available during the Worlds tournament every year, and a portion of the proceeds goes to the pro teams featured. Note that some ultra-rare skins like PAX Twisted Fate or Black Alistar are no longer available through any legitimate method, so don’t waste money on third-party sites claiming to sell codes for them—they’re all fake.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Getting LoL Skins
Even if you’re using legitimate methods, it’s easy to waste money or put your account at risk if you’re not careful. First, don’t buy skins on impulse: I can’t tell you how many skins I bought in my first year of playing that I never used, because I got excited about a sale and didn’t think about how often I play that champion. Before you buy any skin, ask yourself if you’ve played that champion at least 10 times in the last month, and if you’d actually be happy seeing that skin every time you load in. Impulse skin purchases are the number one reason players end up spending more than they planned on LoL cosmetics, so take 24 hours to think it over before you hit purchase if it’s a skin you haven’t been waiting for.
Second, don’t share your account information with anyone who offers to grind skins or event pass progress for you. Even if it’s a friend, Riot’s terms of service ban account sharing, and you could get your account permanently banned if they catch you. Don’t waste orange essence on low-value skins you don’t love either: it’s tempting to unlock a cheap skin just because you have enough essence, but you’re better off saving it for a legendary or ultimate skin you’ve been wanting, which costs way more essence to unlock. I made the mistake of wasting 10,000 orange essence on random cheap skins when I first started playing, and I had to grind for 6 months to earn enough to get the Ultimate Spirit Blossom Ahri skin I wanted. One last thing: don’t buy Riot Points from third-party resellers, even if they offer them for a much lower price. Most of these resellers use stolen credit cards to buy RP, and Riot will ban your account if they detect you purchased RP from an unauthorized source.
At the end of the day, LoL skins are all about having fun and making your time on the rift feel more personal, so you don’t have to spend a fortune to build a collection you love. Whether you stick to free methods, wait for sales, or splurge on the occasional limited-edition skin for your main, there are tons of legitimate ways to build your collection without risking your account or blowing your budget. Now that you know how to get League of Legends skins that fit your playstyle and budget, you can start working on that dream collection for your favorite champions without the stress.