We've all been there. You line up the perfect Xerath Q, your cursor is dead on the enemy ADC who's low on health, and suddenly your champion freezes for two full seconds. By the time you're back in control, you've fed a kill and your jungler is spamming question marks in chat. Most of the time, this mess isn't your fault—it's high ping throwing off your game before you even realize it's spiking. If you want to stop guessing why your plays are falling apart and take control of your match performance, learning how to show ping in League of Legends is one of the fastest, lowest-effort wins you can get as a player. It takes less than a minute to set up, and it will save you from hundreds of frustrating losses down the line.
How to Show Ping in League of Legends in 3 Quick Steps
You don't need to mess with complicated config files or third-party apps to pull up your ping display. Riot built the feature directly into the client, and it works for both normal and ranked matches, as well as ARAM and rotating game modes. I've tested these steps across both Windows and Mac devices, and they work for every region server too. Follow these exact steps to turn it on in seconds:
- While logged into the LoL client, click the gear icon in the top right corner to open your settings menu. You can also access this menu mid-match by pressing Escape on your keyboard.
- Navigate to the Interface tab on the left side of the settings menu. Scroll down until you see the "Display" section, then look for the toggle labeled "Show Network Statistics."
- Flip the toggle to the on position, then click "Okay" to save your settings. Your ping, packet loss percentage, and frame rate will now appear in the top right corner of your screen during all matches.
That's really all there is to it. If you ever want to turn the display off, just follow the same steps and flip the toggle back off. I recommend leaving it on all the time, even if you think your internet is rock solid—you never know when a random spike will hit right before a crucial team fight.
What Your Ping Display Actually Tells You (And Why It Matters)
A lot of new players see the little number in the corner and assume it's just a generic "internet health" score, but it's way more specific than that. Ping measures the time it takes for your device to send a signal to the Riot game server and get a response back, measured in milliseconds (ms). The lower this number is, the more in-sync your inputs are with what's actually happening in the game.
You should aim for a ping of under 80ms for the smoothest possible gameplay. If you're sitting at 80-120ms, you'll notice small delays on skill shots and movement, but it's still playable for most casual matches. Once you hit over 150ms, you'll start seeing noticeable rubber-banding, missed inputs, and delayed ability casts that will make ranked play almost impossible.
The display also shows your packet loss percentage, which is just as important as your ping number. Packet loss happens when some of the data you send to the server doesn't make it there, which causes random freezes and jumps even if your average ping looks low. If you see packet loss over 2% for more than 10 seconds, that's a sign you need to troubleshoot your connection right away.
Quick Fixes for High Ping During LoL Matches
Once you have your ping display turned on, you'll probably spot spikes at the most inconvenient times—right before a Baron fight, or when you're about to close out a game-winning ace. You don't have to sit there and suffer through it, though. There are a few quick fixes you can try mid-match to bring your ping back down to normal levels without having to quit the game.
First, make sure you don't have any other apps running in the background that are eating up bandwidth. Streaming services, cloud backups, and even other game launchers running updates can suck up more internet than you realize, and they're the most common cause of sudden ping spikes. I always close out of Spotify and my browser before I start a ranked match, and it cuts my average ping by 10-15ms every time.
If closing background apps doesn't work, try switching from a Wi-Fi connection to a wired Ethernet connection if you can. Wi-Fi is way more prone to interference from other devices, walls, and even microwaves, and a simple wired connection can cut your ping in half in most cases. If you can't use a wired connection, try moving your router closer to your device, or disconnecting other devices from your Wi-Fi network while you play.
The last quick fix is to double-check that you're connected to the correct regional server for your location. If you accidentally logged into the EUW server when you live in North America, your ping will be over 150ms no matter how good your internet is. You can check your server selection on the client login screen before you queue up for a match.
Common Mistakes to Avoid With LoL Ping Tracking
Even with your ping display turned on, it's easy to misread what it's telling you or make choices that mess up your connection even more. I've made all of these mistakes myself, so I can tell you exactly what to watch out for to get the most use out of your ping display.
First, don't panic over a single 100ms spike that only lasts for a second. Small, temporary spikes are totally normal, and they won't impact your gameplay enough to worry about. The only time you need to take action is if your ping stays high for 10 seconds or more, or you see consistent spikes every few seconds. Panicking and closing out of the game mid-spike will only get you a leaver penalty, which is way worse than one missed skill shot.
Second, don't rely on third-party ping trackers that promise more accurate readings than the in-game display. A lot of these apps are full of ads, run in the background and eat up bandwidth, and don't actually give you more useful information than the built-in Riot tracker. The in-game display measures ping directly between your device and the exact game server you're playing on, so it's always the most accurate source of information.
Third, don't blame all your bad plays on ping. It's tempting to say a high ping made you miss that Lux binding, but if your ping is under 80ms and you're still missing shots, the issue is probably your aim, not your connection. Use your ping display as a tool to troubleshoot real connection issues, not as an excuse to avoid working on your gameplay skills.
One last thing to keep in mind: if you're consistently getting ping over 100ms even after trying all the quick fixes we listed, you might want to reach out to your internet service provider to see if there's an issue with your line, or upgrade to a faster plan if you're still on an old DSL connection. Consistently low ping is one of the biggest advantages you can have as a LoL player, so it's worth investing in a solid internet connection if you play regularly.
At the end of the day, small quality of life changes like turning on your ping display add up to big improvements in your win rate over time. Learning how to show ping in League of Legends takes less than a minute, but it gives you constant, real-time information about your connection that can help you avoid frustrating losses and troubleshoot issues before they cost you a match. You don't have to be a pro player to benefit from it—even casual players will notice how much smoother their games feel when they can keep an eye on their connection and fix spikes before they ruin a play. Next time you log into the client, take 30 seconds to toggle the setting on, and you'll never have to guess why your champion is freezing mid-fight again.