If you’re booting up League of Legends for the first time in months, or just downloaded the game after seeing your favorite streamer play a new champion, one of the first questions you’re probably asking is what season is League of Legends on right now. Riot’s ranked cycle dictates everything from reward skins to meta shifts, and missing the start of a season can mean falling behind on exclusive loot you can’t get any other way. I’ve been playing LoL since season 3, so I’ve seen just how much each season can change the feel of the game, and how confusing the split system can be for anyone who doesn’t follow every dev blog. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about the current season, how the cycle works, and what you can do to make the most of the remaining time before it ends.
What Season Is League of Legends On Right Now?
As of the latest update, League of Legends is running Season 14, the fourteenth official ranked cycle since the game launched in 2009. Riot switched to a dual split structure a few years back, so Season 14 is split into two six-month ranked periods, each with its own set of rewards and meta adjustments. The first split of Season 14 ran from January to July, and the second split runs from July to December, with a small mid-season patch between the two to fix overperforming champions and item interactions.
Knowing what season is League of Legends on isn’t just useful for bragging rights with your friends—it helps you plan your ranked grind accordingly. Season 14 brought some of the biggest map changes in years, including new jungle void camps, terrain adjustments to all three lanes, and a complete rework of the support item system. If you haven’t played since Season 13, you’ll want to spend a few games in normal mode getting used to these changes before jumping into ranked. You’ll also have access to exclusive split-specific rewards that won’t be available once Season 14 wraps up, so it’s worth logging in even if you only play a few games a month.
How the League of Legends Season Cycle Works
Before Season 11, Riot ran one full ranked season per year, with a three-month preseason period at the end to test upcoming changes. They switched to the dual split system after player feedback showed many people would give up on ranked halfway through the year if they had a bad run of placement matches. Now, players get two separate chances to climb ranks and earn rewards every season, with a soft reset between splits that only adjusts your MMR slightly instead of wiping it completely.
The full season cycle follows a consistent structure every year, so you can plan your play time months in advance:
It’s important to note that preseason MMR is still tracked for your initial placement matches, so if you spend preseason intentionally losing games, you’ll get placed in a lower rank when the official split starts. The only downside of the dual split system is you’ll have to complete placement matches twice a year, instead of once, but most players agree the extra chance to earn rewards is worth it.
Key Rewards You Can Earn This Season
The biggest draw of every League of Legends season is the free exclusive skin you can earn for hitting Gold rank or higher in either split. For Season 14, that skin is Battle Academia Jhin, a brightly animated, school-themed skin for one of the game’s most popular ADC champions. If you hit Gold in both splits of Season 14, you’ll also get an exclusive ruby chroma for the skin, plus a special loading screen border that shows you ranked in both halves of the season.
You don’t have to hit Gold to earn rewards, though. Every rank tier from Iron up gets a unique icon and emote matching your rank at the end of each split, plus a ranked border that shows up in loading screens and lobbies for the rest of the season. Players who maintain a honor level of 3 or higher will also get free random skin shards, ward skins, and blue essence bonuses at the end of the season, even if they never touch ranked queues.
One common mistake new players make is waiting too long to start their ranked grind, assuming they need to be perfect to earn good rewards. The truth is you only need to hit Gold in one split to unlock the full season end skin, so even if you start in the last two months of the split, you still have plenty of time to climb if you play consistently. Rewards are distributed within two weeks of the split ending, so you don’t have to wait long to use your new loot.
Tips to Climb Ranks Fast Before the Split Ends
If you’re looking to hit Gold before the current split wraps up, you don’t have to grind 10 hours a day to make it happen. Small, consistent changes to your playstyle will help you climb faster than spamming games on tilt. First, one-tricking a champion in your main role will boost your win rate by 10-15% on average, according to data from Riot’s own ranked analytics. You don’t have to play the most OP meta champion—pick one you enjoy, learn their combos and power spikes, and stick to them for 80% of your games.
Next, take five minutes after every lost game to note one mistake you made, instead of blaming your teammates. Most lost games come down to small errors, like overextending without vision, or missing a skill shot that could have won a team fight. Tracking those mistakes will help you fix them faster than jumping straight into another game. If you lose two games in a row, log off for at least an hour. Tilt is the number one reason players drop ranks fast, and playing while frustrated will only make you make more mistakes.
For players who only have a few hours a week to play, prioritize winning your promotion series over spamming random games. You can dodge up to two games a day without losing LP if you see a teammate pick a champion they have 0% win rate on, or if the team composition has no front line or crowd control. Dodging costs you a small amount of LP, but it’s way better than losing a full 20 LP for a game you had almost no chance of winning from the start.
Whether you’re a casual player just chasing the free season skin or a hardcore grinder aiming for Challenger, knowing what season is League of Legends on and how the cycle works is the first step to making the most of your play time. You don’t have to play 10 hours a day to get great rewards—even 2-3 ranked games a week is enough to hit Gold if you focus on improving small parts of your gameplay each session. If you haven’t started your ranked grind this split yet, now is the perfect time to hop in, before the meta shifts again and the split wraps up for good.