If you’ve spent the past few months grinding ranked matches to hit your target tier, unlock free skins, or show off a fancy new profile border, you’re probably asking when does season 14 end League of Legends. Riot’s standard seasonal cadence keeps players on a predictable schedule, but there are always small details like queue lockouts, reward eligibility rules, and pre-season timelines that catch players off guard every year. This guide breaks down all the confirmed details, plus actionable tips to make sure you don’t miss out on anything you’ve worked for all season.
Official Timeline: When Does Season 14 End League of Legends
Per Riot’s official 2024 ranked roadmap, Season 14 will officially end on November 20 across all regions, with slight time adjustments to match each region’s local time zone. For NA players, the season wraps at 11:59 PM PT, while EUW players will see the season close at 11:59 PM CET, and OCE players at 11:59 PM AEST. Unlike older LoL seasons that ran as a single full-year block, Season 14 is split into two separate ranked segments, with only the second split rank counting toward your final end-of-season rewards. That means if you hit Diamond in split 1 but dropped to Silver in split 2, your Silver rank is what will be used for reward eligibility.
Ranked queues will be disabled 24 hours prior to the official season end date, so you won’t be able to queue for Solo/Duo or Flex ranked on November 19 if you’re in the NA region. This lockout gives Riot time to finalize rank data and avoid last-minute exploits or server crashes that could impact final rankings. Unranked, ARAM, and rotating game modes will remain playable during the lockout period, so you can still jump into games for fun while you wait for rewards to drop. Riot rarely pushes season end dates back, but if there’s a critical bug or server issue in the final week, you can expect a formal announcement on their official social channels.
What Happens Immediately After Season 14 Ends?
The second the season closes, your final rank is locked in, and no further ranked matches will impact your end-of-season standing. Reward distribution starts within 24 hours of the official end date, but it can take up to 72 hours for all rewards to appear in your account, especially for players in more populated regions like NA and EUW. You don’t have to log in during this window to claim your rewards; they’ll be waiting for you the next time you open the client.
Right after the season ends, pre-season will kick off immediately. This 6-to-8 week period is when Riot rolls out all the big gameplay changes planned for the next season, including item reworks, champion adjustments, map updates, and rule changes for ranked play. Pre-season matches don’t count toward your Season 15 rank, but they do affect your hidden MMR, so playing during pre-season can help you get a better starting rank when Season 15 launches in early January. Your end-of-season rank is locked the second ranked queues shut down, so no last-minute gains count after that point, even if you play a ranked match that finishes right as the clock hits the end time.
Top End-of-Season Goals to Hit Before the Cutoff
With a clear timeline for when the season wraps, you can prioritize the goals that matter most to you before time runs out. Most players focus on rank milestones, but there are plenty of other limited-time rewards you don’t want to leave on the table. Here are the top tasks to add to your to-do list before the season ends:
- Hit at least Gold rank in Solo/Duo or Flex queue to unlock the free Victorious Skarner skin and corresponding chroma for your highest rank. Players who hit Gold in both queues will get an extra exclusive chroma as a bonus.
- Complete all seasonal pass missions to claim exclusive emotes, wards, skin shards, and blue essence before the pass expires. Any unclaimed pass rewards will disappear once the season ends, so don’t leave premium rewards you paid for unclaimed.
- Climb to your desired peak rank to get a custom rank border that will display on your profile for the entire next season. Higher ranks also get extra ranked points to start Season 15, and Challenger players get a custom recall animation and physical reward from Riot.
- Resolve any active account restrictions or chat bans, as penalized accounts are not eligible for end-of-season ranked rewards. Even a 3-day chat ban applied 24 hours before the season ends will disqualify you from getting the Victorious skin, no exceptions.
If you’re only 1 or 2 wins away from hitting Gold, try to queue with a friend you have good synergy with to cut down on the risk of getting trolled by random teammates. Don’t experiment with new champions in ranked this close to the end; stick to your 2 or 3 most reliable main picks to maximize your win rate. Only ranks earned before the queue lockout count for rewards, so don't leave your grind to the last 24 hours if you can avoid it. Server queues get extremely long in the final week, and you might not get enough matches in to hit your goal if you wait too long.
Common Season End Mistakes to Avoid
Every season, thousands of players miss out on rewards they worked months for because of small, avoidable mistakes. The most common error is mixing up the queue lockout time with the official season end date. I’ve seen dozens of players post online about showing up to grind on the official end date, only to find out ranked queues were already shut down 24 hours earlier. Double check the exact lockout time for your region, and set a reminder on your phone so you don’t miss the window.
Another big mistake is ignoring Flex queue if you didn’t hit Gold in Solo/Duo. End-of-season rewards apply for either queue, so if you can hit Gold in Flex with a group of friends, you’ll still get the Victorious skin and all the same rewards as players who hit Gold in Solo/Duo. Flex queue is usually less toxic and more forgiving than Solo/Duo, so it’s a great backup option if you’re stuck in Silver in single queue.
Don’t let tilted games ruin your entire season either. If you’re on a losing streak, step away from the game for a few hours instead of flaming teammates or intentionally feeding. Even a single report that leads to a temporary chat ban will make you ineligible for all end-of-season rewards, no matter how high your rank is. Mute toxic teammates immediately, and don’t engage in arguments in chat, even if you know you’re right. It’s never worth losing months of progress over one bad game.
Now that you know when does season 14 end League of Legends, you can plan out your remaining grind time to hit all your goals before the cutoff. If you’ve already hit all your targets, you can sit back and enjoy pre-season, testing out all the new changes before season 15 kicks off in early January. Even if you didn’t hit your rank goal this season, you still have pre-season to practice new champions and builds so you can climb faster next year. No matter where you’re at, just remember to have fun, and don’t let ranked stress ruin your enjoyment of the game.