If you’ve spent the last few weeks testing new item reworks and messing around with off-meta builds in pre-season, you’re almost certainly asking when does the new league of legends season start. Most players use pre-season to warm up, but the real grind only kicks off once the official season goes live, with rank resets, new reward tracks, and patches that set the meta for the next 10 months. I’ve been playing ranked LoL since season 4, so I’ve tracked every season launch quirk, from delayed start dates to last-minute rule changes that caught the entire community off guard. This guide breaks down everything you need to know before launch day, so you don’t waste your first week climbing on bad info.
When Does the New League of Legends Season Start? Typical Cadence + Exceptions
Riot follows a pretty consistent annual schedule for season launches, so you don’t have to wait for a last-minute announcement to plan your grind. The previous ranked season almost always wraps up in mid-November, followed by an 8 to 10 week pre-season period where Riot tests large-scale meta changes like item reworks, map updates, or new mechanic overhauls. That means the official season launch almost always falls in the second or third week of January. You can mark your calendar for the second or third week of January as a safe baseline if you’re planning your ranked grind schedule early.
There are rare exceptions to this timeline, but they’re almost always announced weeks in advance. For example, when the elemental dragon rework launched in 2020, Riot pushed the season start back two weeks to fix game-breaking bugs that popped up during pre-season testing. Exact launch dates vary slightly by region, but they never fall more than 24 hours apart, so you won’t be waiting multiple days to play while other regions get early access. Riot usually posts the official launch date on its social channels and game client 3 to 4 weeks before the season goes live, so you’ll have plenty of warning to finalize your plans.
If you’ve been waiting to start your serious ranked grind, the answer to when does the new league of legends season start also marks the date you can stop messing around with troll builds and focus on climbing. All pre-season experimental changes get locked in for the first patch of the new season, so the meta you see on launch day is the one you’ll be playing for at least the first two months of the season.
Key Changes You Can Expect on Season Launch Day
Launch day isn’t just a date on a calendar, it comes with a set of concrete changes that impact every part of the game, especially ranked play. First up is the full rank reset, which uses your previous season’s end rank and hidden MMR to calculate your starting point for the new season. You’ll get 10 placement matches to lock in your initial rank, and even if you win all 10, you’ll almost always place 1 to 2 tiers lower than your previous end-of-season rank. That’s normal, and MMR adjusts much faster in the first few weeks of the season, so you can climb back quickly if you play consistently.
You’ll also get access to the new season’s reward track, which now includes split-specific ranked rewards as part of Riot’s 3-split annual system. Each split runs roughly 3 months, and you can earn unique borders, emotes, and even skins for hitting rank milestones during each split, instead of waiting for the end of the full year to get rewards. If you had any unspent event tokens or pre-season pass rewards, they will expire the day before the season launches, so make sure you cash those in before launch day to avoid missing out on limited items.
Riot sometimes drops a new champion or large balance patch alongside the season launch, but that’s not a guarantee. In recent years, the team has shifted to releasing most new champions in mid-season patches, so they don’t disrupt the ranked meta right as players are starting their grind. You can check the PBE (Public Beta Environment) updates a month before expected launch to see if any new content is scheduled to drop with the new season.
Prep Tips to Rank Up Fast the First Week of the Season
The first week of the season is the most chaotic time to play ranked, but it also gives you the biggest opportunity to climb fast. MMR is much more fluid in the first two weeks, so a win streak in your placement matches can set you up with a much higher MMR baseline for the rest of the season. No matter when does the new league of legends season start for your region, these prep tips will work regardless of the exact launch date.
- Stick to 2-3 main champions during your placement matches. Don't test new picks when everyone is tryharding, stick to champions you have a 55%+ win rate on to avoid tilting and throwaway games. I learned that the hard way in season 8, when I tried a new Yasuo build in placements and lost 7 out of 10 matches, placing two tiers lower than I deserved.
- Review the final pre-season patch notes 24 hours before launch. Riot often makes last-minute balance changes to overpowered items or champions right before the season goes live, so you don't want to get caught off guard by a nerf to your main that you didn't know about.
- Queue up with a trusted duo partner if you can. Queueing with someone you communicate well with cuts down on trolling and miscommunication, which is rampant in the first two weeks of ranked play. My duo partner and I have a 12% higher win rate in placement matches when we play together, compared to queuing solo.
- Take breaks after 2 losses in a row. The first week of ranked has way more tilted players than usual, so going on loss streaks is common if you don't step away to reset your mindset. Even a 15 minute break to get water or stretch can make a huge difference in your next match.
If you’re not in a rush to play placements the second the season goes live, consider waiting 3 to 4 days to start your grind. The first 48 hours are filled with pro players, smurfs, and content creators grinding to hit Challenger as fast as possible, so you’re much more likely to run into unbalanced teams. I started waiting until the third day to play placements a few years ago, and my average placement win rate jumped 7% almost immediately.
If you’re a new player, make sure you hit level 30 and own at least 20 champions before the season starts, otherwise you won’t be able to queue for ranked at all. You can grind normal matches or ARAM in pre-season to hit the level requirement fast, and use blue essence to pick up cheap champions to hit the 20 champion minimum.
Common Season Launch Mistakes to Avoid
Even experienced players make avoidable mistakes on season launch day that set their grind back weeks. The most common one is having unrealistic expectations for your placement rank. A lot of players think if they ended last season in Platinum, they’ll place right back in Platinum even if they win half their placements, but that’s not how the reset works. Don't get discouraged if your initial rank is lower than you expected, MMR adjusts fast the first few weeks, so you can climb back quickly if you play consistently. I once placed in Silver 4 after ending the previous season in Gold 2, and climbed back to Gold 1 in 3 weeks because my MMR was still high from the previous season.
Another common mistake is spending all your blue essence on new champions right before launch. Riot often runs limited-time blue essence sales on launch day, with discounted champions, exclusive skins, and even rare icons available only for blue essence. Try to save at least 10,000 blue essence before the season starts so you can take advantage of these deals if they pop up.
Don’t forget to check your account for any restrictions before launch day, either. If you have an active chat ban or ranked restriction, you won’t be able to queue for ranked play when the season starts. You can check your account status in the game client’s settings tab, and appeal any incorrect bans at least a week before the expected launch date to get them resolved in time. I’ve had friends miss the first week of ranked because they forgot they had a 2 week chat ban from the end of the previous season, so it’s worth double checking.
At the end of the day, if you're asking when does the new league of legends season start, you don't have to wait for an official announcement to start prepping. The early January timeline is consistent almost every year, so you can use the pre-season period to polish your main picks, learn the new meta changes, and get your mindset right for the ranked grind. Don't get caught up in the hype of playing the first hour of launch, take your time, and focus on consistent play rather than rushing to hit a new rank in the first week. You've got an entire 10 months to climb, so small, consistent gains will get you way further than cramming 12 hour play sessions the first week.