If you’ve spent the last few months grinding ranked matches to hit your end of season 14 goals, you’re probably already asking when is season 15 league of legends, and what changes you can expect when it drops. Every new League of Legends season brings a fresh reset, massive balance changes, new champion releases, and unique rewards that make the grind feel worth it. Riot doesn’t stray far from its typical annual schedule, so we have a pretty solid idea of the launch window, plus tons of leaked and confirmed content to share ahead of the official release.
When Is Season 15 League of Legends? Official Timeline Breakdown
Riot follows a fairly predictable annual schedule for League of Legends seasons, and season 15 is no exception. The current season 14 is set to end in mid-November, with the first preseason patch dropping immediately after the end-of-season rewards are distributed. Preseason lasts for roughly 8 weeks, giving players time to test major gameplay changes before the ranked ladder resets for the new season.
Based on past launch dates, season 15 is expected to go live during the second week of January. The exact date can shift by a few days depending on bug fixes and regional rollout schedules, but it never falls outside the first two weeks of the new year. Riot typically announces the exact season 15 start date 2 weeks before launch, so you’ll have plenty of warning to wrap up any unfinished season 14 goals and get ready for the reset.
It’s worth noting that the launch will roll out by region, so players in Oceania and East Asia will get access a few hours before those in North America and Europe. You won’t lose any progress if you play on multiple regions, but your rank reset will apply separately to each region’s account.
Key Preseason Changes Coming Before Season 15 Launches
Preseason is Riot’s chance to test massive gameplay changes that would shake up the ranked ladder if dropped mid-season. This year’s preseason changes are some of the biggest we’ve seen in years, and they’ll shape the entire meta for season 15.
Jungle pathing is getting a full overhaul to reduce early-game gank pressure for laners, with new camp spawn timers and experience adjustments that make farming jungle creeps more rewarding than constant ganking. That means laners won’t have to ward every 30 seconds to avoid getting ganked at level 3, which should make low-elo ranked games a lot less frustrating for new players.
Mythic items are being removed entirely to build more flexible champion loadouts, so you won’t be locked into a single core item path for your main champion anymore. Riot is adding over 20 new legendary items to replace the mythic system, including support items that let enchanters build more tanky without sacrificing healing output, and ADC items that reward consistent positioning over burst damage.
There’s also a new control mage champion set to drop halfway through preseason, so you’ll have plenty of time to learn their kit before season 15 ranked goes live. The new champion is themed around celestial magic, and their kit focuses on area control and long-range poke, which should make them a popular pick for mid laners who hate playing against assassins.
What to Expect From Season 15 Ranked Rewards and Reset
The ranked reset for season 15 will follow the same structure as past seasons. Your MMR will carry over from season 14, and you’ll have to play 10 provisional matches to get your starting rank for the new season. If you climbed to a high rank in season 14, your provisional rank will be much higher than players who finished in Bronze or Silver, even if you lose a few of your placement matches.
Riot has already shared a first look at the ranked rewards for season 15, which are more generous than rewards from past seasons. Confirmed rewards so far include:
- Victorious skin for the champion picked by Riot based on pick rate and win rate across all ranks
- Rank-specific chromas for players who hit Gold or higher in Solo/Duo or Flex queues
- Unique profile banners and emotes for players who reach Master and above
- Exclusive ward skins for players who complete all seasonal ranked missions
Your preseason MMR will directly impact your starting rank when season 15 goes live, so if you spam games and climb in preseason normals, you’ll get a much better starting rank for your placement matches. That doesn’t mean you have to grind 100 games in preseason, but playing a few matches a week to get used to the new changes will give you a huge leg up when ranked launches.
There’s also a new rank-specific mission line for season 15 that rewards you with blue essence, loot boxes, and exclusive emotes for climbing each tier from Bronze to Diamond. That means even if you don’t hit your ultimate ranked goal, you’ll still get rewards for making progress through the ranks.
Tips to Prepare for Season 15 Before Launch
Preseason is the perfect time to fix gaps in your gameplay and get ready for the new ranked grind, but a lot of players waste it spamming their main champion and ignoring the new changes. These simple tips will help you hit the ground running when season 15 launches.
First, test as many new item builds and champions as you can. The removal of mythic items means a lot of champions that were unplayable last season will be viable again, so you might find a new main that fits your playstyle perfectly. Don’t worry about winning in preseason normals, focus on learning what works and what doesn’t with the new item system.
Next, take time to fix your weakest role. If you’re a mid laner that ints every time you get autofilled to support, spend a few preseason games learning a simple support champion like Sona or Soraka so you don’t throw your placement matches when you get autofilled. Even a basic understanding of your off-roles will make you a much better player overall.
Don't spam ranked in the first week of season 15 launch if you want to avoid toxic lobbies and inflated MMR. The first week of every new season is full of pro players, smurfs, and casual players who are still learning the new changes, so lobbies are way more unpredictable than normal. Wait 1 to 2 weeks for the MMR to settle before you start grinding for your season goal, and you’ll have a much easier time climbing.
Finally, set realistic ranked goals for the new season. If you finished Silver in season 14, aiming for Platinum is a great goal, but don’t beat yourself up if you don’t hit it in the first month. The meta takes a few months to stabilize, and you’ll have plenty of time to climb before the season ends next November.
Even if Riot hasn’t shared the exact launch date yet, we have a clear timeline of when is season 15 league of legends, and tons of info about the changes coming with the new season. Use the preseason period to test new builds, fix gaps in your gameplay, and take a break if you burned out grinding for season 14 rewards. When season 15 does launch, you’ll be ready to climb faster than ever, and earn all the new exclusive ranked rewards. I’m already testing the new support items in normals to get ready for my own plat grind, and I’ll see you on the rift.