How many unranked games to unlock ranked in LoL?

Ranked is the premier way to play LoL, but just how many unranked games will new players have to slog through?

Riot Games always tried to update League of Legends to be more fair and competitive. The company introduced a kernel-based anti-cheat system, Vanguard, to safeguard against cheaters and hackers. The developers also ban cheating, trolling, and unfriendly behavior in ranked games. A recent X post by Matt “RiotPhroxzon” Leung-Harrison detailed ranked play changes coming to League of Legends in the next patch.

They specify that the next patch 14.15 will significantly change how new players approach ranked matches. League of Legends or any MOBA like Dota 2 has a massive problem of smurfing and account selling. Smurfing results in unfair matchmaking, turning off new players from the game. The latest patch aims to curb the problem or at least make it difficult.

How many LoL unranked games are needed to unlock ranked?

RiotPhroxzon explained that starting with Patch 14.15, players will need to play as many as ten unranked games before entering ranked queues. 

He further explained that this change was a long time coming, and the team had to iron out some issues before releasing it. The community has been positive about the change, with many players appreciating the move. Unfair matchmaking is the biggest reason why players feel bad about playing competitive matches. The new change will help Riot stop one-sided stampedes.

Some new players play a lot of ARAM and against bots to level up accounts. While fun, this results in inconsistent data gathering and makes it hard to gauge their skill level. Players with no experience with ranked play shouldn’t be able to access the ranked queue and possibly make the experience worse for other players. The new patch will ensure players at least have some live multiplayer experience before they start playing ranked matches.

Will the new ranked rules help against smurfs?

RiotPhroxzon says the new ranked rules patch will help curb the smurf issue plaguing League of Legends.

Plenty of new accounts are smurfs, which are experienced players starting a new account to either stomp on new players or level up and sell the account. The act results in unfair matches for new players, making the experience less enjoyable. The new patch will help place new accounts at an appropriate matchmaking skill level.

The X post further explains that Riot Games is committed to preventing accounts from being leveled and sold in the secondary market. Boosting and selling accounts is also a niche industry, with high-level accounts available for a price. Riot will also pay attention to accounts that intentionally throw games to misrepresent their skills. There’s no word on how Riot aims to stop the skill misrepresentation, but the new ranked rules should be a step in the right direction.