Riot ID System
Riot overhauled the naming system back in 2023 when they replaced Summoner Names with Riot IDs. If you're confused about how it works now or just want a fresh name, here's everything you need to know.
Riot ID vs. Summoner Name: What Changed?
The old system gave you a "Summoner Name" that was unique per server. If someone on NA had the name "Shadow," nobody else on NA could use it. Good luck getting a clean one-word name.
The new Riot ID system works differently. Your identity is now two parts:
The Game Name is what people see (up to 16 characters). The Tagline is a hashtag suffix (3-5 characters). The combination must be unique, but the Game Name alone doesn't have to be. Multiple players can be "Shadow" — they just need different taglines.
This means getting the name you actually want is much easier than it used to be.
Good news: Under the old system, popular names were permanently locked by inactive accounts. The Riot ID system solved this — since taglines differentiate players, you can almost always get the Game Name you want by choosing a unique tagline.
How Much Does a Name Change Cost?
Nothing. Riot made name changes completely free when they moved to the Riot ID system. The old days of paying 1,300 RP or 13,900 Blue Essence are gone.
It's free. You get one Riot ID change every 90 days, no currency required. Just log in to account.riotgames.com, change it, and you're done. The 90-day cooldown resets from your last change.
There's no paid fast-track option either. If you changed your name yesterday and want to change it again, you're waiting 90 days regardless of how much RP you have.
How to Change Your Riot ID
There's only one way to do it — through the Riot account website. You can't change your name directly in the League client anymore (it just redirects you to the website anyway).
Heads up: If you change your tagline from a region code (like NA1 or EUW) to something custom, you can never go back to a region code tagline. Choose wisely.
Can You Get Extra Name Changes?
Since name changes are already free every 90 days, there's no need to "earn" a free one anymore. But there are a couple of edge cases:
Tips for Choosing a Good Riot ID
A few things to keep in mind before you commit:
Character limits: Game Names can be 3-16 characters. Taglines are 3-5 characters. Letters, numbers, and spaces are allowed. No special characters like @, #, or $.
Profanity filter: Riot has an automated filter that's more aggressive than you'd expect. If your desired name gets rejected, it's probably triggering the filter even if it seems innocent. Try variations or slight spelling changes.
Tagline strategy: Most people leave their tagline as the default server tag (NA1, EUW, etc.). But you can customize it to something memorable — your main champion abbreviation, a clan tag, or something personal. A good tagline makes your ID stand out.
Don't use your real name. Your Riot ID is visible to everyone you play with and against, including in post-game lobbies and on third-party sites like OP.GG. Keep it anonymous.
Check before you commit. You only get one change every 90 days, so make sure you actually like the name before confirming. Sleep on it if you're not sure.
Warning: Inappropriate names will get flagged. Riot actively monitors and forces name changes on accounts with offensive Riot IDs. If you get flagged multiple times, it can escalate to account restrictions. Keep it clean.
Does Changing Your Name Affect Your Account?
No. Changing your Riot ID has zero impact on anything gameplay-related:
- Your rank, MMR, and LP — completely unchanged
- Your match history — still there, just shows the new name
- Your champion collection and skins — untouched
- Your friends list — friends see the new name immediately
- Your honor level — stays the same
- Your Blue Essence and RP balance — unaffected
The only thing that changes is the name displayed to other players. Everything else stays exactly the same. Your account's internal ID (the one Riot uses to track you) never changes regardless of how many times you rename.
Can Other Players See Your Old Name?
Not directly in the client. Once you change your Riot ID, your old name is no longer displayed anywhere in League. However:
- Third-party sites like OP.GG, U.GG, and Porofessor may still show your old name in historical match data for a while
- Friends who had you on their list will see the new name immediately — no notification is sent
- There's no public name history feature in the client, so casual players won't know you changed
If you're changing your name specifically to escape a reputation (we've all been there), third-party sites are the main concern. Most of them update within a few days to a week.
What Happens to Your Old Name?
When you change your Riot ID, your old Game Name + Tagline combination becomes available for other players to claim after a short holding period (typically 30 days).
If you change your mind and want to switch back, you can — but only if nobody else has taken your old combination. And you'll need to wait for your 90-day cooldown to expire before you can change again.
Starting completely fresh? If you want a new name AND a clean match history, a name change alone won't do it — your match history stays. For a truly fresh start, a smurf account gives you a clean slate with whatever name you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
Want a Fresh Start?
Sometimes a name change isn't enough. Our LoL smurfs come with clean match history, level 30, and 40,000+ Blue Essence — pick any name you want.
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*New to League? Check out how many champions there are to plan your champion pool, or see the complete season history to understand how the game has evolved.*
