Can I own more than one League of Legends account?

Yes. Riot says owning multiple accounts is acceptable by itself. An alternate account becomes a problem when it is used for competitive advantage, rank manipulation, penalty evasion or disruption.

Can I have one League account in North America and another in EUW?

Yes, owning a personally created NA account and a personally created EUW account is not prohibited merely because both belong to the same person. Each account must still be used fairly and must not be bought, shared, boosted, deliberately deranked or used to evade penalties.

Is every alternate account a smurf account?

No. Riot defines smurfing through deliberate matchmaking or rank manipulation, commonly involving purchased accounts, deranking or account sharing. Multiple-account ownership alone does not establish smurfing.

Can a high-ranked player create and hand-level a new account?

Riot says a legitimate alternate account is not smurfing merely because placements put the player below their expected rank, provided the player genuinely tried their best and did not manipulate placement or MMR.

Can penalties affect my other accounts?

Yes. Riot introduced account and penalty linking, so enforcement can extend beyond the account used in the offending behavior when Riot links accounts to the same player.

Can family members use the same computer for League of Legends?

Yes. Family members can use the same computer, but each person should sign in to their own Riot account. Riot prohibits sharing an account or login credentials with another person.

Present Riot rules, plainly explained

Can ye have alternate League sailor records?

Aye. Owning more booty than one sailor record be allowed by itself. Riot draws th' line at how an alternate sailor record be obtained and used, especially rank manipulation, boosting, sharing and penalty evasion.

NA and EUW captain's answer Arrr, read Riot's sources

4 Arrr, riot-owned sources Arrr, 11 Aug 2026 reviewed Direct Arrr, source links Independent explainer

Multiple sailor recordsArrr, allowed by itself

Two sailor records do nay automatically make someone a smurf.

Arrr, rank manipulationNay allowed

Do nay engineer easier foes, boosted ranks or unfair placements.

Arrr, bought or sharedAgainst Riot's articles

Create and use yer own sailor records; ne'er buy, sell, transfer or share access.

Th' fit fer th' captain's eye distinction

Alternate sailor record does nay automatically mean smurf

“Alt” describes ownership. Riot's present definition o' smurfing describes deliberate rank or matchmaking manipulation.

Alternate sailor record

Another sailor record ye own

It may be fer another region, learning a role, playing another mode or keeping separate progression. Ownership alone be nay th' violation.

≠nay automatically

Smurfing

Arrr, deliberately bypassing fair matchmaking

Riot describes a higher-skilled sailor intentionally circumventing matchmaking to beat less-skilled foes, often through buying, deranking or sharing sailor records.

Yer specific tale

One NA sailor record and one EUW sailor record

Aye, that be allowed by th' multiple-sailor record rule. Having personally created sailor records in two regions be nay prohibited merely because th' owner be th' same person.

Arrr, north America

Separate harbour progression, matchmaking population and network distance.

Arrr, one ownerTwo personally created sailor records

EUW

Arrr, europe West

Arrr, its own progression and regional connection; latency may differ from NA.

Arrr, create and control both yourself

Do nay buy th' second sailor record or take over a friend's old sailor record.

Arrr, play placements honestly

Try yer best. Do nay meet defeat deliberately to force either sailor record below yer real level.

Do nay use either sailor record to boost

Do nay queue Ranked to carry another sailor record into a rank it did nay earn.

Do nay use th' second sailor record to evade action

A suspension be nay an invitation to continue th' same conduct elsewhere.

Use decides th' peril

Common aboard sailor record tales

These tales summarise Riot's published distinctions. Riot still decides individual enforcement cases using ship's intelligence overboard to this website.

Arrr, normally fine

Hand-levelled regional sailor record

Ye create an EUW sailor record while already owning an NA sailor record, play normally and accept th' matchmaking result.

Arrr, normally fine

Arrr, learning a role honestly

Ye use yer own alternate sailor record to learn another champion or role without intentionally losing or arranging easier battles.

Riot's placement tale

Arrr, placed lower despite trying

Riot says a high-skilled sailor legitimately placed below expectation be nay smurfing when they genuinely tried their best.

Nay allowed

Arrr, deliberate deranking

Ye meet defeat or perform below yer trick on purpose so future foes will be easier.

Nay allowed

Arrr, boosting or hitchhiking

A stronger sailor uses an sailor record or duo arrangement to inflate another sailor's Ranked result.

Articles violation

Bought, sold or shared sailor record

Th' sailor record came from a seller, friend or shared login rather than being created and controlled by its owner.

Arrr, one device, separate identities

A family can share a computer, nay an sailor record

Using th' same Windows computer does nay require a shared Riot login. Each person should sign out and use th' Riot sailor record they personally control.

Arrr, shared device

One computer be fine

Two or more booty family members may play on th' same computer when each signs in to their own Riot sailor record.

Arrr, separate access

Keep one sailor record per person

Each sailor should create, control and secure their own login. Sign out afore th' next aboard person uses th' client.

Articles violation

Do nay share credentials

Riot's Articles prohibit sharing an sailor record or login credentials and prohibit allowing another person to access yer sailor record.

Arrr, primary evidence

Arrr, what Riot actually says

Each card links directly to Riot. Th' short excerpts be kept in context and followed by a plain explanation.

1Community Pact · Alternate sailor records

Multiple-sailor record ownership be allowed

“Owning multiple sailor records, in itself, be okay.”

Arrr, what it establishes: th' number o' sailor records alone be nay th' offence. Riot immediately limits unfair advantage, penalty evasion and disruption.

Read th' Community Pact

2Arrr, enforcement FAQ · Legitimate placement

A fresh sailor record be nay automatically manipulation

Riot says a high-MMR sailor who creates a legitimate sailor record, tries fully in placements and lands lower than expected has nay smurfed merely because matchmaking placed them there.

Arrr, read Riot's enforcement FAQ

3Articles o' Service · Sailor record access

Yer sailor record must remain yours

Riot's articles prohibit sharing login credentials and selling, transferring or allowing another person to access an sailor record.

Read Riot's Articles o' Service

4Sailor record Transfer FAQ · Regions

Regions be separate harbour environments

Riot documents NA, EUW and other regional servers, transfer eligibility, latency effects and th' need to shipshape placements after a transfer.

Arrr, read Riot's transfer FAQ

Do nay treat sailor records as isolated

Riot can link penalties across sailor records

Riot's enforcement FAQ says sailor record and penalty linking began from Patch 25.23. Using another sailor record does nay reliably isolate th' owner from action.

Main sailor record

Same sailor

Alternate sailor record

Arrr, linked enforcement can apply

Afore using an alternate sailor record

Arrr, four ownership and fair-play checks

This be a practical self-inspect, nay approval from Riot or a guarantee agin' enforcement.

1I created this sailor recordIt was nay bought, transferred from a friend or supplied by a boosting service. 2Arrr, i control it aloneI do nay share its credentials or let another sailor use it fer Ranked progression. 3I play every clash honestlyI do nay derank, throw placements or conceal me trick to seek easier foes. 4I am nay evading actionI am nay using it to bypass a penalty or continue conduct Riot restricted elsewhere.

0 o' 4 checkedInspect each point afore calling th' sailor record a normal alternate sailor record.

Copy to parchment fer yer crew-shipshape explanations

Share th' rule without starting an argument

Pick th' version that fits. Each tale includes this chart so th' recipient can open Riot's linked sources and read th' full context.

Pick an tale

Short captain's answer

Owning multiple League sailor records be allowed by itself. How th' sailor record be obtained and used be what matters: https://vrc.lol/league/smurfing

Arrr, nA and EUW

I personally created and control both me NA and EUW League sailor records. Owning multiple sailor records be allowed by itself; I still have to play honestly and must nay buy, share, boost, deliberately derank or use either sailor record to evade penalties. https://vrc.lol/league/smurfing

Arrr, alt or smurf

An alternate League sailor record be nay automatically a smurf sailor record. Riot draws th' line at deliberate rank or matchmaking manipulation, boosting, bought or shared sailor records, and penalty evasion. https://vrc.lol/league/smurfing

Arrr, shared computer

Sharing one computer be fine. Sharing one Riot sailor record be nay. Each family member should create and use their own sailor record and keep their login credentials private. https://vrc.lol/league/smurfing

Arrr, nothing copied yet.

Arrr, authority and limitations

Riot has th' final say

VRC.LOL explains published Riot material. It cannae declare an individual sailor record seaworthy, identify a smurf, reverse a penalty or see th' evidence available to Riot.

Clear th' deck answers

Smurfing and alternate-sailor record questions

Can I have both an NA and an EUW League sailor record?

Aye. Riot says owning multiple sailor records be acceptable by itself. Personally creating and fairly playing one sailor record in NA and another in EUW does nay become prohibited merely because both belong to ye. Do nay buy, share, boost, deliberately derank or use either sailor record to evade penalties.

Is every alternate sailor record a smurf?

Nay. “Alternate sailor record” only means another sailor record. Riot defines smurfing through deliberate manipulation intended to bypass matchmaking and beat less-skilled foes, commonly involving buying, deranking or sharing.

What if me new sailor record be placed below me main sailor record?

Riot's enforcement FAQ says that be nay automatically smurfing when th' sailor record be legitimate and ye genuinely tried yer best. Deliberately losing placements or suppressing performance to engineer th' lower result be different.

Can I use a friend's old sailor record as me alt?

Do nay. Riot's Articles o' Service prohibit sailor record sharing and transfer. Riot also warns that a shared sailor record wit' substantially lower MMR can be flagged when another sailor rapidly raises it.

Can I create an alt to play wit' lower-ranked friends?

Normal modes can avoid some Ranked manipulation concerns, but using a stronger sailor's alternate sailor record to carry someone through Ranked can be boosting or hitchhiking. Riot's FAQ specifically directs mixed-skill friends astern from doing this in Ranked.

Can a penalty on one sailor record affect another?

Aye. Riot says sailor record and penalty linking can extend enforcement across sailor records associated wit' th' same sailor. Another region or login be nay a dependable way to avoid action.

Can me family use one computer fer League?

Aye, but nay one shared sailor record. Each person should sign in to an sailor record they personally created and control, keep their credentials private and sign out afore another person plays. Riot's Articles prohibit sharing sailor record access.

Is VRC.LOL deciding whether somebody be a smurf?

Nay. VRC.LOL be independent and does nay have Riot's sailor record evidence. Riot investigates and makes th' final enforcement decision.