LoL Penalties Explained: AFK, Leaving, Dodging, Chat and Bans

League of Legends punishes leaving games, going AFK, dodging champion select and abusive chat with a ladder of penalties. They start with short queue delays and chat restrictions and go up to multi-day queue lockouts and account bans. This guide lays out each penalty with Riot's current numbers, what triggers it and how long it lasts.

Last checked: November 9, 2026.

LoL penalties at a glance

Leaving and AFK penalties

If Riot's system decides you've left games or idled during them, you move up a penalty tier. You get a warning before the first real penalty, and a notice each time you enter a new tier.

A game where you're flagged as a leaver always counts as a loss, even if your team wins without you.

Which modes count

AFK and leaver penalties apply to every matchmade mode: Swiftplay, Co-op vs. AI, Draft Pick, Ranked Solo/Duo, Ranked Flex, ARAM, Arena and rotating modes such as ARURF. Custom games and Training modes never give leaver penalties. Riot also treats Ranked more strictly, so penalties build faster there.

How queue delays work

• The timer appears when you try to queue. If you don't wait the full time, it resets to the start.
• A game only reduces your remaining penalty if it lasts at least 10 minutes.
• Remade games don't count, and neither do games where you're flagged AFK again.
• If you dodge champion select after your delay is over, the delay resets and the number of games left stays the same.
• If someone else dodges, you can queue again right away.

During a lockout (Tier 4 and above) you can't play the affected modes at all. When it ends, you drop to Tier 3 and play five games with a 15-minute delay.

The only way to clear a penalty is to sit out the lockout or play the required games. Riot also says it can't give back LP or MMR lost by leaving.

LP reduction in Ranked

When you're flagged as AFK or a leaver at the end of a ranked game, your LP is reduced for your next several games in that queue. It affects wins and losses alike. A leave in Ranked Flex only affects Flex.

There's one more catch: if a win would take you above 100 LP but the penalty pulls you back under 100, you don't promote.

Dodging champion select

Leaving champion select, or failing to lock in a champion, counts as a dodge. Everyone else goes back into the queue and you get a penalty:

• Apex tiers (Master and above) lose 20 LP per dodge instead of 5, with an MMR impact as well.
• Each dodge tier lasts 24 hours. Dodging again within that time raises your tier and adds another 24 hours.
• Dodges are tracked across queues. A ranked dodge right after a normal dodge counts as your second.
• In ARAM, a dodge also means you're no longer guaranteed your Blessed Card (the third champion option) if you had one. That applies even when someone else dodged.
• Missing too many Ready Checks leads to escalating penalties too, starting with timed queue bans. Ready Check penalties apply to your whole account.

Since patch 26.1, champion select can also be ended when a reported player is found to be holding the lobby hostage to force someone else to dodge. That player gets a penalty that stops them from queuing again right away, and everyone else goes back into matchmaking.

Chat restrictions

Toxic chat usually leads to a chat restriction before anything harsher. While it's active:

• You can't send messages in game, including pre-game and post-game lobbies.
• Party chat counts too, and is held to the same rules.
• You still see your team's messages, and you can still use Smart Pings.
• Other players aren't told you're restricted.
• It ends after a set number of days.

You'll see a pop-up at login showing how long the restriction lasts, and it's listed in your penalty notifications. Since patch 26.12, the social panel in the client also shows your Honor, any active restrictions and what you need to do to restore your standing.

Riot also says the most negative chat-restricted players at the end of a season can't earn ranked end-of-season rewards, such as the Victorious skin.

Riot Support also notes that Ranked Restrictions, an older penalty type, are no longer applied since patch 26.4.

Ping spam

Since patch 26.4, Riot detects extreme cases of sustained, disruptive ping spamming. Players caught doing it can have their ability to ping temporarily reduced. Riot says normal pinging, whether strategic, playful or celebratory, isn't targeted.

Suspensions and bans

A suspension (Riot uses "ban" and "suspension" to mean the same thing) stops you from logging in at all.

• Temporary bans usually last days or weeks. They often follow warnings or chat restrictions, but serious offenses can get one right away.
• Since patch 26.5, severe chat offenses such as hate speech, threats of violence and severe aggression lead to gameplay bans, not just chat restrictions.
• Permanent bans are almost always preceded by earlier warnings or suspensions, but Riot says extreme behavior can earn one without any.

Common ban reasons match the report categories: negative attitude, verbal abuse, leaving or AFK, intentional feeding, hate speech, cheating and offensive names. Win-trading and boosting can also lead to bans.

You're responsible for everything that happens on your account, including when someone else plays it. Account sharing breaks Riot's terms. Riot says correctly placed penalties aren't removed, but you can appeal with a ticket using the request type "Discuss a Personal Suspension, Ban, or Restriction".

If your team was hurt by a leaver or a deliberate feeder, see the compensation section below. For severe sabotage during a match, Riot can also offer the affected team a vote to end the game. Our surrender and remake guide explains how that vote and /remake work.

Compensation when someone else ruins your game

When Riot confirms that a teammate left or fed on purpose, affected players are compensated automatically:

Since patch 26.7, the LP refund in these cases is a full refund rather than a partial one. Some of these rewards have cooldowns, and support agents can't add LP by hand.

How to avoid penalties

• Only queue for Ranked when you have at least an hour free, as Riot itself advises.
• Test fixes for crashes or connection problems in the Practice Tool or a custom game, not in matchmaking.
• Mute early. /mute, /fullmute, /muteself and /deafen are all in our chat commands list.
• Report players after the game instead of arguing with them.
• Don't dodge twice in a day. The second dodge costs far more than the first.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the leaver penalty in League of Legends?

It depends on your tier. Early tiers add a 1 to 15 minute queue delay for 1 to 5 games, while Tiers 4 to 7 lock you out of queues for 24 hours, 3 days, 7 days or 2 weeks, followed by five games with a 15-minute delay.

How do I remove a low priority queue penalty in LoL?

You can't remove it early. Wait out the delay before each game and finish the required number of games, each lasting at least 10 minutes without being flagged AFK.

How much LP do you lose for dodging in LoL?

You lose 5 LP for a first dodge and 15 LP for each dodge after that within the penalty window. In Master, Grandmaster and Challenger, a dodge costs 20 LP and also affects MMR.

Do you lose LP if a teammate goes AFK?

Usually not, once Riot confirms the AFK or leaver: affected Ranked players get consolation LP for the loss. Since patch 26.7 that's a full LP refund instead of a partial one, though Riot notes it can't always verify every case.

How long do chat restrictions last in LoL?

They last a set number of days, shown in a pop-up when you log in and in your penalty notifications. You can still play, see team chat and use pings during the restriction.

Can a LoL ban be appealed?

Yes. Submit a ticket and choose "Discuss a Personal Suspension, Ban, or Restriction". Riot says correctly placed penalties aren't overturned, so an appeal only helps if the penalty was a mistake.

Do I get a penalty for leaving a custom game?

No. Custom and Training mode games never give leaver penalties. A warning after leaving a custom game relates to an earlier offense.