Key points
- Riot said “account sharing/selling is a hard no-go, and can result in immediate bans”.
- Patch 25.13 added a “Rank Manipulation” report option; penalties started with patch 25.18.
- Vanguard data helps find shared, sold or botted accounts, which Riot says often go hand in hand with boosting.
- Alt accounts for your own use are fine, unless they are deliberately deranked.
What Riot said
In a dev post on August 11, 2025 about banning bots and boosters, Riot defined boosting as a stronger player logging into someone else’s account to play Ranked, and hitchhiking as queuing with a booster to climb. It was blunt about the market around both: “account sharing/selling is a hard no-go, and can result in immediate bans.” Accounts that are not leveled and played by one person count as violations, and Riot said it “will restrict, suspend, and/or ban these accounts.”
How enforcement works
Patch 25.13 added a Rank Manipulation report category, and penalties began with patch 25.18, with reporters told when action is taken and LP refunded to affected players. Riot said Vanguard, its anti-cheat, helps it identify shared, sold and botted accounts, and that improved detection models were due in 25.18. A year later, Riot reported 296,416 League and VALORANT accounts penalized (see our story).
What it means for buyers
In League, the account itself is the evidence: who logs in, from where, and how they play. A bought account or a piloted boost changes exactly what Vanguard looks at. If you want help climbing, coaching or duo play on your own account carries far less risk; see when boosting makes sense and the League of Legends page.
Sources
We report from official announcements first and name the outlet when a detail comes from one report. Found an error? Tell us, and see our editorial policy.
