A new account for ranked makes sense only if you want to hide your current rank or play a different role without affecting your main account's rating

Creating a second League account specifically for ranked play is a choice, not a requirement. The game lets you maintain multiple accounts on the same region, and each one has its own separate rank. Most players who do this fall into one of two groups: those who want to practice a different role without tanking their main account's rating, and those who prefer not to show their current rank to other players.

The mechanics are straightforward. You make a new account through the Riot Games launcher, level it to 30 (which takes roughly 100 to 150 hours of normal games), then queue for ranked. Your new account starts at Iron IV and climbs based on your wins and losses. Your original account's rank stays exactly where it was. The two accounts are completely separate in the ranked system.

Whether you should do this depends on what you're actually trying to accomplish. If you're trying to hide a low rank from teammates, a new account won't help—your new account will also place low until you climb. If you want to practice a new role without the pressure of protecting your main rank, a second account is useful. If you're just bored and want a fresh start, you can reset your main account's rank by straightforward not playing ranked for a season instead.

Key Takeaways

  • Each League account has its own separate ranked rating, so a new account starts at Iron IV regardless of your main account's rank.
  • Leveling a new account to 30 takes 100 to 150 hours of normal games before you can queue for ranked at all.
  • A second account is useful if you want to practice a different role without affecting your main account's rating, but not if you're trying to hide your current rank.
  • You can reset your rank without a new account by straightforward not playing ranked for a full season, after which you'll place again from scratch.
  • Riot's terms of service allow multiple accounts, but account sharing and boosting (paying someone to play on your account) are prohibited.

The time cost of leveling a second account

Before you can play ranked on a new account, it must reach level 30. This is a hard requirement—the ranked queue is locked until you hit that milestone. The time this takes varies based on what game mode you play and whether you have experience boosts active.

Normal games give roughly 100 to 150 Blue Essence per game and take 25 to 35 minutes each. At that rate, leveling from 1 to 30 takes somewhere between 100 and 150 hours of actual play time. If you play two hours a day, that's one to three months. If you play casually on weekends, it's longer. There's no shortcut—you cannot buy your way to level 30, and you cannot transfer rank from your main account.

Some players speed this up by playing ARAM (All Random All Mid), which is shorter and gives the same experience per minute. Others buy experience boosts from the shop, which double the experience you earn for a set period. Even with boosts, you're still looking at 50 to 75 hours minimum.

How ranked placement works on a new account

Once your account hits level 30, you can enter the ranked queue. Your first 10 games are placement matches. The system doesn't know your skill level yet, so it places you based on your performance in those 10 games and then assigns you a starting rank.

Most new accounts place somewhere between Iron IV and Bronze II, even if the player is much higher rank on their main account. This is because the system is conservative—it would rather place you low and let you climb than place you too high and have you drop. After placement, you climb or fall based on wins and losses like any other account.

If you're a Gold player on your main account and you place Bronze on your new account, you'll climb quickly through Bronze and Silver because your win rate will be high. The climb back to Gold typically takes 50 to 100 games depending on how fast you win. That's another 20 to 40 hours of play.

When a second account actually helps your main account

The strongest reason to create a second ranked account is to practice a role you don't play on your main. If you main mid lane at Platinum but want to learn jungle, playing jungle games on your main account will drop your rank. A second account lets you learn jungle at a lower rank without that consequence.

This works because you're not trying to maintain two high ranks—you're using the second account as a practice environment. You'll lose more on the new account while you learn, and that's fine because the account's rank doesn't matter to you. Once you're comfortable on the new role, you can either keep using that account for that role or bring the skills back to your main.

A second account is also useful if you want to stream or create content without showing your main account's rank to viewers. Some players prefer to keep their main rank private, and a second account gives them that separation.

What doesn't require a new account

You don't need a second account just to reset your rank. If you want to start fresh at Iron IV on your current account, you can straightforward not play ranked for a full season. At the start of the next season, you'll be reset and placed again from scratch. This takes no extra time and no extra account creation.

You also don't need a second account to play different champions. Your rank is tied to your account, not to individual champions. You can play 50 different champions on the same account and your rank moves with you.

If you're worried about your rank dropping because you're having a bad stretch, a second account won't solve that—you'll just have two accounts with lower ranks. The better approach is to take a break from ranked, play normal games to rebuild confidence, and come back when you're ready.

Account security and Riot's rules

Riot allows you to own multiple accounts on the same region. You can create as many as you want, and each one is treated as a separate entity in the ranked system. However, there are clear rules about what you cannot do with multiple accounts.

You cannot share your account with another player—that violates the terms of service. You also cannot pay someone to play on your account to boost your rank, even if it's your own account. Boosting is a bannable offense. If you create a second account, you must be the one playing on it.

You can own multiple accounts and play on all of them yourself. You can have one account for ranked and one for normal games. You can have one account per role if you want. The restriction is only on sharing access or paying for rank increases.

The hidden cost: split focus and time

Creating a second account sounds straightforward, but it splits your practice time. If you have 10 hours a week to play League, and you split that between two accounts, each account gets 5 hours. That means both accounts climb slower, and you improve slower overall.

Most players who maintain two ranked accounts find that one becomes their "main" and the other gets neglected. The neglected account eventually falls behind in rank, and the player stops playing it. If your goal is to improve at the game, focusing all your time on one account is usually more efficient.

The exception is if your goal is specifically to practice a new role without rank consequences. In that case, the split focus is intentional—you're trading overall climb speed for the ability to learn without pressure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my new account start at the same rank as my main account?

No. Every new account starts at Iron IV and must place again through 10 placement matches. Even if your main account is Diamond, your new account will place low and climb from there. The ranked systems are completely separate.

Can I transfer my rank from my main account to a new account?

No. Riot does not offer rank transfers between accounts. Each account has its own independent ranking. You cannot move your rating, LP, or progress from one account to another.

How long does it take to get a new account to level 30?

Typically 100 to 150 hours of play time, which translates to one to three months depending on how much you play per day. ARAM games are faster than normal games if you want to speed up the process.

Is it against the rules to have multiple ranked accounts?

No, you can own multiple accounts and play ranked on all of them. What's prohibited is sharing your account with another player or paying someone to boost your rank. You must be the one playing on each account you own.

What happens to my main account's rank if I create a new one?

Nothing. Your main account's rank stays exactly where it is. The two accounts are completely separate in the ranked system. Creating a new account does not affect your main account in any way.