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How to Change Server or Region in League of Legends: Account Transfer, New Account, and VPN (2026)

League of Legends champion select showing five roles and the ban phase
Image source: © Riot Games · League client UI
Key takeaways
  • Your LoL account is tied to the region you first signed up in, but there are definitely ways to play on a different server.
  • Method 1 is creating a new account on that server, which is the most reliable but resets your rank and progress.
  • Method 2 is signing up through a VPN to mask your IP, and Method 3 is the Regionless (unified account) direction Riot is pushing toward.
  • If you want to move your existing account as is, an official paid region transfer for 2,600 RP is also available.

Quick answer first: your League of Legends account is locked to the region (server) where it was created, so changing your IP alone won't let you play on NA, EUW, or any other server. But there are realistic ways to change your LoL server, and if you're seeing 'this game is not yet available in your region', the same options apply. Below are the three methods that actually work as of 2026, in order of reliability.

  • Step 1 — Check your current region: you can confirm your account's region on the LoL client login screen or in your Riot account settings.
  • Step 2 — To keep your account, buy Riot's official Account Transfer: it's sold in the client store for 2,600 RP, one-way, with a 90-day cooldown before you can transfer again.
  • Step 3 — The alternative is a new account on the target region: it costs nothing, but you restart at level 1 and your rank and progress don't carry over.

Here's the short version. If you don't need your current account's progress, the most reliable route is creating a new account on the target server (Method 1). Method 2 is signing up through a VPN, and Method 3 is Riot's Regionless (unified account) direction. And if you want to move your existing account as is — rank, skins and all — Riot sells an official region transfer for 2,600 RP, which we cover below. Let's go through each option step by step.

Method 1. Create a New Account on That Server (Most Reliable)

The most reliable and safest way to play on a different server is to create a new account on that server. There's no worry about violating the terms of service, and ping is the only variable, so this is what we recommend most when you want to play with friends in NA or EU or experience an overseas server environment. A Riot account's region is set at sign-up, so the key is choosing the region you want during the sign-up step.

  • Go to Riot Games' official sign-up page, and during the sign-up process select your Region of residence as the server you want. For example: North America (NA), Europe West (EUW).
  • Create the account with a new email and password. It will be a separate account from your existing Korean account.
  • Download and install the League of Legends client for that region. You can select the region when installing the client, or it will connect you to the server matching your account's region once you log in.
  • When you log in, you'll start at level 1. Ranked games become available once your summoner level is 30 or higher.

The downside is clear. None of your existing account's champions, skins, rank, or progress carry over. On the new server, you have to start over at level 1, unranked. So if you want to keep your progress, it's better to consider the paid region transfer below.

If you want to move your existing account as is, there's Riot's official paid region transfer. You buy it in the client store for 2,600 RP (what that RP costs in real money varies by region), and once you transfer, re-transferring is locked for 90 days. Per Riot's official docs, transfers to Brazil, Russia, and Korea are unavailable from other servers, and Korean accounts may have limited routes too — so check whether your transfer is possible on Riot's support page first.

Method 2. Work Around Your Sign-Up Region with a VPN

With a VPN, you can change your IP to the country you want during sign-up, prompting Riot to classify your account into that region. This is the method people use when the sign-up page only opens in certain regions, or when creating a new account on a server that's hard to select directly from Korea. To be honest, though, we don't recommend this method. Location spoofing isn't recommended under Riot's terms, there's a risk of penalties if you're caught, and your ping goes up too. Still, the method itself is as follows.

  • Install a trustworthy VPN and connect to a server in the country of the server you want (for example, the US or Germany).
  • With the VPN connected, go to Riot's sign-up page and create a new account. The account is created in that region based on your masked IP.
  • Install that region's client and log in.
  • From then on, you have to connect through a VPN in the same region each time you play on that account for it to match properly.
Playing with a VPN on can raise your ping due to physical distance, which can worsen your actual play experience. Some people use a VPN only for sign-up and turn it off to play, but then your account region and connection location differ, leaving the ping and match-quality problems intact. In the end, Method 1 is better in terms of stability and terms of service.

Method 3. Regionless: Riot's Unified Account Direction

In the long run, Riot is moving toward decoupling accounts from regions. It has already converted every player's account into a global Riot Account, so you can log in to multiple games and servers with a single ID. In 2025, it also did work to merge adjacent servers, such as the Southeast Asia (SEA) server consolidation.

That said, even as of 2026, a complete Regionless system where one account can freely move between all regions and even play ranked is not yet available. In other words, unified login and server consolidation have progressed, but accounts are still tied to a specific League of Legends region. So if you want to play on a different server right now, Method 1 or 2 is the realistic choice. Regionless is a direction worth watching, but until it's announced, waiting is the answer.

Change Region vs. Change Server in LoL: Same Thing, Different Words

In League of Legends, 'change region' and 'change server' mean the same thing: every Riot account is tied to exactly one LoL region (also called a shard), and the client no longer even shows a region selector at login — you can confirm which region you're on from the client login screen or your Riot account settings. So changing your region comes down to the two routes above: the paid account transfer or a new account. Before you spend RP, know the transfer limits from Riot's official Account Transfer FAQ: a transfer is one-way with a 90-day cooldown, transfers to Brazil, Russia, and Korea are unavailable from other servers, and while your champions, skins, Blue Essence, and Riot ID move with you, your ranked standing doesn't — you replay placement games on the new server.

Note: Differences in Terms of Service, Ping, and Rank

  • Terms of service: Location spoofing (VPN) is not recommended by Riot. Creating a new account and an official paid transfer are the safe choices.
  • Ping: The farther a server is physically, the larger the delay (ping). NA and EU servers can see significantly higher ping when connecting from Korea.
  • Rank: A new account has its rank reset. You have to reach level 30 to unlock ranked, and start over from placement matches on the new server.
  • Progress: Champions, skins, and match history are tied to the account. They don't carry over to a new account; only a paid transfer moves your existing account as is.

For reference, not only the main League of Legends game but also Teamfight Tactics follows the same Riot account system, so the methods above apply identically. Once you've decided which server to start on, you just need to select the region accurately during the sign-up step.

In-game screenshot of League of Legends
League of Legends gameplay · official screenshot

No matter which server you play on, great moments don't come around again. Whether it's your first pentakill on a new server or a comeback win with overseas friends, leaving DOR running automatically detects your best moments and saves them as clips. You don't have to worry about a record button: just focus on the game, and afterward gather up the highlights and watch.

FAQ

FAQ

Can I just play on the NA server with my Korean LoL account?

Not by just changing your IP. Because your account is tied to the Korean region, to play on the NA server you have to create a new NA account or move your account with an official paid region transfer (2,600 RP).

What's the most reliable way to play on a different server?

Creating a new account on that server. Select that server as your region during sign-up and connect with that region's client. There are no terms-of-service issues and it's stable. However, you start at level 1 and your progress doesn't carry over.

Is using a VPN a violation of the terms of service?

Riot does not recommend location spoofing. You can use it to change your sign-up region, but there's a risk of penalties if you're caught, and your ping goes up too. To stay safe, we recommend creating a new account or using the official paid transfer.

Can I move my existing account's skins and rank to a different server as is?

You can use the official paid region transfer. It costs 2,600 RP, and once you transfer, re-transferring is restricted for about 90 days. The new-account method doesn't carry over your progress.

Has Regionless, letting one account play on all servers, been introduced now?

Unified Riot accounts and some server consolidation have progressed, but as of 2026 a complete Regionless system where one account can freely move between all regions is not yet available. For now, a new account or paid transfer is the realistic option.

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