You can play with friends in League of Legends at level 3. Swiftplay and ARAM open at that level, and Normal Draft follows at level 10. Ranked queues are the exception: they open at level 30, but only if your account also meets a champion and game requirement and your party fits the queue’s rules.
Which modes open at each level
Riot’s “Unlocking Game Modes” guidance, dated May 29, 2026, sets the unlock points below. Levels and requirements can change with future patches, so check the in-client mode selector if your account shows something different.
| Mode | Unlock requirement | What it means for playing with friends |
|---|---|---|
| Normal 5v5 Summoner’s Rift (Swiftplay) | Level 3 | The earliest standard Summoner’s Rift option for a group |
| ARAM (5v5 Howling Abyss) | Level 3 | A faster, single-lane mode that is also available early |
| Practice Tool | Level 9 | Training against bots, not a team queue, so it does not matter for matchmaking with friends |
| Normal Draft (5v5 Summoner’s Rift) | Level 10 | Full draft pick and ban with a group |
| Ranked Solo/Duo and Ranked Flex | Level 30, at least 20 champions owned, and 10 Swiftplay or Normal Draft games completed | Requires all three conditions; reaching level 30 alone is not enough |
Casual modes: level 3 for a quick game
If you want to get into a game with a friend as soon as possible, Swiftplay is the mode to aim for. Everyone in the party needs to have reached level 3 and unlocked the mode on their own account, because a party can only queue for modes that every member can access. If a friend has a newer account, they will need to reach level 3 before you can queue together in that mode.
Normal Draft is the next step up. It waits until level 10, so a party that includes a level 5 friend will still be limited to Swiftplay or ARAM until that player reaches level 10.
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Ranked: what you need beyond level 30
Ranked Solo/Duo and Ranked Flex both open at level 30, but each player must also own at least 20 champions and have completed 10 Swiftplay or Normal Draft games. Ranked games do not count toward the 10. Check your champion count under the Collection tab and your completed games in your match history before assuming you are eligible.
Solo/Duo or Flex: which queue fits your group
| Queue | Intended group | Allowed party sizes | Rank rules as described by Riot (May 7, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranked Solo/Duo | Individual players, or one player with one friend | Solo or a duo | Players are expected to be close in rank; the exact limit varies by tier |
| Ranked Flex | Teams | Groups of 1, 2, 3, or 5; a group of four must play unranked | Looser rank rules through Diamond; players must be at least Emerald to queue with Master-tier and above |
Riot also warns that a large rank gap between teammates can produce harder matchups for the lower-ranked players, even when the queue allows the group.
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A note on the rank limits
Riot’s queue guidance (May 7, 2026) describes rank-based party restrictions. A separate Ranked Restrictions note, dated June 1, 2026, says those restrictions stopped being applied with Patch 26.04. The newer note is the more current source, so if your client lets a mixed-rank party queue, that is consistent with it. Treat the Solo/Duo and Flex rank limits in the earlier guidance as possibly out of date, and check the live queue in your client before planning a ranked session around them.
Quick checklist before you queue together
- Every player in the party has reached the level for the mode you want.
- For Ranked, every player has at least 20 champions and 10 completed Swiftplay or Normal Draft games.
- For Ranked Flex, your party has 1, 2, 3, or 5 players, not 4.
- For Ranked Solo/Duo, your party is one or two players.
- If a queue option is greyed out, check the account for the missing requirement before assuming a bug.
Why the levels are staggered
Riot uses the early levels to introduce new players to the basics through short, low-pressure modes before adding the more complex draft and ranked systems. Level 3 gives access to a full 5v5 game and an alternative mode, which lets two new players enjoy a match together without needing to understand drafting. Level 10 brings in drafting and level 30 adds competitive ladders, which is why ranked has the most requirements.
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For most groups, the practical answer is simple: start with Swiftplay or ARAM at level 3, move to Normal Draft at level 10, and only queue Ranked once every player meets all three requirements.
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