Queue Times In League of Legends And What Players Can Do While Waiting

By LOLValue Team · July 7, 2026

While League of Legends remains a massive global powerhouse, there's no denying it can seriously test your patience.

Most of the time, that frustration kicks in before you've even stepped onto the Rift. Sitting through a long queue when you just want to get into the action is brilliant at killing your momentum.

Instead of staring blankly at the timer, it helps to look at these delays as a decent opportunity. Whether you want to prep for the upcoming match or just find a quick bit of entertainment to pass the time, there are plenty of ways to make the wait a lot less painful.

Understanding League of Legends queue times

It is natural to assume that queue times are usually connected to factors such as the number of players currently online or the quality of a player's internet connection, and to some extent that is true. However, the reality is that many other elements are taken into account.

Since the goal is to provide balanced and high-quality matches, several additional criteria are incorporated into the matchmaking process. After all, simply selecting players as quickly as possible is not enough.

A sort of filtering system needs to be applied, taking into consideration both individual and overall skill levels, as well as the roles selected by each participant so that preferences can be respected across both teams.

How to make the most of League of Legends queue times

Knowing that queue times are often unavoidable, we have put together a few suggestions on how you can make better use of your time before the match begins.

Stay up to date with the latest builds

The first tip for making your waiting time productive is to review your runes and builds. Since these elements have a direct impact on a champion's performance, paying attention to them can make a significant difference once the queue finally comes to an end.

What many players still do not know is that it is possible to go beyond simply thinking about the subject or relying on their own intuition. Today, there are platforms that use an enormous amount of statistical data to show which combinations are delivering the best results.

OP.GG and U.GG are considered the community's leading references, allowing visitors to quickly identify which builds are trending, which ones have fallen out of favor, and which strategies are currently producing the strongest results for each champion.

Make the most of the chat

Few pastimes are as effective as chatting with friends. One of the most convenient and appealing aspects of League of Legends is that players do not even need to leave the platform to do so thanks to the integrated chat system. Naturally, there are several ways to make use of it.

When queueing with a group, conversations often revolve around strategies for the upcoming match or discussions about the one that has just ended. The information available on the websites mentioned earlier can certainly prove useful in these situations. In addition, the chat can also be used to invite more friends to join the team and put together a strong lineup for future games.

Turn queue time into a learning opportunity

There are excellent ways to expand your League of Legends knowledge while also finding a healthy dose of inspiration. Within seconds, you can access videos covering official competitions such as Worlds, the game's premier international tournament, as well as the LCK, a league that is home to legendary organizations such as T1 and Gen.G.

Using YouTube's search filters, or even live streaming platforms, you can even select videos based on their length, matching them to the estimated queue time before your next match begins.

Discover new games

While your PC is stuck in matchmaking limbo, your mobile is brilliant for a quick distraction. The trick is choosing games you can drop the exact second your queue pops.

Casual puzzles like Candy Crush or 2048 fit this brief perfectly, as does a quick, low-stakes slot spin or a hand of blackjack at NetBet online casino. Both options let you shut the tab instantly without any penalty the moment that 'Match Found' box flashes up on your monitor.

Take a short break

Of course, all the tips above can be much better utilized if you are not facing a long gaming marathon. If that is the case, nothing is better than taking a little time off the screen to drink some water, stretch, take a walk around the house, or just rest your eyes.

Here we go beyond the game, because even though small actions like these can influence your performance as a player, taking into consideration that a match can take dozens of minutes, your well-being must come first.

LoL account value calculator · LoL skins database · LoL MMR checker · Wasted on LoL · Riot Points to USD

LoLValue isn't endorsed by Riot Games and doesn't reflect the views or opinions of Riot Games or anyone officially involved in producing or managing Riot Games properties. Riot Games, and all associated properties are trademarks or registered trademarks of Riot Games, Inc.