When Does the LoL Season End?

LoL Season End Date: Season 3 2026

Season 3 of the 2026 ranked year is expected to end on January 6, 2027, at 23:59:59 local server time. Master, Grandmaster and Challenger lock 15 minutes earlier, at 23:45. Riot has not announced the date yet: the date shown follows the end of the 2024 and 2025 ranked years. The last patch of the year, 26.24, is scheduled for December 9, 2026, and the season closes at the end of its cycle.

The 2026 ranked year started on January 8, 2026. The 2025 year ended on January 7, 2026 and the 2024 year on January 8, 2025, both on the Wednesday before the first patch of January, which puts the end of 2026 on Wednesday, January 6, 2027. Riot confirms the exact day in the patch notes a few weeks before; the countdown above switches to the official date as soon as it does. Today there are 86 days left on the North American server.

Season End Time in Every Region

Each server closes at 23:59:59 of its own local server time, so the season does not end at the same moment everywhere. Riot lists the time zone of every server: Europe West uses London time (GMT), Europe Nordic & East Central European Time, North America Pacific time and Oceania Sydney time. Oceania, Korea and Japan close first, North America last.

A game counts for the season only if you reach its loading screen before the deadline, and the Master+ ladder is read for the last time at 23:45. The times use the expected date and each server's own clock, summer time included (Oceania is on daylight saving time in January).

2026 Ranked Calendar: Seasons and Patches

The 2026 ranked year has three seasons, each with its own Victorious skin, and one full rank reset, in January. A season starts at 12:00 local server time on the first day of its first patch and ends at 23:59:59 on the last day of its last patch.

Season 2 lasted 6 patches instead of the usual 8, which Riot said would make room for a longer season later in the year: Season 3 runs from patch 26.15 to 26.24. Rank and LP carry over from one season to the next inside the year; only the 15-win Victorious mission starts again.

What Happens When the Ranked Season Ends

• 23:45 server time: Master, Grandmaster and Challenger lock. Your apex rank for rewards is the one on that last ladder.
• 23:59:59 server time: ranked closes. Your rank at that moment decides your Victorious chroma and season rewards, not your peak.
• About 12 hours without ranked: Summoner's Rift ranked queues stay off until 12:00 local server time the next day.
• Transfers paused: server transfers are switched off just before the end and come back once the rewards are out.
• Rewards: they arrive during the first patch of the new season.
• New season: it starts at 12:00 local server time; at the start of a new year, ranks reset and you play placement games again.

Ranked Reset in January 2027

Ranks and LP reset once a year, when the first season of the new year starts, not between the seasons of a year. After the reset you play 5 provisional games and get a starting rank. Riot Support says you will likely start the new year about a full tier below your final rank of the previous year. 2026 had one exception: at the start of Season 2 (patch 26.9), Master, Grandmaster and Challenger players in NA, EUW, EUNE, LAN, BR and TR went back to Master 0 LP; every other player kept their rank.

Riot's sources disagree on the highest starting rank: the Riot Support article says Emerald I, while Riot's 2024 ranked update raised it to Diamond III. The notes of the first patch of 2027 will say which applies.

Victorious Skin 2026 and Rewards by Rank

To get a season's Victorious skin you need 15 ranked wins in that season, in Solo/Duo, Flex or both, and Honor level 3 at the end. Since 2025 the rank does not matter: you do not need Gold. The skin comes with the champion if you do not own it, an Eternals capsule and a chroma for your final rank and every rank below it; Iron gets the skin without a chroma.

The 2026 skins are Victorious Braum (Season 1) and Victorious Rengar (Season 2); Riot has not named the Season 3 skin yet. At the end of the year you also get a ranked profile icon and emote for the highest tier you reached in the year, a Victorious splash border if you earned all three Victorious skins of the year, and Challenger players get the Challenger recall.

Challenger and Grandmaster Cutoff at Season End

Your final apex tier is the one on the 23:45 ladder of the last day. Challenger and Grandmaster have a fixed number of seats per server and a minimum LP, so the LP needed rises in the last weeks as players push. In the last 30 days of the season, the panel above projects each server's cutoff to the last day from its last 14 days; the LP cutoff page has today's numbers and the history of every server, updated every 15 minutes.

How Many Players Finish in Each Rank

Most players finish the year in Silver, Gold or Platinum. The LoL rank distribution counts every ranked Solo/Duo player on every server each day, so you can see the share of players in each tier and division before the season locks, and the ranks guide explains how each tier works.

What Changes in 2027

Riot has not announced the 2027 ranked year yet. Since 2025 every year has had three seasons, a Victorious skin per season and a single reset in January. When Riot publishes the 2027 dates, the calendar on this page switches to them and the countdown follows the new season.

Every LoL Season End Date

Until 2022 the ranked season ended once a year, in November; since 2023 a year has two or three parts and the last one ends in January. The table lists every end date since Season 1 with its Victorious skin.

Dates from 2019 on come from Riot's patch notes and Riot Support; earlier dates come from the League of Legends Wiki.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the LoL ranked season end?

Season 3 of the 2026 ranked year is expected to end on January 6, 2027, at 23:59:59 local server time. Riot has not announced the date yet: the date shown follows the end of the 2024 and 2025 ranked years.

What time does ranked end in my region?

At 23:59:59 of your server's local time: London time on EUW, Central European Time on EUNE, Pacific time on NA, Korea time on KR, Sydney time on OCE. The table on this page gives the exact time on every server in UTC and in your own time.

Do Master, Grandmaster and Challenger end earlier?

Yes. The apex tiers lock at 23:45 local server time on the last day, 15 minutes before ranked closes. The ladder at 23:45 is your final apex rank.

Does my rank reset between seasons in 2026?

For most players, no. Rank and LP carry over between the seasons of a year; only the 15-win Victorious mission starts again. The exception in 2026: at the start of Season 2 (patch 26.9), Master+ players in NA, EUW, EUNE, LAN, BR and TR went back to Master 0 LP. The full rank reset comes once a year, in January.

Where will I be placed after the ranked reset?

After 5 provisional games you get a starting rank, usually about a full tier below your final rank of the previous year, according to Riot Support.

How do I get the Victorious skin in 2026?

Win 15 ranked games in the season, in Solo/Duo, Flex or both, and finish with Honor level 3 or higher. Your rank does not matter for the skin; it decides the chroma.

Do I need Gold for the Victorious skin?

No. Since 2025 any rank qualifies: 15 ranked wins and Honor 3 are the only requirements.

Which Victorious chroma will I get?

The chroma of your rank when the season ends, plus the chromas of every rank below it. Iron gets the Victorious skin without a chroma.

When are season rewards given out?

During the first patch of the new season, a few days after the season ends. Year-end rewards (icon, emote, Victorious border) come with the first patch of January.

Can I play ranked right after the season ends?

No. Summoner's Rift ranked queues stay off for about 12 hours and open again at 12:00 local server time the next day, when the new season starts.