How to fix League of Legends lag
League of Legends has become a fan favorite, it still has its fair share of issues, such as lag, disconnection errors, and other types of similar problems. While the game’s developer is constantly working with manufacturer’s and ISPs to solve these issues, it’s not uncommon to experience a few minor problems from time to time.
Some of the most common issues reported by League of Legends players are lag and stuttering. So, if you’ve been experiencing these issues, keep reading, and we’ll dive into what might be causing your problem and how you can fix it.
However, when trying to figure out how to fix League of Legends lag, it’s important to make sure that your system meets the minimum system requirements to run League of Legends properly.
Why League of Legends is so popular?
Developed and published by Riot Games, League of Legends, abbreviated as LoL, is an online multiplayer game that has become a fan favorite amongst gamers around the world.
In the game, players take on the role of a “summoner” who gets to control a “champion” with a unique set of skills and abilities to battle against teams of other online players or computer-controlled teams.
The aim of the League of Legends game is to destroy the other team’s Nexus, a structure at the center of their base, protected by other types of defenses. Furthermore, there are a few other separate game modes to choose from.
Each and every match is unique, where each team’s champions start out weak, but increase in strength by collecting powerups and experience points as the match progresses. The game’s characters, as well as its setting are based on several elements, such as steampunk, high-fantasy, and some might even say a touch of Lovecraftian horror.
League of Legends system requirements
Below, you’ll find both the minimum system requirements, as well as the recommended requirements. While you’ll still be able to run the game by meeting the minimal requirements, it’s not uncommon to experience glitches and other errors since your system will be constantly trying to keep up with the game.
However, if your system meets the recommended requirements, you shouldn’t have any issues being able to run the game properly.
Minimum requirements
- Processor: 2 GHz processor
- RAM: 2 GB for Windows Vista
- Hard drive: 8 GB
- Graphics card: Shader 2.0 capable
- Operating system: Windows XP or newer
Recommended system requirements
- Processor: 3 GHz processor
- RAM: 2 GB or 4GB if using a more recent version of Windows
- Hard Drive: 12 GB of available disk space
- Graphics Card: Nvidia 8800 or AMD Radeon HD 5670 or equivalent GPU with 512 MB VRAM or higher
- Operating System: Windows 10 with the most recent service pack.
General fixes for League of Legends lag
When experiencing lag in League of Legends, one common solution is to make sure that your version of Windows is up to date with a latest from Windows Update. Make sure that your system is updated with the latest version and that all your drivers are updated as well.
This should solve your latency issues, but if you’re still experiencing lag, you might need to repair your game’s installation.
Repairing your installation
Another potential solution is to use the game’s repair option, which should automatically fix any corrupted game files that you may have.
For this, simply load your League of Legends game launcher and click on the “?” icon located near the top right corner of your screen. You should then have the options to select the “Repair” button, which will kickstart the process.
Depending on the number of corrupted files that you have, this can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes. So, let the program run its course and then re-load your game to see if you’re still experiencing League of Legends lag spikes.
League of Legends network and server lag
One of the most common issues that cause lag in League of Legends is a poor connection to the game’s server. This is usually caused by playing the game via a wireless connection, which is prone to disconnects and slower connection speeds.
Therefore, we recommend that you try to switch to a wired Ethernet connection to see if that will solve the latency issue you’ve been experiencing.
If that doesn’t fix your problem, you might need to upgrade your internet package, or you can try opening ports and using port-forwarding.
Stuttering issues
League of Legends stuttering is another common issue that can be caused by either your internet connection or your system itself.
One way to check this is to lower your graphics card settings to see if that will fix the issue. If you load the game and you no longer experience any stuttering issues, then the issue was being caused by your PC. However, if this issue is still present, it is likely being caused by your network connection.
In this case, we recommend that you check your network settings to make sure that everything is setup properly. Open your PC’s Task Manager and find your way to the Networking tab to see if the graph is showing anything abnormal.
Check your graphics card and network drivers
Old or missing drivers is another common reason for experiencing lag while playing League of Legends.
If your graphics card drivers aren’t up to date, this could be the reason that you’ve been experiencing the League of Legends stuttering issue mentioned above. On the other hand, updating your network card drivers ensures that you won’t experience lag due to your connection.
That being said, it’s a good idea to check your drivers to see if they’re up to date and if not, update those that aren’t. This can be done either manually, or by using an automatic driver tool to update your drivers for you.
To do this manually, you’ll need to search for the latest versions of your graphics card and network drivers, download them from the manufacturer and install them on your computer.
Use a VPN to solve League of Legends lag
Using a VPN allows your computer to connect to the internet via a safe and fast connection. It also works to protect you and your computer by encrypting all data being transferred between your device and the network server.
In other words, a VPN masks your IP address, essentially hiding your activity from anyone else who may be using the same network.
VPNs also provide internet users with a faster gaming connection by allowing them to choose a server that is closest to the League of Legends server. This will drastically improve the time it takes data to travel back and forth between your device and the game server.
To solve your League of Legends lag issue, you’ll first need to find a good gaming VPN that suits your needs. Next, you’ll want to download and install the software on your computer.
Once installed, open the VPN application and select a connection that’s offering one of the highest speeds. Then, you’ll simply need to start your game and check to see if the issue is still present.
Restrict background applications
As we’ve already mentioned, you can use your Task Manager to check for any abnormalities in your system’s performance. But you can also use it to restrict any background applications that could be drawing from your PC’s resources and causing your latency issue.
To do this, simply open your Task Manager and inspect the list for any applications that are using up a significant amount of your computer’s resources.
Then, right click on any applications that you aren’t currently using and select the option to “End Task”.
It’s also a good idea to assign the game as a “High Priority” task, which should help increase its performance. Next, boot up the game and check to see if your issue has been resolved.
Network congestion
The problem could also be caused if there are other background programs that are using your network connection while you’re playing League of Legends. Therefore, it’s important to make sure that there are no downloads running or other devices on your network that are using up your bandwidth.
For the game to run properly, it’s best that your computer be the only device connected to the network at the time.
Boost your PC’s performance
Windows offers its users the ability to switch their computers to Game Mode, which could potentially solve the latency issue that you’ve been having. And, there are also a few other built-in system changes you can make to boost your PC’s performance as well.
To do this, find your way to your computer’s Control Panel and look for “System and Security”. Click on System and then, Advanced System Settings. Under the Performance tab, click on Settings and you should then be given an option that says, “Adjust for Best Performance”. Select this and then hit “Apply”.
If your lag was being caused by inadequate system requirements, this could potentially solve the problem.
Also, if you’re playing League of Legends on a laptop computer, you can also try switching your power options to “High Performance” and plugging your laptop in, which should further boost its performance speed.
Then, load your game and see if you’ve solved your League of Legends lag spikes.
