League of Legends Ranks in Order: Iron to Challenger & How LP Works

Every League of Legends Rank in Order

From lowest to highest, the ten tiers are Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Emerald, Diamond, Master, Grandmaster, and Challenger (source: League of Legends Wiki).

The rank people forget is Emerald. Riot added it between Platinum and Diamond in 2023, which shifted everything above it. If you last played before then, the ladder you remember is now one tier longer (source: League of Legends Wiki).

Divisions and League Points

The first seven tiers, Iron through Diamond, are each split into four divisions, numbered IV (lowest) up to I (highest). So you climb Silver IV, Silver III, Silver II, Silver I, then promote into Gold IV (source: Riot Support).

Within each division you earn League Points (LP) on a 0 to 100 scale. Hit 100 LP and you promote to the next division; drop to 0 LP and keep losing and you can demote. When your hidden matchmaking rating is aligned with your visible rank, a win or loss is worth roughly 20 LP (source: League of Legends Wiki).

The Apex Tiers: Master, Grandmaster, Challenger

The top three tiers work differently. Master, Grandmaster, and Challenger have no divisions. Instead they form one continuous leaderboard ranked purely by LP (source: League of Legends Wiki).

• Master starts at 0 LP and has no player cap. Anyone who climbs there can stay.
• Grandmaster and Challenger are limited to a fixed number of slots per region and queue. You hold a spot by having more LP than the players below the cutoff, and the cutoff floats based on how competitive your region is.

Because the cutoffs move constantly and differ by region, the exact LP needed for Grandmaster or Challenger is a moving target. The apex tiers are also subject to LP decay, so top players need to keep playing to hold their position (source: Riot Support).

Placement Matches

When you first rank up or at the start of a new ranked year, you play 5 placement matches to set your starting rank (source: League of Legends Wiki). A few things to know:

• You cannot lose LP during placements. A loss simply gives 0 LP for that game.
• Your placement is based on those results, your opponents, and your rank from the previous year.
• You cannot place higher than Diamond III straight out of placements, even if you finished the previous year in Challenger. Everyone above Diamond climbs back through the ladder.

Note that this was historically 10 placement games; the current system uses 5.

Solo/Duo and Flex Are Separate Ranks

League runs two ranked queues, Ranked Solo/Duo and Ranked Flex, and each tracks its own independent rank for the same account. You complete placements separately in each, so you might be Gold in Solo/Duo and Platinum in Flex at the same time (source: Riot Support).

Requirements and Seasonal Resets

To play ranked you need an account at Summoner Level 30 that owns at least 20 champions (source: Riot Support). At the start of each ranked year your rank is softly reset downward and you re-prove it through placements. Riot moved to a single major rank reset per year, at the start of the year, rather than the multiple resets it used in the past (source: Riot Games).

LP vs MMR

Two numbers govern your climb. LP is the visible points in your division. MMR (matchmaking rating) is a hidden value calculated from your wins, losses, and performance, and it is what actually decides your opponents. If your MMR is higher than your displayed rank, you gain more LP per win than you lose per loss, which is the game pulling you toward where it thinks you belong (source: PCGamesN).

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the League of Legends ranks in order?

Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Emerald, Diamond, Master, Grandmaster, and Challenger, from lowest to highest. Iron through Diamond each have four divisions; Master, Grandmaster, and Challenger have none.

When was Emerald added to League of Legends?

Riot added the Emerald tier in 2023, placing it between Platinum and Diamond. It expanded the ladder to ten tiers, so guides written before 2023 are missing it.

How does LP work in League of Legends?

LP, or League Points, runs from 0 to 100 within each division. Reaching 100 LP promotes you to the next division, and there are no longer any promotion series to win. When your MMR matches your rank, wins and losses are worth about 20 LP each.

How do you reach Challenger?

Challenger is a capped number of slots per region and queue, ranked by LP above a floating cutoff. You reach it by climbing Master with enough LP to pass everyone below the Challenger cutoff in your region. The exact LP needed changes constantly and varies by region.

How many placement games are there in League?

Five placement matches per ranked queue. You cannot lose LP in them, and you cannot place higher than Diamond III out of placements regardless of your previous rank.

What do you need to play ranked in League of Legends?

A Summoner Level 30 account that owns at least 20 champions. Ranked Solo/Duo and Ranked Flex each require their own separate placement matches.

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