What is low priority queue in League of Legends?

Don't mess with LeaverBuster.

League of Legends champions featured in key art
Image via Riot Games

If you repeatedly disconnect from League of Legends games, it is highly likely you’ll end up in a low priority queue due to the LeaverBuster system.

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LeaverBuster: Low priority queue, explained

The LeaveBuster system is a penalty system that discourages players to exit a game and will place these players in a slow queue when they want to enter a newer game.

Riot Games implemented the LeaverBuster system to discourage summoners who exhibit leaving behavior—whether intentional or otherwise. The system places players who dodge and leave their games in a low priority queue. While in low priority queue, players will experience waiting times that are five, 10, or even 15 minutes longer than normal. 

Generally, summoners will be placed in the low priority queue for five games and will have to wait for five minutes before finding a game. If a player continuously leaves the low priority queue, however, timers increase from five minutes to 15 minutes per game.

Riot introduced additional punishments on Sept. 17 to further discourage people from leaving their games. Now, for those who continuously AFK or disconnect, there will be additional tiers players will be subjected to featuring “queue lockouts.” This punishment prevents players from jumping into a match for one day at the lowest tier and up to 14 days at the highest tier.

Once these lockout timers expire, players will be able to queue up for games once more but will return to the low priority queue, where they will have to wait 15 minutes for their next five games.

All low priority tiers and queue delays in LoL

Screengrab via Riot Games

Additionally, if the player dodges a match during champion selection—either while in low priority queue or after returning to the regular queue—they will have to go through the low priority queue again from the start. But if someone else from their team or the enemy team disconnects, the player in question will not have to go through the low priority queue anew.

Moreover, if a player leaves a game while in ranked mode, it will result in a League Points loss. The first game dodged will deduct only three points from the League Points earned during ranked games, while the second and subsequent games will remove 10 points each time.

How to get out of low priority queue in LoL

To leave the low priority queue and avoid its penalties, summoners need to complete at least five matchmade games without abandoning the matches early. Declining or not accepting a match will also result in the queue’s timer being reset.

Author
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Cecilia Ciocchetti
Freelance writer mainly focusing on the League of Legends and VALORANT esports scenes. Sometimes at events interviewing professionals of the scene, from players to the talented people working behind the curtains. You can reach out to me via Twitter.
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Dominique' McClain
Dominique' McClain is a passionate writer on anything Esports and video games. She has 4+ years of experience covering games in the industry and enjoys Overwatch 2, Fortnite, and Elden Ring.