Riot Games removes region select, transitions to global accounts

The League of Legends client is missing one key button lately and no, it’s not a mistake.

Riot Games removed the region selection button from the client as part of the transition into Riot accounts. Riot accounts are global accounts that will be used for both League of Legends and other upcoming Riot Games titles, including the previously revealed tactical shooter and fighting game.

For the past couple of months, Riot has encouraged players to create Riot accounts. Players had to pick a unique name that is available globally. The change didn’t effect players’ in-game handles.

Players could previously ignore the message, but now it’s mandatory and players that fail to complete this step won’t be able to access the client. Players looking for more information on how to create the account can click here and complete the steps.

Riot accounts mandatory for LoL, Legends of Runeterra

The regional layout is different for League of Legends and Legends of Runeterra, but one account works for both games.

League of Legends accounts are linked to a specific region. If a player wants to use the same account on a different region, they must go through the transfer process. It costs 2,600 RP, equivalent to $20 to transfer an account to another region. The change of region will not impact Legends of Runeterra accounts.

An important change with this shift to global accounts is that it is now possible to send friend invitations to players from other regions. For example, players based in North America will be able to send a friend invite to players using a Turkish account.

Players from other regions will have a tag next to their name, indicating their location. It’s possible to send messages, but players still cannot play with one another.