No, League of Legends cannot be played through Steam

As a long-time League of Legends player and content creator, this is a question I see pop up often. So let‘s settle it right away:

No, League of Legends does not work with or through Steam.

Riot Games, the developers behind League, have their own desktop client, servers, and platform that operates independently from Steam.

But just because LoL isn‘t on Steam doesn‘t mean you still can‘t download and enjoy Riot‘s massively popular MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) game on your gaming PC in 2024. This guide will cover everything you need to know, so let‘s dive in!

A Quick History of LoL‘s Availability on Steam

Believe it or not, there was a very brief period years ago when you could actually purchase and play League of Legends through Steam.

Shortly after LoL‘s launch in October 2009, Riot Games opted to leverage Steam‘s massive install base by making the game available on Valve‘s platform in November 2009.

However, by February 2010, just barely 3 months later, LoL vanished from Steam. Riot pulled the game to focus entirely on self-publishing and managing every aspect of League themselves.

This turned out to be a wise strategic decision. By 2015, just 5 years after removing LoL from Steam, Riot Games confirmed that League of Legends had over 67 million monthly active players. Today that count is over 115 million monthly players.

And unlike Steam, LoL continues thriving as a completely free-to-play game, with Riot monetizing through optional cosmetic purchases rather than game ownership fees.

In short, while Steam helped bootstrap LoL‘s initial traction, Riot‘s game grew exponentially based on its engaging gameplay loop rather than distribution platform.

Where to Download League of Legends in 2024

With LoL no longer on Steam, where do you get the game?

The only way to download and install League is through the official Riot Games website.

Specifically, go to: https://signup.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/signup/index

This will let you create a Riot account (if you don‘t already have one) and install the League of Legends client directly.

The good news is that the client is lightweight, quick to set up, and easy to navigate if you‘re familiar with Steam.

And remember – League of Legends is 100% free to play on PC.

Now let‘s go over the official system requirements to play:

League of Legends System Requirements For 2023

In a game with over 100 million players, accessibility is crucial for continued growth. That means Riot has ensured LoL can run on a wide range of PCs.

Here are the official minimum and recommended specs to play League smoothly:

League of Legends Minimum Requirements

As you can see, League‘s minimum required specs are quite reasonable. Just about any laptop or desktop from the last 5-6 years should meet these baselines.

But what if you want to max out League‘s graphics and shoot for 60+ fps? Here are the recommended specs for high performance:

League of Legends Recommended Specs (60fps)

As expected, a dedicated mid-range graphics card, quad core processor, and 8GB of RAM will enable max fidelity and high frame rates.

However, even entry level rigs from 2022-2023 can likely run League quite smoothly at medium settings. That speaks to Riot‘s technical prowess at keeping LoL accessible.

Let‘s go over some budget build examples…

Ideal League of Legends PC Builds in 2024

Let‘s look at a couple example PC builds optimized to play League of Legends for both entry level budgets and high performance set ups.

Budget League PC Build – $500

If you just want decent 1080p performance on a tight budget, this would work great:

With an i3-12100F and GTX 1630, this affordable build lets you play League at 1080p medium settings comfortably above 60fps.

Let‘s look on the higher end now…

High Performance LoL Build – $1500

If your goal is maxing out League at 1440p with all settings turned up, this build delivers excellent value:

With a 13th Gen Intel + RTX 3070 Ti powering this build, you‘ll easily hit 100fps+ at max settings in League even at demanding resolutions. This leaves plenty of overhead to livestream and multitask without impacting LoL performance.

There are many other build permutations of course, but the key is understanding League‘s lightweight requirements to avoid overspending. A basic modern rig or laptop will run it well.

As a final note, while Steam Deck can technically run LoL, I don‘t recommend it as a primary platform given the integrated graphics limitations. Prioritize a gaming desktop or laptop instead.

Tips For Improving LoL Performance

Aside from raw hardware, there are few quick software-based tips any summoner can use to boost FPS in League of Legends:

• Close unnecessary background apps and processes
• Update your graphics drivers and Windows OS
• Adjust in-game video settings (turning off VSync and Anti-Aliasing helps)
• Don‘t stream or run resource-heavy programs while gaming
• Clean out dust build up inside desktop computer
• Use a wired Ethernet connection instead of WiFi

Follow those guidelines and your League gameplay will feel snappier regardless of your exact rig.

Let‘s wrap up with the key takeaways.

The Bottom Line – Play League, Avoid Steam

While Steam remains popular, League of Legends has thrived mightily as a standalone free-to-play title that keeps system requirements accessible.

Hopefully this guide gave you a thorough overview on getting set up to play LoL, optimal PC build advice, and clarity that Riot Games‘ smash hit MOBA is not compatible with Steam in 2024 (nor has been for over a decade).

Instead, be sure to directly download League from Riot to get started. And focus your setup on the smooth stable gameplay that‘s made LoL a pillar of the gaming industry rather than emphasis on max fidelity graphics.

Those fundamentals, rather than distribution platform, are why League remains one of the most actively played games worldwide year after year.

Let me know if have any other LoL-related questions!