What are the requirements to make a Riot account

As a passionate League of Legends player and content creator focused on the gaming industry, the question I get asked constantly from new players is: what are the requirements and best practices for making a Riot Games account?

Riot Account Basics: Sign Up is Free and Simple

The first thing I always emphasize is that creating a basic Riot Games account is completely free and easy. Simply head to Riot‘s website, input your email, chosen username and password. Boom – you now have access to some of the world‘s most popular games like League of Legends, Valorant, and Teamfight Tactics.

Based on Riot‘s latest player statistics, over 180 million players log into these games via their Riot accounts each month.

So why doesn‘t everyone have one already if signup is so straightforward? That‘s because there are a few key account requirements and terms of service nuances players need to be aware of. Get caught breaking the rules, and your coveted access to Riot‘s epic titles could be cut off quicker than a Yasuo dashing through minions.

Let‘s break down the need-to-know basics around Riot account creation eligibility and restrictions.

Riot Account Requirements

First and foremost, here are the essential requirements every player must meet to sign up:

• You must be an adult, emancipated minor, or have consent from a parent/guardian
• Only one account per person is allowed (no smurfing!)
• Accounts cannot be shared or sold – they are one player, one account

Failure to follow these account creation terms can quickly land you in account termination territory (aka perma-ban land). We‘ll dig more into restrictions next.

Reading the Fine Print: Riot Account Restrictions

Riot Games provides their services to an enormously diverse player base across multiple popular titles. With such scale comes responsibility – Riot must balance enabling players‘ passion for their games with maintaining healthy, inclusive communities.

As an expert gamer writing guides for over 5 years, I always emphasize the importance of knowing your account restrictions and risks before jumping into new games.

Let‘s review the key Riot account limitations calling for caution:

Age Minimums

Due to mature themes in titles like League of Legends and Valorant, Riot‘s terms dictate you must be 13+ years old to create an account. Additional permissions are required for underage players:

• 13-15 years old: Parent/guardian consent required
• 16-17 years old: Emancipated minor status required
• 18+ years old: Age of majority reached, create your account freely!

Without proper permissions submitted, underage access attempts can risk bans.

No Account Sharing or Selling

While it may be tempting purchase a max-level League of Legends account from an online reseller, account sharing and selling violates Riot‘s terms. Both buyers and sellers risk permanent suspension.

Instead, I recommend embracing the level grind yourself or utilizing Riot‘s trusted services like gifted character unlocks. No progress is worth losing your years of effort!

VPN Usage

Fortunately, Riot provides clear guidance approving VPN usage while gaming. As long as not utilized to deceptively bypass restrictions or gain advantages, VPNs are supported across Riot titles.

This sets their policy apart from some competitors like Blizzard, who controversially began banning Overwatch players using VPNs. Riot‘s stance shows their commitment to player accessibility and security.

Anti-Cheat & Restriction Monitoring

Similar to software like Valorant‘s aggressive Vanguard anti-cheat, Riot closely monitors account activity for cheating and toxic behavior. Punishments range from chat restrictions to full machine bans preventing logins from specific devices.

My key tip here is maintaining your integrity and sportsmanship even in frustrating losses. Rage quitting ranked games or trolling teammates will nuke your account faster than a Cho‘gath feast. Stay cool!

What‘s Next for Riot Accounts and Policy?

With Riot‘s player base scaling new heights every year, how will their account policies need to evolve moving forward? Based on observing industry trends, here is my perspective:

Increased Moderation

As emerging genres like auto battlers draw more casual gaming audiences, I expect Riot will need to expand their moderation teams to manage community health. Manual review of harassment reports and restrictions will likely double over the next 2 years.

Multi-Game Linking

Currently progress between titles like League and Valorant remains siloed to individual accounts. However, Riot may allow unified progress, cosmetics, and friends across games soon. Competitors like Epic are already pursuing this with Fortnite.

Unified accounts would enable exciting new player rewards and shared profiles, but also raises security risks. Players may lose years of progress if a single account is compromised.

Hardware Bans

Finally, as cheat tool creators become more sophisticated, anticipate increasing adoption of hardware bans like those used in Valorant already. Such restrictions permanently limit particular machine configurations across all Riot titles.

This arms race between Riot security and script developers will likely see over 1 million devices banned annually going forward. Players must remain vigilant in protecting their machines and reputation!

The Final Word on Riot Accounts

At the end of day, Riot Games provides their acclaimed services free for all players. By respecting their fair restrictions around integrity, community, and security, gamers can enjoy Riot titles for years to come.

I hope reviewing the account creation requirements and risks gave you the insights needed to keep your access seamless and uninterrupted! Let the grind to Challenger commence.

*All statistics provided based on Riot Games‘ publicly released player data at the time of writing. Statements and projections made completely at the author‘s discretion.