For years League of Legends was known as "the game that runs on any PC". That is still largely true, but some rules have changed over the last two years: the game now requires DirectX 11 support, Windows 11 needs TPM 2.0 enabled, and on the Mac side the focus has moved to Apple Silicon. In this guide we have gathered the current system requirements and the settings you can apply if your frame rate is low, based on Riot Games' official support pages.
Windows System Requirements
These are the values on Riot's support page dated September 22, 2026:
- Processor: Minimum Intel Core i3-530 or AMD A6-3650; recommended Intel Core i5-8250 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200. ARM processors are not supported.
- Graphics card: Minimum GeForce 400 series, AMD HD 6570 or Intel HD 4600; recommended GeForce 560, Radeon HD 6950 or Intel UHD 630. DirectX 11-level hardware is required at both levels.
- Video memory: Minimum 1 GB, recommended 2 GB.
- RAM: Minimum 2 GB, recommended 4 GB.
- Storage: Minimum 16 GB of free space (HDD), recommended 16 GB on an SSD.
- Operating system: Minimum Windows 10 (Build 19041 or later) or Windows 11; recommended Windows 11. On Windows 11, TPM 2.0 must be enabled. Only 64-bit retail versions are supported; Enterprise and Server editions are not.
- Recommended settings and resolution: Low graphics and 1024x768 on a minimum system; High graphics and 1920x1080 on a recommended system.
According to Riot, since patch 25.21 you cannot play with a graphics card that does not support DirectX 11 (feature level 11_0): the "Play" button stays greyed out and a pop-up tells you to update your hardware. If you are on Windows 10 below build 19041, the game shows a VAN 9004 error asking you to update your operating system. You can check your card's DirectX 11 support by pressing Windows key + R and typing "dxdiag".
macOS and Other Systems
For Mac, Riot lists the same values at both the minimum and recommended level: an Apple M1 processor, Metal-capable graphics, 40 GB of free space, macOS 12 and 8 GB of unified memory. The recommended setting is High at 1680×1050. You can keep playing on Intel-based Macs, but Riot notes that support is primarily focused on Apple Silicon and that issues specific to Intel may not be investigated.
Other operating systems such as Linux, SteamOS and Bazzite are not officially supported; Riot states clearly that it cannot help on those systems.
Low Frame Rate? Riot's Recommended Settings
Riot's low frame rate page recommends the following settings, especially for PCs below the recommended specs. It advises testing changes in a custom game first: start a custom game, press Escape and open the Video tab.
- Settings: Custom
- Resolution: match your desktop resolution
- Character Quality: Very Low
- Environment Quality: Very Low
- Shadows: No Shadow
- Effects Quality: Very Low
- Frame Rate Cap: 60 FPS
- Wait for Vertical Sync: off
- Anti-Aliasing: off
In the Interface section you can also turn off a few options: HUD animations, showing the target frame on attack, line missile display and attack range display. These look like small gains, but on a weak system they can soften sudden drops during team fights.
These settings are meant for weak PCs. If your system is above the recommended specs, choosing your monitor's refresh rate instead of the 60 FPS cap and raising shadows by one step usually gives a more enjoyable experience; base the decision on your own FPS measurements.
Beyond Settings: Drivers, Heat and Connection
Riot also points to three common causes of lag that have nothing to do with settings:
- Graphics driver: Checking your card's manufacturer (NVIDIA, AMD or Intel) on the Display tab of dxdiag and updating the driver with the manufacturer's own tool brings bug fixes and optimizations.
- Overheating: An overheating processor, graphics card or laptop can cause lag and crashes as a match goes on. Riot recommends improving cooling if any component goes above 80 °C, and cleaning fans and vents.
- Network: Sometimes lag comes from the connection, not the PC. Using a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi and closing connection-heavy programs such as music, voice chat or video streaming during play is recommended.
If the problem persists, Riot asks you to collect logs with the Riot Repair Tool and attach them to a support ticket.
If you are curious about the ranked system, see our LoL ranks guide, and if you want similar settings for another game, read our Fortnite PC settings article.