Reaching level 30 in League of Legends takes roughly 200-230 games without boosts, or about 100 hours of play. With XP boosts active, you can cut that to under 100 games. Level 30 is the milestone that unlocks ranked queues, so most new players want to get there as efficiently as possible.
How long does it take to reach level 30?
You need 39,936 total XP to reach level 30. How fast you get there depends on game length, win rate, and whether you use boosts.
| Scenario | Avg XP/game | Games | Hours (at 30 min/game) |
|---|---|---|---|
| No boost, mixed wins/losses | ~175 | ~228 | ~114 |
| No boost, all wins | ~205 | ~195 | ~97 |
| Duration boost | ~410 | ~97 | ~49 |
| Win boost (+216/win) | ~421 | ~95 | ~47 |
| Both boosts stacked | ~626 | ~64 | ~32 |
If you see older guides estimating 250-300 games, those numbers are outdated. Riot removed First Win of the Day in January 2025 and compensated by increasing account XP earned across all modes by about 40% in patch 25.S1.2. The XP values in this article reflect the current post-increase rates.
How XP works
Account XP scales linearly with game duration. Wins give about 23% more XP than losses at the same game length. The formula works out to roughly:
| Game length | Win | Loss |
|---|---|---|
| 15 min | ~105 XP | ~86 XP |
| 20 min | ~138 XP | ~113 XP |
| 25 min | ~172 XP | ~140 XP |
| 30 min | ~205 XP | ~167 XP |
| 35 min | ~238 XP | ~194 XP |
| 40 min | ~271 XP | ~222 XP |
Two hard rules: games must last at least 7 minutes to grant any XP, and custom games give 0 XP.
Which game mode gives the most XP?
ARAM and Summoner's Rift use the same XP formula. The difference is game length: SR games run 25-35 minutes while ARAM games run 20-25 minutes, so SR earns more total XP per game. ARAM earns slightly more XP per minute of real time since queue and loading times are shorter.
Co-op vs. AI has scaling penalties as you level up:
| Your level | XP rate | After 3 hours/day |
|---|---|---|
| 1-9 | 100% | 100% |
| 10-19 | 90% | 90% |
| 20-29 | 80% | 65% |
| 30+ | 75% | 55% |
Bot games are fine for levels 1-9 (full XP, fast wins), but switch to PvP after that. Practice Tool gives 0 XP.
XP boosts explained
There are two types of XP boosts, and they stack with each other:
- Duration (Days) boost doubles your base XP per game. Better value during long play sessions since it scales with game length.
- Win (Per Win) boost adds a flat +216 XP per win regardless of game length. Better for shorter games or inconsistent schedules, but only triggers on wins.
If you're leveling aggressively, stacking both boosts cuts the grind from ~228 games down to ~64 games.
What happened to First Win of the Day?
First Win of the Day was removed in January 2025 (patch V25.S1.1). It previously granted 400 XP and 50 Blue Essence for your first win each day. If older guides still list "log in daily for the First Win bonus" as a top leveling tip, that advice is no longer valid.
Riot acknowledged the XP gap this created and increased account XP by about 40% across all modes in patch 25.S1.2 (January 23, 2025). Current leveling speed to 30 is roughly equivalent to or slightly faster than the old system with First Win of the Day included.
Fastest path to level 30
- Levels 1-9: Play Co-op vs. AI. Full XP, fast wins, learn the game.
- Levels 10-30: Switch to PvP (Summoner's Rift normals or ARAM). Bot game penalties make Co-op vs. AI inefficient past level 9.
- Buy a Duration boost if you plan to play in long sessions. Buy a Win boost if you play a few games at a time.
- Focus on winning. A 30-minute win gives 205 XP vs. 167 XP for a loss. Over 200 games, that 23% difference adds up to dozens fewer games needed.
Do not buy pre-leveled accounts from third-party sites. Account selling violates Riot's Terms of Service and can result in a permanent ban on both the purchased account and any linked accounts.
