Riot Games Penalizes 296,416 Accounts for Boosting in VALORANT and League of Legends with Anti-Boost

Riot Games has revealed details about its Anti-Boost enforcement system, confirming that 296,416 accounts were penalized for rank manipulation across VALORANT and League of Legends. The publisher says the move demonstrates its commitment to protecting the competitive integrity of both ranked ladders. Boosting occurs when a high-skilled player logs into another person's account to play ranked matches on their behalf. The practice is widespread and creates a gray-market economy around account trading and rank inflation. Riot's Anti-Boost system targets several behaviors: using someone else's account to gain ranked points, buying/selling/transferring accounts, intentional deranking, and coordinated manipulation. However, self-created and self-operated alt accounts remain outside the penalty scope, as long as there is no intention to manipulate ranks. The penalty ladder has four tiers. First-time offenders have their ranked points and rewards canceled, with the account reset to its original rank and temporarily suspended. Repeat offenses lead to longer bans. Commercial violations such as account trading or intentional deranking can result in permanent bans. Liability also extends to associated parties: the booster's main account and frequently queued teammates may face action. The most controversial part is joint liability for teammates. While intended to dismantle boosting networks, it risks punishing innocent players who unknowingly queue with a booster. Riot has not disclosed an appeal mechanism or tolerance threshold. The 296,416 figure is a cumulative total without a baseline, so it does not prove that enforcement is tightening. The data is self-reported and unaudited, and Riot acts as both investigator and judge, raising fairness concerns. Beyond penalties, Anti-Boost protects the ranked ladder as the foundation of esports talent scouting and player retention. It also sends a competitive signal to other publishers. Riot plans to expand detection to match-level boosting signs, but the enforcement-evasion race is ongoing. For players, the key issue is trust: a clean ladder needs both smart algorithms and transparent, fair procedures.