How to Migrate Garena Account to Riot Games

Riot Games recently announced that it will self-publish League of Legends in the SEA region, cutting off ties with Garena. Since Riot Games and Garena don’t share the same servers and database, players who have been playing in the servers (The Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia) will have to migrate Garena accounts to Riot Games.

How to Migrate Garena Accounts

There’s an easy process that Riot Games has laid out to give players a simple way of migrating their accounts. Just follow these steps and you’ll have your accounts ready to go on January 2023:

Garena migrate accounts process screenshot
Learn how to migrate your Garena account!
  • Go to the Riot Games migration link by clicking HERE.
  • Click on the “Start Linking” button on the site.
  • After getting redirected to the Garena site, log into your Garena account.
  • Link the Riot Games account you want to enter.
  • If you don’t have a Riot Games account or your account has existing progress in other League of Legends regions, create a new Riot Games account.

Once you’ve migrated your account, you won’t get to play in the Riot games version until January 2023. Don’t worry, you can still use your Garena account during the transition period until the official transfer in January. Think of it like pre-registering your account for the next year. Meanwhile, you’ll still be able to farm Blue Essence, enjoy Garena events, and purchase anything you want.

Should I Migrate My Account Early?

It is recommended that players begin migration as soon as possible since Riot Games stated that League of Legends will cease operations on Garena some day during January 2023. It is implied that you might be able to migrate your existing Garena account after operations have been ceased but we highly recommend that players try to migrate Garena accounts as soon as possible to avoid any complications in the future.

Players are skeptic about migrating early because they assume that they won’t be able to access their accounts anymore. Rest assured that Riot Games has not begun nor will they start transferring data anytime soon, so you can still enjoy using your account even after you’ve registered for migration. We also recommend that you start telling your friends, even those that don’t play actively, to migrate their accounts as soon as possible.

Error: “It Looks Like You Have a Non-SEA League Account”

Many players are experiencing the error – It Looks Like You Have a Non-SEA League Account – when linking an existing Riot Games account. This error occurs on almost all users who have pre-registered Riot Game accounts, even if they do not have any League of Legends data on other Riot Games servers. The League of Legends social media page explained that they are aware of this issue and that players should wait to migrate until January 2023 to resolve the issue.

Migrate Garena Accounts Error - Existing SEA League Account
Getting this error even though you don’t own a foreign League account?

Players who have already migrated their accounts by creating a new Riot Games email will not be able to reverse their decisions. Also, another frequently asked question is if players can register a new Riot Games account on an email that they’ve already used on a previous Riot account. The answer is yes. If you’re patient and want to link your LoL account with the Riot Games account containing your VALORANT and Legends of Runeterra progress, you’ll need to wait for them to announce a fix.

What Information Do You Need to Migrate Garena Accounts?

The only information necessary to migrate is your Garena ID and password. If you’ve forgotten your email and mobile number used to verify your Garena account or you no longer have access to them, it might not prove to be relevant information. However, you have the option to contact Garena’s support website and ask for a change in these information. Riot Games will not use that information though for any purpose once you migrate.

Once an account has been transferred, Riot Games will take every data related to your account such as owned champions, skins, chromas, icons, rune pages, emotes, and so on. The only information that won’t carry over are any Garena-exclusive items that can only exist within their own client. Your IGN will likely stay the same but you’ll have the option to see your friends via the Riot Client.

When Do We Start Playing in the Riot Client?

Once you migrate Garena accounts before January 2023, it’s only pre-registered for migration. That means that you won’t get to play until the official transition where League of Legends’ publishing rights will go back to Riot Games. You won’t be able to play in the Riot Client yet so even if you download it now, League of Legends won’t be one of the game options available because they don’t have it prepared just yet.

Garena account officially linked - Garena Migrate accounts
We’re almost home!

The company stated that the official migration will begin on January 2023 but no specific date has been given just yet. Players will need to be patient as the migration process will take a long time and it’s better to wait for it to go smoother rather than going into it rushed. Once Riot Games has officially released their version of the client to SEA players, it will no longer be possible to play League of Legends on Garena as it will be removed.

What to Expect After the Migration

The migration will be a breath of fresh air for SEA players as they will be able to play League of Legends fully to its global standard. Game features like clash might make their return to the LoL client and finally allow players to have something to look forward to in terms of competitive play. Players can also expect that cosmetic prices will change and some skin rarities might revert back to their original rarities as Garena tampered with some of them to make them more expensive.

The most important change will be the fact that the client will be a lot smoother. Garena players know the hardship of trying to update or load the game using the local client with the regular patch updates sometimes taking a ridiculous amount of time for some players regardless of their PC’s hardware. Migrate Garena accounts now so that you can enjoy the perks of playing where League of Legends was meant to be played.

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Chris

Chris, the founder and owner of lolfinity.com, is a seasoned veteran in the world of League of Legends and online gaming. With a passion that ignited at the very inception of League of Legends, Chris has been an active player and community member since the game's earliest days.

In 2012, recognizing the challenges faced by fellow gamers in acquiring reliable and high-quality League of Legends smurf accounts, Chris founded lolfinity.com. It was born out of a desire to provide a trustworthy solution to the community, protecting enthusiasts from potential scams and ensuring a seamless experience.

Chris's expertise extends beyond just playing the game. From 2010 to 2016, he was a respected contributor to elitepvpers, one of the most prominent online gaming communities. During this time, Chris shared his insights and knowledge across various gaming topics, establishing himself as a trusted voice in the industry.

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