League of Legends Swiftplay mode, explained

League of Legends is introducing Swiftplay in 2025. But what is it, how is it different from Quickplay, and how will it impact you?

Switplay is a new mode that’s intended to be dynamic. Riot created it for players who want to relax and chill out in Summoner’s Rift. It’s fairly similar to Quickplay, but it has a few big differences that make it stand out.

What is Swiftplay in LoL?

Swiftplay is a new League mode that will replace Quickplay in 2025. Swiftplay takes place on Summoner’s Rift and features 10 players, with five on each team. But the gameplay is different. A few changes, like feeding off a player who’s behind and neutral objectives around the map, are different.

These tweaks make Swiftplay a perfect choice for those who’d rather have a more laid-back experience playing League. “Our goal with creating this new queue is to create a more accessible experience for players that are looking for a bit more of the traditional League experience,” Riot said in a blog post about the mode. “Players who want to play with friends, players who just want to chill in the evening after work, players who are just learning (or relearning) the ropes, and so on.”

How is Swiftplay different from Quickplay in LoL?

In Swiftplay, numerous gameplay features will differ from Quickplay or other Summoner’s Rift modes, like solo or draft queues. These changes aim to make Swiftplay a perfect alternative for players looking for a traditional, more casual experience.

The detailed list of changes that we know of looks is as follows:

• As the game progresses, all sources of gold and experience will give increasingly more rewards. The early game will remain fairly unchanged, but rewards will become more dynamic and significant as the match progresses.
• Players who fall behind will have an easier time bouncing back. They will receive more gold and experience from most sources, depending on how far behind they are. Riot underlined that it alone wouldn’t be enough to slingshot somebody back to the lead, but players will never be out of the game.
• Snowballing off the back of a player who’s already behind will be much less profitable. As a result, those not doing as well as the rest of their team won’t be a liability. The opposing team will have to look for other ways to increase their lead instead of feeding off the weakest link.
• Timing on numerous features on Summoner’s Rift will be accelerated. These include, but aren’t limited, to:
  • Turret plating will fall off earlier.
  • Baron Nashor will spawn earlier.
  • Instead of four, only three drakes will be needed to claim a soul.
  • Jungle and support items will complete faster.
• Similarly to ARAM, all champions near a dying minion will receive some gold. But claiming a minion with a last hit will still grant a player its full value.
• Supports will receive more gold than in the traditional Summoner’s Rift. With that in mind, the developer will increase the price of their items.

How does Swiftplay impact other queues in LoL?

Besides Quickplay, other queues will be unaffected by the addition of Swiftplay. The new mode will replace Quickplay. This makes a lot of sense since Riot doesn’t want the queue timers to be too long, and having both modes in the game simultaneously might lead to that.

Other modes, like draft Summoner’s Rift or solo queue, will remain in League as normal.

When does Swiftplay go live in LoL?

There are two dates to keep in mind when it comes to Swiftplay. The mode comes with Patch 25.S1.1, which goes live on the PBE servers on Dec. 11, 2024. Riot encourages players to test it out on PBE so it can tweak it before the official release.

The official release of Swiftplay is planned for Jan. 6 when Patch 25.S1.1 goes live. The patch will also introduce a number of other changes, like a new battle pass, tweaks to the ranked season, a fresh monster on the Rift, dozens of gameplay updates, and more.