Icon Border in League of Legends: Level, Ranked and Prestige Borders
An icon border is the decorative frame drawn around your summoner icon in League of Legends. It shows up on your profile, in the pre-game lobby and on the loading screen. It has no effect on gameplay, but it carries information, because each border family is earned in a different way: by levelling up, by ranked play, or by cosmetics tied to a skin or an Act.
This page describes the borders as they work during Season 3 of the 2026 year (patch 26.15 onward, ranked Season 3 started on 29 July 2026). The notes for patch 26.21 were published on 20 October 2026.
The border families
| Family | How you get it | Source quality |
|---|---|---|
| Level borders | Account levels, with a new border at milestone levels | Riot support, community wiki |
| Ranked crest border | Your current rank, chosen as an optional border | Riot support |
| Victorious skin border | End-of-year ranked reward, 2025 (a skin border, not an icon border) | Riot patch notes |
| Prestige and Act borders | Bundled with Prestige skins and Act passes | Community wiki |
Level borders
Riot's reward breakdown states that your account level is uncapped, that every level from 1 to 30 gives its own reward, and that a Summoner Icon Border is among the level 1 rewards. After level 30, milestone emotes come at levels 40, 50, 75 and 100, and then every 25 levels up to 500. The community wiki lists the border names for these milestones: Piltover at level 1, Zaun at 30, Hextech at 50, Fire at 75, Arclight at 100, Infused at 125, and so on, ending with Eternus at 500. Its table says the pattern from 500 to 600 repeats up to level 1000, although Riot calls the system uncapped, so treat the wiki's upper range with care.
Ranked crests
A ranked crest shows your current rank on your profile and the loading screen. Riot's support article on ranked years says the crest can also be used as an optional border around your summoner icon in the pre-game lobby. On the loading screen the border shows the rank for the queue you are playing, and in normal games it shows your highest Summoner's Rift rank. Each ranked year contains three seasons, and your progress carries between seasons but resets when a new year starts.
Victorious border
Patch 26.1 (notes dated 7 January 2026) closed the 2025 ranked year. Besides the Victorious Draven skin and chromas, it listed a Victorious Skin Border that works with all three 2025 Victorious skins and requires owning all three. This is a skin border, the frame around a skin on the loading screen, so it is not the same item as the frame around your summoner icon. The same reward set had a 2025 ranked emote and icon, and honor level 3 or higher was needed to receive anything. The 2025 ranked season ended on 7 January 2026 at 23:59:59 local server time, and ranked Season 1 of 2026 began on 8 January at 12:00.
Prestige and Act borders
The community wiki's page for Season 3 of 2026 lists a Prestige skin plus a matching border and icon for each Act: Prestige Magma Chamber Veigar in Act I (skin released on 29 July 2026) and Prestige HEARTSTEEL Live My Life Sett in Act II. It also lists matching champion borders, such as Magma Chamber Jax and Veigar borders. Riot's patch notes confirm the Prestige skins and their release patches (26.15 and 26.20), but the borders themselves were taken from the wiki. Borders tied to a skin are usually skin borders shown on the loading screen, so check the item description to see which frame it changes.
Equipping a border
Click your summoner icon in the top-right corner of the client. Riot's Challenges FAQ describes the Customize Identity panel that opens, with tabs for Tokens and Titles, and third-party guides add a Borders tab there. Because Riot's own pages do not name the tab, open the panel and look for borders if your client shows one.
Common mistakes
- Confusing a border with a rank. Only the ranked crest border reflects rank. A level border shows how many levels you have, not how well you play.
- Expecting to buy a level border. Level borders unlock through levelling. The wiki and Riot do not describe a way to buy them.
- Chasing a past-year border. The Victorious border was the reward set for the 2025 ranked year and was handed out after that year closed. Each year's rewards are announced in the patch notes before the year ends.
Related terms
- Kill streaks, macro and slang glossary: Godlike, Legendary and the loading screen.
- Shut Down: the gold bonus for ending a streak.
- Invade: crossing into the enemy jungle.
FAQ
What is an icon border in League of Legends?
It is the frame around your summoner icon. Levels, ranked play and special cosmetics each unlock different kinds.
How do you get a level border?
By levelling your account. Riot lists a border as a level 1 reward, and the wiki lists milestone borders from level 30 onward.
Can your rank appear as a border?
Yes. Riot says the ranked crest can be used as an optional border around your summoner icon in the pre-game lobby.
Are icon borders permanent?
Level borders come with your account level. Ranked rewards such as the 2025 Victorious skin border were one-time rewards for that ranked year.
