How does the League of Legends Streamer Mode work?

League of Legends ^[1] has a very large player base, and much of that is thanks to the number of streamers who play the game. From big streamers to small ones, fans worldwide love to watch their favorite creators hop into the rift to either lose or win in real time. However, some fans take things a step further by stream-sniping.

Fortunately, Riot Games recognizes this issue and has released a Streamer Mode for creators. The new Streamer Mode makes things easier for creators by protecting against stream-sniping and bringing a couple of other quality-of-life improvements that make the lives of streamers so much easier.

Here’s everything to know about the new Streamer Mode in League of Legends and why you should use it if you’re a streamer.

How does League of Legends’ Streamer Mode work?

Riot Games introduced Streamer Mode in patch 25.S1.3 to help reduce harassment and stream sniping. These issues have troubled content creators in League of Legends for years. The feature modifies and tweaks in-game visuals and hides summoner names, giving streamers more privacy while playing the game live.

When the Streamer Mode is on, the summoner names are replaced with champion names across several UI elements. This applies to health bars, scoreboards, in-game chat, kill announcements, and more. Even the streamer’s summoner name is hidden and swapped for their champion’s name. The change makes it harder for malicious players to spot and target streamers.

It is important to note that these adjustments function differently from Valorant's anonymous mode, which hides player names from everyone. League’s implementation only affects what the streamer sees and what is visible to their viewers. Other players in the match can still view summoner names normally, which means the feature has limitations.

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How effective is LoL’s Streamer Mode at preventing stream sniping?

While the new system offers some protection, the risk of stream sniping is prevalent. One of the biggest concerns from the community is that the summoner names stay visible during the loading screen. This gives stream snipers a small but sufficient window to recognize and track streamers before the match starts. This reduces the effectiveness of the feature by a huge margin.

Another problem is the existence of third-party tracking websites like Mobalytics and OP.GG, where players can check match histories, ranks, and frequently played champions. Streamer mode does nothing to counter stream snipers who use these websites, as they can use this data to identify a streamer’s usual champion picks and queue into their games. While the feature may help stay anonymous in-game, it does not prevent intentional feeding.

Community concerns and suggested improvements

Many players and streamers applaud the addition of Streamer Mode, but the majority feel it does not go far enough in protecting against harassment and sniping. Some notable suggestions made by the community could help make things better. 

One of the most common suggestions is allowing streamers to make their profiles private. This will prevent streamer snipers from using public tracking sites to display their match history and champion picks, making it much harder for snipers to recognize and queue into their games.

Another huge concern is the visibility of summoner names during the loading screen. A fully anonymous mode where all names are hidden for everyone before the match would help close the gap that snipers currently exploit. Without this change, streamers will remain exposed before the game even starts.

Some streamers are using manual stream delays as an added precaution, suggesting that Riot’s system is insufficient. A fully anonymous mode, similar to Valorant’s, would be more effective. If summoner names were hidden from teammates and enemies, it would massively reduce the risk of stream sniping.

Impact on streamers and the future of Streamer Mode

Stream sniping has been frustrating for League of Legends content creators for years, and many well-known streamers have openly discussed it. While Streamer Mode is a step in the right direction, it does not go far enough to eliminate the problem. 

Many streamers feel Riot Games needs to take stronger action, like fully anonymizing players, blocking third-party tracking, and improving moderation tools to crack down on repeat offenders. Riot has not confirmed whether more improvements are coming, but the community has been vocal about the need for stronger protections.

Many streamers are sticking to manual workarounds like enabling stream delays or playing on alternate accounts. These solutions can be frustrating, impact the quality of the streams, and will be ineffective in the long run. Whether Riot makes the suggested improvement remains to be seen, but given the ongoing pressure from the community, there is still hope for a better streaming experience.

References

1. [1] "League of Legends official website". www.leagueoflegends.com. Retrieved February 12, 2025