Ranked Flex is the League of Legends queue for groups, and its rules are much looser than Solo/Duo. Most of the questions about it come down to three things: who can play with whom, how many of you can queue, and whether Flex counts for anything.
Fast answer: In Flex there are no rank restrictions from Iron to Diamond. Anyone in that range can queue with anyone else. Master, Grandmaster and Challenger players can only queue with players ranked Emerald or higher. You can queue alone, as 2, as 3 or as 5, but never as 4. Flex has its own MMR and rank, separate from Solo/Duo, and wins in Flex count toward the season's Victorious skin.
Everything below comes from Riot's support pages, checked on 25 September 2026. Links to each page are in the text.
Which ranks can play Flex together in 2026?
Riot's rule for Flex: "there are no Flex rank restrictions for Diamond and below". The only limit sits at the top of the ladder.
Iron to Diamond
Emerald or Diamond
Master
Grandmaster
ChallengerSo an Iron player can queue Flex with a Diamond friend, but not with a Master friend. A Master player can bring an Emerald or Diamond friend, but no one from Platinum or below. Riot's apex tiers page says Master, Grandmaster and Challenger players "cannot, however, queue with any player ranked below Emerald".
Compare that with Solo/Duo, where a Silver player can only duo with Iron to Gold and Grandmaster and Challenger cannot duo at all (Riot's Solo/Duo table). The full Solo/Duo breakdown is in our duo queue rules guide.
Does a big rank gap make Flex harder?
It can. Riot warns that "creating parties with large rank disparities (e.g., an Iron player grouping with a Diamond player) may result in more difficult matchups as the system attempts to balance out the difference in skill levels". The queue lets you in, but matchmaking may give the whole party tougher opponents.
How many players can queue in Flex?
You can queue Ranked Flex in groups of 1, 2, 3 or 5. A group of 4 cannot queue ranked Flex and has to play unranked.
Why can't 4 people queue ranked Flex?
Riot's reason is the fifth player. A four-stack would put one stranger alone on a team of friends. Riot's ranked queues page says Flex "is meant to foster an atmosphere of teamwork, and creating scenarios where a single player is the odd man out interferes with that mission". Three friends plus two strangers is allowed, and so is a full five.
If you are four, bring a fifth player, split into a 3 and a solo or into two duos, or play unranked.
Flex vs Solo/Duo: what is different?
Master and aboveSeparate MMR. Riot's MMR page says you "have a different MMR for Normal, Solo/Duo, and Flex". A losing streak in Flex does not touch your Solo/Duo MMR. More on how MMR and LP interact in our LP and MMR guide.
Placements. You play five placement matches in each ranked queue, so Flex has its own five. You cannot lose LP in placements, and you cannot place higher than Diamond III.
Decay. Decay only applies from Diamond up. It counts days without a match "in that queue", so Flex and Solo/Duo decay separately. In Diamond you bank 7 days per match, up to 28, and lose 50 LP per decay. In Master and above you bank 1 day per match, up to 14, and lose 75 LP.
Victorious skin. Since 2025 you earn the season's Victorious skin by winning 15 ranked games. Those wins "can happen in Solo/Duo, Flex, or a combination of the two". The current season's dates are in our Split 3 end date guide.
Can Master, Grandmaster and Challenger play Flex with friends?
Yes. Outside Ranked 5s weekends, Flex is the only ranked queue where a Grandmaster or Challenger player can play with friends. At the top of the ladder, Flex allows solo, duo, 3 and 5, as long as everyone in the party is Emerald or higher. Apex decay works the same way in both queues: 1 banked day per game, up to 14, then −75 LP per decay, and a drop to Diamond II if you decay out of Master.
What is Ranked 5s and when can you play it?
Ranked 5s is a separate, experimental ranked mode for five-player premades. It is not the same queue as Flex. Riot's Ranked 5s page lists these rules:
- Dates. Experiment 2 runs from 11 September 2026 to 7 January 2027. Experiment 1 ran from 26 June to 6 September 2026.
- Weekends only. Friday to Sunday, 4pm to 2am server time.
- Full teams only. You need five players to queue.
- No tier restrictions. Any ranks can play on the same team, so an apex player can bring friends of any rank.
- Its own ladder. 5 placement matches, then a separate Ranked 5s ladder with its own MMR and LP.
- Tournament draft. 3 bans, 3 picks, 2 bans, 2 picks. From Experiment 2 the draft also includes a scouting tooltip.
- No decay.
- Its own rewards. A Ranked 5s icon for reaching any tier, and a Ranked 5s banner from Gold up, based on the highest tier you reached. Ranked 5s wins do not count toward the Victorious skin.
If your group is exactly five and you want the rank limits gone entirely, Ranked 5s is the queue. For the rest of the week, and for groups of 1, 2 or 3, it is regular Flex.
Where do you find players for a Flex stack?
A Flex group needs people whose schedules overlap and who can at least play together under the rules above. Pairly's LoL Duo Finder lets you filter players by rank, lane, server, language, champion and voice, and it is free to browse. The duo queue rules guide covers how to tell, within three games, whether a new partner is worth keeping.
If you would rather have a Master or Challenger player help you climb Solo/Duo, LoL Division Boosting and LoL Coaching are Pairly's paid options.
Frequently asked questions
Can you play Flex with any rank?
From Iron to Diamond, yes. There are no Flex rank restrictions in that range. Master, Grandmaster and Challenger players can only queue with players ranked Emerald or higher.
Can Iron play Flex with Diamond?
Yes. Riot uses that exact pairing as its example of a large rank gap. Expect harder opponents, because matchmaking balances the gap.
Can Master play Flex with Gold or Platinum?
No. A Master, Grandmaster or Challenger player can only queue Flex with players ranked Emerald or higher.
Can Grandmaster and Challenger players play Flex together?
Yes. Apex players can queue Flex solo, as a duo, as 3 or as 5, with anyone Emerald or higher.
Why can't 4 players queue ranked Flex?
So that no single stranger ends up alone on a team of four friends. Groups of 4 can only play unranked. Add a fifth player, or split into 3 and 1 or into two duos.
How many players can play ranked Flex?
1, 2, 3 or 5.
Is Flex MMR separate from Solo/Duo?
Yes. League keeps separate MMR for Normal, Solo/Duo and Flex.
How many placement games are there in Flex?
Five, separate from the five in Solo/Duo. You cannot lose LP in placements and cannot place above Diamond III.
Does Flex count for the Victorious skin?
Yes. The 15 ranked wins can come from Solo/Duo, Flex or both.
Does Flex rank decay?
Only from Diamond up, and separately from Solo/Duo. Diamond players lose 50 LP per decay after their banked days run out. Master and above lose 75 LP.
Does Ranked 5s count as Flex?
No. Ranked 5s has its own ladder, MMR and rewards, and its wins do not count toward the Victorious skin.
When is Ranked 5s available?
On weekends, Friday to Sunday, 4pm to 2am server time, from 11 September 2026 to 7 January 2027.
Can two duos queue Flex together?
Yes. A party of 4 cannot queue ranked, but two separate duos can each queue Flex. They will not necessarily land in the same game.
Can a 5-stack still play regular Flex on weekends?
Yes. Ranked 5s is an extra queue, and regular Flex stays open for parties of 1, 2, 3 and 5.
Can apex players play Ranked 5s with low-ranked friends?
Yes. Ranked 5s has no tier restrictions, so a Challenger player can queue it with friends of any rank.
Put your Flex team together
The rules are loose below Master, so the hard part is finding four people who are online when you are. Browse the LoL Duo Finder by rank, lane and server, then queue as 2, 3 or 5.
