--- title: "Custom Skins in League of Legends: Riot's Stance and Risks" description: "With the arrival of Vanguard, custom skins have changed. Learn about Riot's official stance on third-party programs and the real risks involved." url: "https://www.alemasone.com/en/league-of-legends-custom-skins-risks/" language: "en" published: 2025-05-01 updated: 2026-09-19 categories: ["Gaming"] translations: it: "https://www.alemasone.com/it/custom-skin-league-of-legends/" es: "https://www.alemasone.com/es/skins-personalizadas-league-of-legends-riesgos/" fr: "https://www.alemasone.com/fr/skins-personnalisees-league-of-legends-risques/" pt: "https://www.alemasone.com/pt/custom-skins-league-of-legends-riscos/" de: "https://www.alemasone.com/de/custom-skins-league-of-legends-risiken/" --- # Custom Skins in League of Legends: Riot's Stance and Risks Since May 1st, 2024, League of Legends has used **Vanguard**, [Riot's](https://www.riotgames.com/it) kernel-level anti-cheat, which operates much deeper than standard programs and monitors everything interacting with the game. While you can still install custom skins using external software, Riot does not authorize any of them: **using any third-party software that touches the client is at your own risk**. Guides written before 2024 describe a situation that no longer exists. Let's look at what has changed with Vanguard, what Riot says, and what you risk—including your account. ## What are custom skins These are graphical modifications that replace a champion's appearance with a different model: sometimes they recreate official skins you don't own, and other times they are original creations from the community. Two things to know. They are **only visible to those who install them**: your allies and opponents will continue to see the standard champion. Additionally, they work by modifying game files or intervening in the process while it is running, which is exactly what an anti-cheat is designed to detect. Furthermore, every patch resets the files, meaning you'll have to apply the modification all over again. ## Riot's stance The League of Legends Terms of Service do not authorize any third-party software that interacts with the client. There is no list of "approved" programs for skins, and none of the ones currently in circulation has permission. In its communications, Riot has distinguished between two types of modifications. Those that provide an **in-game advantage**—such as altered collision models, making hidden information visible, camera hacks beyond the boundaries, or automation—are punished without exception. Purely cosmetic changes have, in practice, been treated with less severity. This is not a permission. It simply means that Riot reserves the right to intervene whenever they choose, and that the consequences fall on whoever installed the program. > **In practice:** suspension cases caused solely by cosmetic modifications are rare; sanctions almost always target tools that alter gameplay. However, "rare" does not mean impossible, and the account at risk is the one containing all your purchases from over the years. ## What has changed with Vanguard Vanguard arrived on League of Legends in early May 2024, following its debut on Valorant in 2020. Compared to previous systems, it operates at the kernel level with higher privileges than a standard program, allowing it to detect manipulations that previously went unnoticed. With an update in June 2026, an **on-demand** mode was introduced: Vanguard starts when you launch the game and closes when you exit, rather than remaining active all the time. To use this mode, however, your computer must meet specific security requirements: a recent version of Windows 11, Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, and certain virtualization features enabled. ![Vanguard message reporting that Secure Boot or TPM is disabled and blocking the match](messaggio-vanguard-requisiti-sicurezza.png "Without Secure Boot and TPM 2.0, Vanguard stops the game before the login screen") For custom skin programs, the consequences have been twofold: many have stopped working, while others are constantly being updated to remain compatible. This ongoing race-to-keep-up shows just how unstable the situation is. Even old manual methods, which involved replacing files in the game folder, no longer work with the current file format. ## The real risks **Account suspension.** This is the most obvious risk, and it involves an account you have spent real money on over the years. **Malicious software.** This is the most underestimated danger. Tools that modify a game require high-level privileges and are downloaded outside of any official store: this is one of the environments where programs that steal passwords and game sessions circulate most heavily. A file promising free skins is the perfect bait. **An unstable client.** Between game updates and outdated tools, you can experience crashes and black screens; in ranked play, a disconnection means a loss and a penalty for leaving. **No support.** If your client stops working because of external modifications, Support will not help you: the only solution is to reinstall everything. > **If a site asks you to disable your antivirus, close it.** Many distribute these programs in password-protected archives, inviting you to turn off your computer's defenses. No legitimate program requires this to install. ## In-game alternatives If you want to change the look of your champions without risking your account: - **Your Store** offers rotating personal discounts on skins based on the champions you play; - **Sales** periodically significantly lower the price of older skins; - **Event Passes** provide skins, icons, and fragments by completing missions; - **Skin Fragments** obtained through rewards can be unlocked permanently. If you create graphical modifications as a hobby, the safe way to show them off is outside of matches: renders, videos, and images do not require injecting anything into the client. ![The "Your Store" section of the League of Legends client showing personalized discounted skins](shop-personalizzate-skin-league-of-legends.png "Personal discounts, sales, and events change your look without putting your account at risk") ## FAQ ### Do other players see my custom skin? No. The modification stays on your computer, and the data sent to the server is the same as always: allies and opponents will see the champion with the skin you actually own, or the default one. ### Do custom skins provide an in-game advantage? Purely cosmetic ones do not. The line is crossed when a modification changes model dimensions, ability effects, or the readability of enemy animations: at that point, it is no longer aesthetic but a competitive advantage, and that is exactly where sanctions occur. ### Has Riot ever authorized these tools? No. No custom skin programs are authorized. Regarding third-party software, Riot states that use is at the user's own risk, with no guarantee of functionality and no exemption from disciplinary actions. ### Does Vanguard always detect custom skins? Vanguard is designed to notice anyone manipulating the game process, but detection does not necessarily lead to an automatic ban. How it behaves is not public knowledge and changes over time; this very unpredictability makes it impossible to give a reassuring answer. ### Can I only use them in custom games or against bots? The modification acts on the client, so the type of match doesn't change anything—neither from a technical standpoint nor regarding the rules. The perceived risk may be lower, but the situation remains the same. ### Are there websites that are 100% safe to download them from? No. There are long-standing and very active modding communities, but no third-party site is approved by Riot, and no one can guarantee that a file is clean. ### Does Vanguard stay active even when I'm not playing? Not necessarily anymore. With the on-demand mode starting in June 2026, it launches with the game and closes when you exit, provided your computer meets the required security specifications: up-to-date Windows 11, Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, and virtualization enabled.