For many players across Southeast Asia, the name Garena has been closely tied to some of the region’s most popular online games. From League of Legends to Teamfight Tactics, Garena acted as the regional distributor, managing servers and player accounts. However, with the official announcement that Garena would no longer operate these titles and that Riot Games would take over publishing duties directly, a major shift occurred in the gaming landscape. This transition, often referred to as the ‘Garena migrate to Riot’ process, has significant implications for players, competitive scenes, and the overall ecosystem of Riot’s games in the region.
Understanding the Garena to Riot Migration
Why the Change Happened
Garena had been publishing Riot Games’ titles in Southeast Asia for over a decade. However, as Riot grew into a full-fledged publisher with the infrastructure to support international servers and communities, it made sense for the company to consolidate its services under its own brand. By managing games directly, Riot can now offer a more unified player experience, from account management to event updates and patch rollouts.
What Games Were Affected?
The primary games impacted by this migration include:
- League of Legends (LoL)
- Teamfight Tactics (TFT)
Other Riot titles, such as Valorant, Legends of Runeterra, and Wild Rift, were already being managed directly by Riot in most regions, including Southeast Asia. This move simply aligned League of Legends and TFT with Riot’s existing publishing framework.
How the Migration Process Worked
Account Linking Period
Riot offered a migration window during which Garena players could link their existing accounts to a Riot account. This period was crucial because it allowed players to retain their in-game progress, including champions, skins, rank history, and more. After the migration window closed, unlinked accounts could no longer transfer data, meaning any progress made on Garena would be lost unless the migration was completed on time.
Steps to Migrate
Players were asked to follow these steps:
- Create or log into a Riot Games account.
- Visit the official migration portal provided by Riot.
- Link their Garena account to the Riot account.
- Wait for the migration to be completed, after which all data would be transferred.
The process was designed to be simple, but Riot also released guides and FAQs to help players understand the steps clearly.
Impact on Players
What Players Gained
After migrating to Riot’s platform, players experienced several improvements:
- Better Server Performance: Riot now hosts its own regional servers, which are often more stable and have lower latency.
- Unified Ecosystem: Players now access all Riot games using a single Riot ID, making it easier to move between games and access support.
- Updated Features: Riot’s launcher, social tools, matchmaking systems, and ranked queues are more refined than Garena’s older systems.
- Direct Support: Riot offers improved customer service and technical support via its global infrastructure.
Challenges Faced by the Community
Despite the benefits, the transition also brought some difficulties. Some users faced issues with account linking due to forgotten credentials or inconsistencies in their account data. Others reported temporary loss of in-game content or mismatched ranks. Riot worked to resolve these cases, but the migration was not entirely without hiccups.
Changes in Esports and Community
Professional Scene Reorganization
One of the most significant impacts of the migration was the reshaping of the regional esports ecosystem. With Riot taking over, the company introduced the League of Legends Pacific Championship Series (PCS), a unified league for SEA and other nearby regions. This allowed Riot to bring a more global and competitive format, aligning SEA teams more closely with international tournaments.
Community Events and Engagement
Riot has historically been strong in engaging its community through in-game events, lore expansions, and creative content. After taking over from Garena, Riot expanded these efforts to SEA players as well. Players could now participate in global events like Spirit Blossom, Sentinels of Light, or seasonal battle passes, which previously had delayed or limited access on Garena.
Comparing Riot and Garena Services
Monetization and Pricing
One of the biggest concerns for many users was whether pricing models would change under Riot. While some regional adjustments were made, Riot largely preserved fair monetization systems. The Riot Points (RP) pricing was balanced to reflect local currencies and purchasing power, ensuring players still had access to cosmetic content without facing inflated costs.
Matchmaking and Rank Systems
Matchmaking became more consistent with Riot’s systems in place. Garena servers had long struggled with smurfing and rank inflation, issues that Riot tackled with improved detection tools and regionally matched queues. As a result, players found ranked matches more balanced and rewarding after the transition.
Looking Forward: What Comes Next?
Improved Content Delivery
Now that Riot manages all services, players can expect quicker updates, synchronized with other global servers. This includes champion releases, balance patches, and seasonal events. In the past, Garena servers often received updates late or with limited content variations.
Opportunities for New Players
The migration opened doors for new players across SEA to join Riot’s ecosystem with ease. Riot also launched new player onboarding missions and rewards to welcome both returning and first-time users. These incentives encouraged the growth of a new generation of gamers in the region.
The Garena to Riot migration marked a major milestone in Southeast Asia’s gaming history. It allowed Riot Games to bring its full ecosystem and support directly to players, eliminating the need for third-party publishers. While the transition was not without its obstacles, the long-term benefits for players have been clear better service quality, more content, and a unified gaming experience. As Riot continues to invest in its global community, Southeast Asian players can look forward to being fully integrated into one of the world’s most vibrant online gaming networks.