Can I use Riot MFA without a phone?

Yes. Riot names phone apps like Google Authenticator and Microsoft Authenticator, but all Riot checks is the six-digit code, and any standard authenticator produces it. The Authenticator extension reads the QR code off the Riot account page and generates the codes in Chrome — on the same computer you play on.

Do I get the VALORANT Gun Buddy and the League emote for using an authenticator app?

Riot’s April 2025 news post lists the rewards — the Taliyah “Very Cool” emote, the “Keep it Safer” Gun Buddy, a Rare Prismatic Chest in Legends of Runeterra and 100 Treasure Tokens in TFT — for players who turn on MFA through Riot Mobile or an authenticator app. Riot’s support page describes them for Riot Mobile, and players who received them for email MFA earlier do not get them again.

Will Riot ask for a code every time I start a game?

Not necessarily. The Riot Client’s code prompt has a “Remember this app for 30 days” box: tick it on your own computer and it stops asking there for a month. Leave it unticked on a shared PC.

Why does Riot say my code is wrong?

Usually the QR code changed: if the setup was opened again, Riot made a new one, and the account you added first no longer matches. Add the QR code that is on the screen now and type its code in straight away. If you have two entries for Riot, use the newest.

Riot Games Authenticator App — Turn On 2FA for VALORANT and LoL

One Riot account signs you in to VALORANT, League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics and Legends of Runeterra, with every skin, rank and bit of currency on it — and accounts like that are traded, so they get stolen. With multi-factor authentication on, a password alone no longer gets anyone in, and an authenticator app gives you the code at once instead of an email you have to wait for.

Turn on multi-factor authentication for your Riot account

Riot’s MFA starts with email: you turn it on with a link Riot sends you, and the other methods are added after that. Players who sign in through Garena or another third-party portal cannot use Riot’s MFA.

Sign in at account.riotgames.com in Chrome on your computer.
Find the “Multi-Factor Authentication” card. If MFA is off, click “Enable” and confirm it with the link in the email Riot sends you.
Back on the account page, choose to add an authenticator app as a method and follow the instructions on the screen.
When Riot shows a QR code, leave it on the screen and add it to the extension as described below — then enter the six-digit code from the extension to finish.

Riot Games’s own instructions

Add Riot Games to Authenticator

Install 2FA Authenticator from the Chrome Web Store and pin it to the toolbar, so its icon is one click away.
Leave the Riot Games page with the QR code open. Click the Authenticator icon, then “Add Account” → “QR Code” → “Scan QR from screen”.
The account appears in the list with a six-digit code that changes every 30 seconds. Rename it if you like — the name is only for you.
Go back to Riot Games and type the current code into the confirmation field. If it is about to expire, wait for the next one.
Riot Games confirms that two-factor authentication is on. From now on it will ask for a code when you sign in — click the extension icon and copy it.

No QR code, or it will not scan? Look for the option to enter a key manually on Riot Games’s setup screen, copy the key, and add it in the extension with “Add Account” → “Manual” → “Secret Key”.

Get 2FA Authenticator for Chrome — free

Keep a way back into your Riot account

Riot’s help does not describe backup codes for MFA. Email stays one of your methods, so keep access to the inbox on the account; with every method gone, Riot’s help sends you to Player Support. While the QR code is on the screen, you can scan it with an authenticator app on your phone too — and keep the extension’s automatic backups on.

The code is not accepted?

Most often the QR code changed: the website makes a new one each time its setup page is reloaded or opened again, so the account you added first no longer matches. Start the setup again, add the QR code that is on the screen now and type its code in straight away. Two entries for the same website? Use the newest. Other reasons: why codes are refused.

Typed the key in by hand? Paste it into the TOTP code generator and compare the code with the one in the extension. If they differ, the key was copied wrong — add the account again.

Questions

Can I use Riot MFA without a phone?: Yes. Riot names phone apps like Google Authenticator and Microsoft Authenticator, but all Riot checks is the six-digit code, and any standard authenticator produces it. The Authenticator extension reads the QR code off the Riot account page and generates the codes in Chrome — on the same computer you play on.
Do I get the VALORANT Gun Buddy and the League emote for using an authenticator app?: Riot’s April 2025 news post lists the rewards — the Taliyah “Very Cool” emote, the “Keep it Safer” Gun Buddy, a Rare Prismatic Chest in Legends of Runeterra and 100 Treasure Tokens in TFT — for players who turn on MFA through Riot Mobile or an authenticator app. Riot’s support page describes them for Riot Mobile, and players who received them for email MFA earlier do not get them again.
Will Riot ask for a code every time I start a game?: Not necessarily. The Riot Client’s code prompt has a “Remember this app for 30 days” box: tick it on your own computer and it stops asking there for a month. Leave it unticked on a shared PC.
Why does Riot say my code is wrong?: Usually the QR code changed: if the setup was opened again, Riot made a new one, and the account you added first no longer matches. Add the QR code that is on the screen now and type its code in straight away. If you have two entries for Riot, use the newest.

Your codes, one click from the login page

Authenticator keeps your 2FA codes in the browser, on your device only — free to use, open source, no account and no phone needed. Local backups and optional password protection come built in.