AFK means "Away From Keyboard," and it's when a player leaves their computer/console/mobile device in the middle of an online match without quitting the game. For penalties, it's treated the same as leaving the game.
Being AFK isn't limited to standing still at the fountain. If our system finds you're moving around the map in an intentionally unhelpful way, you may still be flagged as AFK. You don't have to stick to the meta, but you should always be trying to win.
AFK and Leaving Penalties
Going AFK or leaving a match will result in a 150 second queue delay for five matches. That means every time you want to play a game, you (and anybody queued up with you) must wait for 150 seconds before entering the queue. If you leave before the time runs out, you'll pick up where you left off upon trying to play another game. If multiple players with queue delays enter the same lobby, you'll have to wait through the longest delay among you to play.
This penalty is added every time you go AFK and can increase an existing penalty. For example, if you have two games left in your penalty but go AFK again before them, your 150 second queue delay will continue for seven games.
These penalties apply to all matchmade queues, including ARAM and CO-OP VS AI.
Ranked Fortitude Penalties/Consolation
There are a few adjustments to how Ranked Fortitude is granted (or deducted) following a loss to ease the pain of getting caught in a 4v5 defeat while also further penalizing going AFK.
| If you are... | Victory | Defeat |
|---|---|---|
| AFK or leave | Penalties issued |
Penalties issued Extra Ranked Fortitude lost |
| Partied* with an AFK player | No effect | No effect |
| On the same team as an AFK player, but not in the same party* | No effect | Extra Ranked Fortitude gained |
*the group of players sharing the same lobby before queuing up.