Cloudflare Outage Disrupts League of Legends and Major Websites

A major Cloudflare outage on November 18, 2025, caused widespread disruption across the internet. Services like League of Legends, X, and Spotify became inaccessible for thousands of users. The incident lasted for several hours, affecting players and consumers globally.

According to CBS News, the outage was triggered by “unusual traffic” that overwhelmed Cloudflare’s systems. This led to a cascade of 500 errors and connectivity issues for countless online platforms.

Gamers Face LP Loss and Penalties

The outage had a severe impact on the gaming community. League of Legends players were abruptly disconnected from active ranked matches. Many reported losing valuable League Points (LP) and receiving temporary bans due to the disconnects.

This created significant frustration among the player base. High-ranked players, in particular, felt the sting of an unfair penalty. GamingBible highlighted the community’s demand for Riot Games to provide compensation for losses beyond their control.

Riot Games Faces Compensation Pressure

Riot Games now faces a difficult decision regarding player compensation. While the outage was an external issue, its effect on player trust is direct. The company is expected to announce a plan to refund lost LP and remove penalties.

The situation underscores a recurring challenge for online service providers. Their reliability is often tied to third-party infrastructure. Restoring player confidence will require a swift and transparent response from Riot.

Broader Impact on Internet Reliability

This incident highlights the fragility of modern internet infrastructure. Many major companies rely on a small handful of backbone providers like Cloudflare. When one fails, the effects are immediate and far-reaching.

Experts from Catchpoint told CBS News these events reveal a concentrated risk. The dependency on key services means a single point of failure can disrupt global digital life. It prompts a wider discussion about building more resilient networks for the future.

The recent Cloudflare outage serves as a stark reminder of our interconnected digital world’s vulnerabilities. While services have been restored, the event has ignited serious conversations about infrastructure redundancy and corporate responsibility in the gaming sector and beyond.

Info at your fingertips

What caused the Cloudflare outage?

The outage was caused by a surge of unusual traffic within Cloudflare’s network. This technical issue triggered widespread 500 errors for services relying on its infrastructure.

Which games were affected by the outage?

League of Legends and Valorant were significantly impacted. Many other online games and services that use Cloudflare also experienced connectivity problems.

Will Riot Games refund lost LP?

Riot Games has not yet made an official announcement. However, there is significant player pressure for the company to refund LP and remove penalties caused by the disconnections.

How long did the Cloudflare outage last?

The core outage lasted for several hours. Some users reported residual connectivity issues persisting into the afternoon of November 18th.

Is this a common occurrence?

Major outages like this are not daily events, but they have happened before. Similar incidents have affected other infrastructure providers like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.