Riot Games unveils League of Legends Classic, launching July 29

Riot Games has formally unveiled League of Legends Classic, a nostalgia-focused version of its long-running multiplayer online battle arena game, with a launch set for July 29, 2026, alongside Patch 26.15.

The key caveat is that Riot is not trying to restore one exact historical version of League. Instead, Classic starts from a Season 3-inspired foundation and pulls together what Riot has described as a “greatest hits” take on the game’s early years, rebuilt inside the modern League client and infrastructure. As Paul Bellezza, executive producer, told IGN: “There’s real nostalgia there. We’re not going for a one-to-one recreation of the old times. We want League Classic to scratch that itch while still bringing something new to the table.”

At launch, Classic will feature the original Summoner’s Rift map — the game’s main battlefield — with visual clarity updates to lighting, textures and shadows. It will begin with 60 champions, plus older items, runes, masteries and mechanics associated with early League. Riot said more champions will be added over time, but Classic is not meant to include every character from the modern game.

Riot says the mode will also lean into older design values in how matches play. Combat pacing is intended to be closer to early League, with sharper strengths and weaknesses for champions than in the current version of the game. For longtime players, that means a version of League that aims to feel less standardized and more defined by distinct power spikes, limitations and matchup differences.

At the same time, Riot is keeping several modern technical and quality-of-life features rather than reproducing all of old League’s rough edges. Classic will use updated matchmaking, modern server infrastructure and performance improvements. It will also support modern pings, spell buffering — which helps abilities register more smoothly — and optional WASD controls.

The launch version of Classic will include a single player-vs.-player draft queue, Co-op vs. AI and custom games.

Riot is also adding a progression system called Classic Levels, a free, one-time track tied specifically to the mode. By playing Classic, users can earn runes, masteries, IP, BE and cosmetics. After reaching Classic Level 10, players move into Summoner’s Journey, a longer progression path that runs from Salt to Legend.

The company says progression in Classic is designed to be faster than it was in early League, and players will start with default rune and mastery pages instead of needing to unlock the basics first.

Riot also announced “The Council,” a community voting system that will let players weigh in on future champion additions, Classic skins and gameplay changes. According to Riot, players with a higher Classic Level will carry more influence in those votes.

Monetization at launch will include Seasonal Classic Passes with free and paid tracks. Riot said those passes will offer rewards including IP, BE, rune pages, emotes, titles, and Classic skins and portraits.

The announcement taps into one of the oldest recurring requests around League of Legends, which first launched in 2009 and has changed dramatically over more than 15 years. Old map art, progression systems, items and character kits have long since been replaced or heavily reworked. Riot first teased the Classic project in a developer update on June 26 and gave it a fuller public showing during MSI 2026 coverage and a showmatch in July. Now, the company has attached a release date — July 29 — to a version of early League that is being framed less as a museum piece than as a curated nostalgia mode inside the modern game.