Riot is turning back the clock. Here's everything we know about League of Legends Classic, answered FAQ style.
Old runes, old masteries, old kits, and a 60 champion launch roster pulled straight from 2009-2013. We break down what's actually changing below.
Frequently Asked Questions
League of Legends Classic
Riot is turning back the clock. Here's everything we know about League of Legends Classic, answered FAQ style.
Old runes, old masteries, old kits, and a 60 champion launch roster pulled straight from 2009-2013. We break down what's actually changing below.
Riot announced League of Legends Classic as a new mode built to recreate the feel of early League, old runes, old masteries, old champion kits, and all. It runs inside the current client (no separate game), and it's more of a "greatest hits" of the 2009-2013 era than a copy of one specific patch. We went through the official dev blog and a few other write-ups to pull together the questions we think most people have.
League Classic Roster Tracker
Riot adds old champions to Classic a few at a time, and every wave so far has landed on a patch day. Hecarim, Lucian, Mordekaiser and Yorick are already on the PBE for Patch 26.21, which takes the roster to 81.
| Wave | Added | Champions | Roster |
|---|---|---|---|
| NextOn the PBE now | October 21, 2026Patch 26.21 |  Hecarim Lucian Mordekaiser Yorick | 81 |
| Wave 4 | October 7, 2026Patch 26.20 |  Aatrox Caitlyn Irelia Karma Quinn | 77 |
| Wave 3 | September 23, 2026Patch 26.19 |  Fizz Graves Nami Nautilus | 72 |
| Wave 2 | September 10, 2026Patch 26.18 |  Fiora Galio Poppy Shyvana Xin Zhao | 68 |
| Wave 1 | August 12, 2026Patch 26.16 |  Akali Kennen Shen | 63 |
| Launch | July 29, 2026Patch 26.15 | The 60 champions listed below | 60 |
Dates are Riot's patch days. Champions per wave come from the Classic section of each patch's official notes, and the 26.21 wave from the PBE.
Full Launch Roster (60 Champions)
Alphabetical, as confirmed across the sources linked further down this post:
What exactly is League of Legends Classic?
It's a standalone gameplay mode recreating early League design: higher ability costs, harder-hitting spells, slower missiles and dashes, and more crowd control than the modern game, all built around a Classic version of Summoner's Rift with wraiths and faster-respawning buffs. Riot describes it as pulling from across the 2009-2013 era rather than locking to one exact patch.
When does it come out?
July 29, with Patch 26.15. You don't need a separate download or client. It launches straight from the existing League launcher.
When does League Classic end?
On January 6, 2027, at the end of Season 3. Riot's October 14 dev post says most players have gone back to the rest of League, so the mode goes back in the box after that. Riot wants to bring it back later, probably as an event mode, and hasn't put a date on it.
How many champions are in it, and is it really just 60?
Yes. Launch roster is 60 champions total: the original 40 from October 2009, plus 20 more hand-picked champions released between 2009 and 2013. We cross-checked the list against the League Classic wiki roster page and a separate community champion breakdown, and both land on the exact same 60 names.
Do the champions play like they do now, or like they used to?
Old kits. Several launch champions run pre-rework versions of their abilities (early coverage calls out Sion, Kayle, Tristana and Skarner by name). If you only know the current versions of those champions, expect them to feel like entirely different picks.
Is Yasuo in it?
No. Riot's dev blog is explicit about this one: "no Yasuos allowed." Yasuo came out in December 2013 and he's the point where Riot drew the line (Meddler says his kit reflects a different design philosophy from the older ones), so he's not part of the 60.
Will more champions get added later?
Yes, and they already are. Four waves have added 17 champions since launch, Akali, Fiora, Irelia and Caitlyn among them, and Mordekaiser arrives with Patch 26.21. Riot's adding more every patch through 26.23, Volibear, Urgot and Udyr included, since they were the top three in the latest Council poll. The roster tracker above has every wave with its date. The Council, the in-client vote, also asks players which champion's kit Riot should restore next.
What if I don't own a champion that's in the Classic roster?
If you already own a champion on live servers you get immediate access to it in Classic. If you don't, you unlock it through the Classic Levels progression track or the in-mode shop. Champions you've already bought never need a second purchase.
Do runes and masteries actually come back?
Yes, both systems return. You pre-select a rune and mastery page before a match instead of building it live. Everything's unlocked by Classic Level 4, so there's no long upgrade grind. Forgot to set a page? Default pages are provided so you're never stuck without one.
What game modes are available at launch?
A PvP Draft queue, Co-op vs AI, and Custom games. That's it for day one, and there's been no word on a ranked queue for the launch.
From Patch 26.21, Japan and MENA only get custom games. Korea, both Latin America servers, Taiwan, Vietnam, Turkey, Southeast Asia, Oceania and Russia are moving to queue windows: 4pm to midnight server time on weekdays, 10am to 1am on weekends. Custom games stay open in every region at all hours.
Is there a progression system?
Yes, it's called the Summoner's Journey, and it ranks players from Salt up through Wood and eventually Legend. Riot has said only a single-digit percentage of players are expected to reach Legend. It's a long grind.
What about cosmetics, do my current skins work?
Many existing skins are compatible with Classic as-is. On top of that, Riot is adding Classic Skins recreating 2009-2013 appearances, Classic Chromas, and alternate loading screen portraits.
Do I get a refund for Classic portraits and chromas?
Yes, in RP. A Classic portrait you bought in the store comes back as the RP you paid for it, by November 30, 2026. Each portrait from the paid Act I pass is worth 200 RP, and the Resplendent Explorer Ezreal portrait from the Classic Welcome Bundle is worth 2,000 RP. A Classic chroma you bought on its own is refunded in RP as well. If you paid cash for the Act I pass or the Collector's Box and you'd rather have the money back, contact Player Support within 30 days (the details are on Riot's Classic Pass support page).
And don't worry, Nottingham Ezreal still works.
Is League Classic free, or is there a new monetization system?
The core Classic Levels progression track is free, and so is the whole Act II Classic Pass. It runs from October 20 to January 4 with no paid tier at all (Act I had one). From Patch 26.21 the Classic store only sells champions, runes and rune pages, and the old IP currency still buys rune pages.
Our LoL calendar tracks the passes and modes running in League right now, League Classic included.
Where can I read the full official announcement?
Straight from Riot: the League of Legends Classic dev blog is the primary source for everything above. For the full champion-by-champion roster breakdown we also referenced the League Classic wiki and LoL Theory's roster writeup.
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