League Classic launches with 60 champions

The League Classic launch arrived with Patch 26.15 on July 29, 2026, giving League of Legends a separate experience built around 60 champions and an early Summoner’s Rift. Riot describes it as a “greatest hits” version of old League rather than an exact restoration of one historical patch.

The distinction matters. Classic uses Season 3 as its anchor, but it also brings together older items, pre-rework champion kits, runes, masteries and Summoner Spells from several periods.

The League Classic launch starts with a focused roster

The initial pool contains the original 40 champions and another 20 selected from releases between 2009 and 2013. Riot says more champions will follow, but they will remain tied to that broad era. Players who already own a champion can use that character immediately; others can unlock champions through Classic progression, the shop or the free rotation.

Combat is intentionally slower and more committal than modern LoL. Projectiles and dashes move differently, crowd control is more common, spells cost more mana and individual casts can have greater consequences.

Runes, masteries and old items return

Classic includes old-style rune pages and mastery trees without reproducing the original upgrade grind. Players unlock the systems through play, while the runes use their former Tier 3 strength as a baseline. Familiar items such as Atma’s Impaler and Frozen Mallet return alongside period build concepts.

The mode launches with PvP draft, Co-op vs. AI and custom games. Its Summoner’s Journey provides a separate climb from Salt to Legend, but Riot positions that journey as progression rather than a conventional ranked ladder.

Our Patch 26.15 Mayhem report covers another mode changed in the same update, while the dragon vision guide remains written for modern Summoner’s Rift. Read Riot’s League Classic developer article for the complete system breakdown.

Source: Riot Games, July 14 and July 28, 2026.