Riot Games to introduce optional WASD keyboard scheme in League of Legends

Riot Games has announced that its massively popular MOBA, League of Legends, which launched on October 27, 2009, will finally introduce a WASD control scheme, nearly 16 years after the game’s debut.

The introduction of the optional WASD scheme, instead of the point-and-click controls the game is known for, aims to make the game easier for new and returning players. Players will finally be able to control their champions using the W, A, S, and D keys on their keyboards.

In an August 11, 2025, development update, Riot Games officially announced, “We believe that offering WASD controls will provide a fresh yet familiar way to play for both new players and veterans of Summoner’s Rift without changing what makes League, League.” 

Riot is introducing the optional scheme amid the fact that WASD is “the most familiar control scheme for PC games today.

Many gamers instinctively place their fingers on the WASD keys when they switch from other games back to League of Legends. By adding this option, Riot believes, “League will feel more intuitive to some players who come from other games.”

This change could potentially lower the bar of entry into the complex MOBA known for its strategic depth, which overwhelms newcomers despite an estimated active monthly player base of 13 million, and more than 3.2 million daily players.

Riot is rolling out the new WASD scheme in an extended public beta on the game’s Public Beta Environment, which is slated to begin in late August and stretch for multiple patches for extensive playtesting and feedback collection.

Riot has already conducted internal tests, including player labs and demos at the Mid-Season Invitational 2025, where players pointed out areas that needed fine-tuning, such as kiting, moving while attacking, and checking unfair advantages while using the WASD scheme.

After the Public Extended Beta, the optional keyboard scheme will be available for non-ranked modes like casual Summoner’s Rift and All Random All Mid 5v5 mode. Later, WASD will finally roll out to ranked and professional play, that is, after community feedback and extensive tinkering to address bugs.

Riot Games noted that its WASD option is one of the first of many long-term projects in the making to help shape League of Legends' future.