Riot Games is pulling the plug on League of Legends Classic just 3 months after launch

At the start of August this year, Riot Games gave long-time fans nostalgia and newer fans a preview of what their popular MOBA, League of Legends, looked like back in the day with the introduction of League Classic. League Classic was introduced with Patch 26.15 and featured the original Summoner’s Rift map, classic UI and item mechanics, and old kits for over 60 Champions.

While Riot intended to make League Classic a permanent addition to the game mode lineup, it has unexpectedly decided to remove it at the end of Season 3, which ends this year. However, League Classic isn't going away permanently, and Riot has promised an eventual return.

What will happen to League Classic?

In their blog post, Riot states: “We've seen a lot of players have fun revisiting the olden days with Classic. At this point though, most have gone back to other parts of League. So Classic will be available through the rest of Season 3 and will then end its current run in January 2027. We’ll then put Classic back in the box for now, to bring it back, likely as an event mode with adjustments and additions.”

From this statement, it's clear League Classic wasn't popular, which some observers would expect. Many old players barely play the game anymore, and the newer player base likely won’t enjoy something that works fundamentally differently from what they’ve learned to play. This was confirmed to be the case with Riot’s following statement:

"There's more we're going to share in the future about what we learned from this run. That includes where we think we got Classic right, where we could have gone more classic, and where sticking too closely to the past may have held the experience back. Please continue to let us know what you love and don't love about Classic. Your feedback is a vital part of how we make our games and is always appreciated."

Based on this, Riot will aim to adjust League Classic's gameplay to blend the current League of Legends experience with the classic experience. While long-time fans greeted League Classic with enthusiasm, the microtransaction-focused model met instant backlash. Classic skins for Champions could only be acquired through a Classic-mode-specific battle pass or purchased, which many fans saw as a step too far, since charging for Classic skins separately didn't make sense.    

What happens to cosmetics right now?

Starting with Patch 26.21 on October 21, which brings Act II of Season 3, players who have already purchased League Classic items need to check whether those items will be rendered unusable. If so, players will be refunded in Riot Points, the premium currency Riot currently offers across multiple games, including Valorant. 

The Classic Shop will now include only Champions, Runes, and Rune Pages, while the Classic Battle Pass will have only a free tier. Additionally, with Patch 26.21, Riot will introduce limited queue windows for Classic Mode, with Japan and MENA (Middle East & North Africa) being limited to custom games only.

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