League of Legends Classic to End Current Run in January 2027
The nostalgic game mode will be removed after Season 3, with Riot Games planning to bring it back later as a revised event mode.
Riot Games will end the current run of its League of Legends Classic game mode in January 2027.
The nostalgic mode, which recreates an older version of the game, will remain available through the rest of Season 3 Act II before being retired.
"We’ll then put Classic back in the box for now, with the goal of bringing it back, likely as an event mode with adjustments and additions," Riot said in an update.
The company said it has seen a lot of players have fun revisiting the olden days with Classic, but that at this point, most have gone back to other parts of League.
This migration has led to especially long queue times and large MMR discrepancies for Classic in some regions.
In response, Riot will be adding windowed queues in those specific regions where the issue is most pronounced.
Classic Custom games will remain available at all times, in all regions.
Riot is issuing refunds on Classic-specific content that will no longer be usable.
The Act II Classic Battle Pass will ship in patch 26.21 with a free track only.
From patch 26.21 onwards, the Classic store will only contain Champions, Runes, and Rune Pages.
For players who still enjoy the mode, Riot is adding several classic champions before the mode ends.
New champions including Irelia, Karma, Quinn, Aatrox, and Caitlyn were added in patch 26.20.
Mordekaiser, Yorick, Hecarim, and Lucian will be added in patch 26.21.
The developer will continue to release new champions every patch through 26.23, including Volibear, Urgot, and Udyr, who all placed top 3 in the most recent Council poll.
Riot said it will share more in the future about what it 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," the developer said.
Riot asked players to continue providing feedback, stating, "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."
The company described the mode as a "true labor of love from so many Rioters."
"Seeing you all dive back in to reclaim the nostalgia, reconnect with old friends, and relive your glory days made it a truly special moment for everyone," Riot said.
The developer added that it will keep exploring different ways to play League.
"Every post on social media asking for Classic, every vote cast in the Council, and every minute spent leashing for your jungler again helped us bring this to life, so thank you very much," the statement concluded.
Players are asked to keep a close eye on Patch Notes for further updates to League Classic and expected queue windows.
