Riot Games announced that League of Legends Classic will end its current run in January 2027. The developer cited declining player engagement as the primary reason for the shutdown.
Riot Games has announced that it will shut down League of Legends Classic in January 2027. The mode, which launched in July 2026, will remain available through the end of Season 3 of 2026 before ending its current run. According to a post on the League of Legends website, the decision follows a shift in player activity.
Riot Games stated that while many players initially enjoyed the throwback experience, retention has dropped. "We’ve seen a lot of players have fun revisiting the olden days with Classic," Riot wrote. "At this point though, most have gone back to other parts of League."
The developer noted that it is not closing the door on the mode permanently. "Our goal is to bring Classic back in the future, likely as an event mode with adjustments and additions," Riot said. The company plans to share more information about what it learned from the mode's run, including successes and failures.
Before the shutdown, Riot is implementing changes to matchmaking queues to address long wait times in specific regions. Players in Korea, Latin America North, Latin America South, Taiwan, Vietnam, Turkey, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Russia will have access to Classic only during designated windows. These windows are weekdays from 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. server time, and weekends from Saturday 10:00 a.m. to Sunday 1:00 a.m. server time.
In Japan and the Middle East and North Africa regions, Classic will be limited to custom matches only starting with patch 26.21. Custom games will remain available in all regions.
Riot is also adjusting monetization and content availability:
Development on the mode will continue until its closure. Riot confirmed that several champions from earlier versions of the game will be added in upcoming patches.
Riot described the mode as "a true labor of love" and thanked players for their feedback and participation during its three-month lifespan.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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