League of Legends Classic Is Ending in January After Players Return to Other Modes

Riot Games is ending the current run of League of Legends Classic on January 6, 2027, less than six months after the nostalgia-focused mode launched. Riot says plenty of players tried Classic, but engagement has fallen as most returned to other parts of League of Legends.

Classic launched on July 29 with 60 champions and a version of Summoner's Rift designed to recreate the feel of earlier League seasons. Riot is not abandoning the concept completely and says it hopes to bring Classic back later, most likely as a limited-time event with adjustments and additional content.

Riot acknowledged that Classic attracted players interested in revisiting older champions, systems and strategies. However, the developer said, "At this point though, most have gone back to other parts of League."

Falling participation has already created problems in some regions, including longer matchmaking times and larger differences in player skill within matches. Riot will introduce restricted queue windows in several lower-population regions beginning with Patch 26.21, while Japan and MENA will move to custom matches only.

Custom Classic games will remain available at all times in every region until the mode's current run ends. Other supported regions will continue to have regular matchmaking according to their existing availability.

Development is not stopping immediately. Riot plans to continue releasing returning champions through Patch 26.23, giving players more additions before Classic disappears in January.

Mordekaiser, Yorick, Hecarim and Lucian are scheduled for Patch 26.21. Volibear, Urgot and Udyr will follow in later patches after placing in the top three of Riot's latest community Council poll.

The upcoming Act II Classic Battle Pass is also being changed to a single free reward track. Starting with Patch 26.21, the Classic store will only sell champions, runes and rune pages rather than continuing to offer content with a limited lifespan.

Riot says it will issue refunds for Classic-specific content that will no longer be usable once the mode ends. The company has published separate support guidance covering eligible purchases and is encouraging players to spend remaining Classic Pass Coins before January 6.

Classic has its own progression system separate from a player's normal League of Legends level. Players can continue earning Classic XP, unlocking runes and progressing their Classic Account until the shutdown date.

January 6 will end this version of League of Legends Classic, but Riot is already considering another attempt. The developer says it wants to examine what worked, where the experience could have gone further in recreating old League, and whether remaining too faithful to the past limited the mode.

Riot's current goal is to eventually bring Classic back as an event rather than maintain it permanently alongside modern League of Legends. For now, players have until January 6, 2027, to finish their progression and play the current version before Riot puts Classic "back in the box."