League of Legends Classic to Shut Down in January 2027

Riot Games will shut down League of Legends Classic in January 2027 after the end of Season 3. The company confirmed the decision Oct. 14 in a developer update from Rioters Meddler and Pabro. Riot has not announced the exact shutdown date.

The mode was created to recreate the early years of League of Legends. According to the update, many players who initially tried Classic later returned to other modes, leaving fewer players in its queues. That has increased wait times in some regions and made it harder to match players with similar skill levels. Riot has not published player counts or retention figures, so the size of the decline is unclear.

Starting with Patch 26.21, Classic queues will operate during set hours in Korea, Latin America North, Latin America South, Taiwan, Vietnam, Turkey, Southeast Asia, Oceania and Russia. Queues will be open from 4 p.m. to midnight on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. the following day on weekends, based on each server’s local time.

Players on the Japan and Middle East and North Africa servers will have access to custom matches only. Brazil is not included in the restrictions. Custom Classic games will remain available at all times in every region.

Patch 26.21 will also change Classic’s Battle Pass and store. Act II will have one free reward track and will no longer include a paid track. The store will sell champions, Runes and Rune Pages. Other Classic-exclusive items will be removed from sale.

Riot will refund purchases of Classic-specific content that cannot be used after the mode shuts down. The company has provided further information about the refund process in its support documentation.

Riot plans to bring Classic back in the future, likely as an event mode with new content and adjustments. The company also plans to discuss which parts of the experience worked well, where it differed from early League of Legends and whether older mechanics limited the mode.

League of Legends Classic launched July 29, 2026, with Patch 26.15. It used Season 3 as its main reference while combining features from the period between 2009 and 2013, rather than recreating one specific patch. The mode launched with 60 champions and has since grown to 77.

Classic included an older Summoner’s Rift map, previous versions of champion abilities, removed items and the original Runes and Masteries systems. It also restored older jungle camps, Influence Points and early gameplay strategies. Modern features retained in the mode included role selection, updated matchmaking, performance improvements and optional WASD controls. The Summoner’s Journey progression system and Council voting feature let players progress through the mode and vote on future additions.

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