Riot is officially turning back the clock. League of Legends Classic is a brand new mode that drops players straight into the Season 3 era, complete with the old Summoner’s Rift, the original runes and masteries, and champions playing with their long lost kits. It lands on July 29, and here is everything confirmed so far, including the full champion list.
What Is League of Legends Classic?
League Classic is a featured game mode that recreates how League felt in its early years. Rather than copying one exact patch, Riot describes it as a curated “greatest hits” build that uses Season 3 as its foundation while pulling in bits and pieces from both before and after that era.
The big draw is the gameplay itself. Champions who have been reworked over the years show up here with their original pre-rework kits. So that basically means Graves gets his cigar back, Sion returns to his old stunlock days, and Urgot goes back to being the mid lane menace nobody understood. If you played back then, you already know how cursed some of these matchups used to be.
Riot Studio head Andrei “Meddler” van Roon confirmed the direction plainly, saying the team is bringing back old gameplay kits. He also called out old Urgot as the one he is personally most excited to play again, mostly because opponents in the mid lane rarely had any clue what he actually did.
More Reveals:
League of Legends Classic Release Date
League Classic launches on July 29, 2026, alongside Patch 26.15. It was fully revealed during the MSI 2026 Finals broadcast, and it runs inside the normal League client, so there is no separate download or account needed. It will show up in the client mode picker, the same spot where Arena and URF appear during their rotations.
The launch is also getting the nostalgia treatment on the esports side, with an LCS Classic showmatch bringing back the legendary TSM vs CLG rivalry on July 24.
Old Systems Are Coming Back Too
League Classic rolls the entire experience back, and the datamined feature set is stacked. Expect the following to return:
- The original Summoner’s Rift map, green, alcove free, and with the old jungle layout
- The pre 2017 rune pages and mastery talent trees
- Summoner leveling from 1 to 30
- Influence Points as the mode’s currency
- Classic and long-removed items
- A separate shop, a battle pass, and a token system
- A community voting mechanic to shape the future of the mode
League of Legends Classic Champion List
League Classic launches with a starting roster of 60 champions, built around the original 40 that shipped with the game back in 2009. New champion additions roughly cut off around 2013, keeping the whole thing true to the era.
Here are the original 40 champions forming the core of the Classic roster:
- Alistar
- Amumu
- Anivia
- Annie
- Ashe
- Blitzcrank
- Cho’Gath
- Corki
- Dr. Mundo
- Evelynn
- Fiddlesticks
- Gangplank
- Heimerdinger
- Janna
- Jax
- Karthus
- Kassadin
- Katarina
- Kayle
- Malphite
- Master Yi
- Morgana
- Nasus
- Nunu
- Rammus
- Ryze
- Shaco
- Singed
- Sion
- Sivir
- Soraka
- Taric
- Teemo
- Tristana
- Tryndamere
- Twisted Fate
- Twitch
- Veigar
- Warwick
- Zilean
The remaining spots in the 60 are filled out by slightly newer faces from the post 2009 window, several of which were shown during the MSI showmatch playing with their older designs.
Bonus Champions Coming to League Classic
Riot has made it clear that the roster is not static. More champions will roll out through future patches, and the community vote will help decide where the mode goes next.
Outside of the starting roster of 60, the bonus champions confirmed so far are:
- Akali
- Caitlyn
- Fiora
- Graves
- Irelia
- LeBlanc
- Mordekaiser
- Urgot
A chunk of this list comes from Tencent promotional art that hinted at who is next in line, so expect this to grow as we get closer to launch and beyond.
Everything We Know So Far: Wrapping Up
League Classic is shaping up to be one of the most nostalgic things Riot has done in years. Old kits, old Rift, old runes, and a roster that keeps expanding based on what players actually want. Whether you are a Season 3 veteran chasing that first ranked climb feeling or a newer player curious what old League actually looked like, July 29 is the date to circle.
Also, Riot Meddler notes that new champion additions to League Classic will likely stop around 2013.
We will keep this updated as Riot confirms more champions and system details.
