Riot Games announced that League of Legends Classic will shut down at the end of Season 3 in 2026, marking the end of the experimental mode's run after only three months in operation. The decision came via an official post on the League of Legends website alongside the release of Season 3 Act 2. According to Riot, most players who tried the nostalgic experience have since returned to other parts of the League ecosystem rather than staying with Classic exclusively.
The closure represents a significant shift from the initial launch in July, when Riot introduced Classic as a way for players to experience an earlier version of the game. While the mode attracted interest initially, engagement did not sustain at levels that justified continued full-time operation. Riot framed the outcome positively, noting that players remained within the League of Legends community rather than abandoning the franchise entirely, contrasting with situations where legacy versions of other games have pulled players away from current offerings.
Future plans for the mode
Riot has not ruled out Classic's return permanently. The developer stated its intention to bring Classic back in the future, likely as a limited-time event mode rather than a permanent fixture. The company also committed to sharing lessons learned from the experiment, examining both what worked and what did not. These insights are expected to inform any redesigned version of Classic that may launch later.
Ongoing champion additions and content changes
Despite the shutdown timeline, Riot will continue adding content to Classic through its final months. Mordekaiser, Yorick, Hecarim, and Lucian will arrive in patch 26.21, with additional champions including Volibear, Urgot, and Udyr rolling out through patch 26.23. The developer is issuing refunds for Classic-specific cosmetic purchases that will become unusable after shutdown. Moving forward, the Classic store will stock only champions, runes, and rune pages, with the Act 2 Battle Pass offering only a free track rather than premium options.
Restricted play windows
To manage server load and queue times, Riot is transitioning Classic to designated play windows rather than round-the-clock availability. Players in Korea, Latin America North, Latin America South, Taiwan, Vietnam, Turkey, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Russia will access Classic only during specific hours. Weekday access runs from 4:00 p.m. to midnight server time, while weekend play spans Saturday 10:00 a.m. through Sunday 1:00 a.m. server time. This scheduling change represents a substantial restriction for players accustomed to playing whenever they choose, and reflects the lower concurrent player counts that prompted the shutdown decision in the first place.
Related Articles
About the Author
