en
League of Legends Classic to Shut Down in 2027 as Player Interest Declines
14 Oct, 2026, 18:31
|Last updated: 14 Oct, 2026, 18:31
League of Legends Classic will shut down in 2027. Riot Games confirmed on Wednesday (October 14) that the mode, designed to bring back the early days of League of Legends, will remain available only until the end of Season 3 in 2026.
Rioters Meddler and Pabro announced the decision in an official developer update. While many players enjoyed the nostalgic experience, the developers said most have since returned to other League of Legends modes.
Riot also announced queue restrictions for certain regions, changes to the Battle Pass, and more champions arriving before Classic's current run comes to an end.
When Will League of Legends Classic Shut Down?
League of Legends Classic will shut down in January 2027, following the conclusion of Season 3 in 2026. Riot has not yet announced the exact date when the mode will go offline.
That will be roughly six months after Classic launched on July 29, 2026, with Patch 26.15.
However, Riot made it clear that this is not necessarily a permanent goodbye. The developer plans to bring Classic back in the future, likely as an event mode, with adjustments and new content.
Riot also intends to share what it learned from Classic's first run, including which aspects worked well, which could have been more faithful to the original game, and where preserving older mechanics may have held the experience back.
Why Is Riot Shutting Down League of Legends Classic?
The main reason behind the decision is declining player activity. Despite the initial interest, many players stopped regularly playing Classic and returned to other modes in the League client.
With fewer players queueing for Classic, matchmaking has become more difficult in some regions. Wait times have increased, and it has become harder to match players with similar skill levels.
Riot has not released active player counts, retention rates, or other statistics showing how much Classic's player base has declined. As a result, the exact scale of the drop cannot be determined from the announcement alone.
The developer also thanked the community members who spent years asking for the return of old League and those who participated in Council votes, which helped determine what content would be added to Classic.
League of Legends Classic Will Have Limited Queue Hours in Some Regions
Starting with Patch 26.21, Classic queues will only be available during certain hours on some servers. The restrictions mainly affect regions where declining player activity has led to longer wait times and larger MMR gaps between players.
In Korea, Latin America North, Latin America South, Taiwan, Vietnam, Turkey, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Russia, queues will be available during the following hours:
- Monday to Friday: 4 PM to midnight, server time.
- Saturday and Sunday: 10 AM to 1 AM the following day, server time.
Meanwhile, players on the Japan and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) servers will only be able to play custom matches.
Brazil is not among the regions affected by these restrictions. Riot also confirmed that Classic custom games will remain available at all times across every region.
What Was League of Legends Classic?
Released on July 29, 2026, League Classic was designed to recreate what League of Legends was like in its early years, particularly between 2009 and 2013.
Rather than recreating a specific patch, Riot used Season 3 as its main reference while bringing together elements from different periods of the game's history.
League Classic launched with 60 champions, including the original 40 champions and another 20 selected from those released between 2009 and 2013. Riot has since added 17 more, bringing the roster to 77 playable champions as of October 2026.
Some of its defining features included the classic Summoner's Rift map, older versions of champion abilities, removed or reworked items, and the return of the original Runes and Masteries systems.
Combat also felt different from modern League. Abilities generally had higher resource costs, projectiles and dashes were slower, and champions had more clearly defined strengths and weaknesses.
The mode also brought back old jungle camps, Influence Points, and strategies that defined League's early years, including playstyles that disappeared following champion and item reworks.
At the same time, Riot kept some modern improvements, including updated matchmaking systems, role selection, performance optimizations, and optional WASD controls.
Classic also introduced the Summoner's Journey, its own progression system, alongside the Council, which allowed players to vote on champions and other content they wanted added to the mode.
What Happens to the Battle Pass and Purchased Content?
Riot is also changing the Classic store and Battle Pass ahead of the shutdown.
The Act II Classic Battle Pass will have a single free reward track, removing the paid option that was previously available. This change will take effect with Patch 26.21.
Starting with the same patch, the Classic store will only sell Champions, Runes, and Rune Pages. Other Classic-exclusive content will no longer be available for purchase.
Riot also confirmed that it will issue refunds for Classic-specific content that will no longer be usable after the shutdown. The developer has provided further details about the refund process in its official support documentation.
Follow Strafe Esports for the latest League of Legends news, and check out our X account for more updates and coverage. You can also visit the Strafe YouTube channel for exclusive interviews, press conferences, and more.
Featured image credit: Riot Games
Read more:
League of Legends World Championship 2026: Everything You Need To Know
K/DA Announces Comeback After Six Years, Teases October 20 Release
