Riot will sunset League of Legends Classic in January 2027

The throwback mode may reappear as a limited-time event in the future.

Riot Games

Riot Games introduced League Classic in July, offering players a way to re-experience the League of Legends as it was in past years. However, the attempt to recapture the spark of nostalgia from its long-running MOBA appears to have quickly fizzled. League Classic will be ending at the close of Season 3, which will be in early January 2027. In the interim, the studio said it would introduce windowed queues for League Classic in regions where a lack of players has created long wait times for matches. Riot will also continue to add more champions to the Classic pool in the remaining patches planned for 2026.

In a blog post, the dev team said interest waned quickly after Classic launched, noting that many players "have gone back to other parts of League." Rather than completely axe all the work that went into recreating bygone eras of LoL, Riot said that it aims to bring back Classic in the future, "likely as an event mode with adjustments and additions" based on feedback from this inaugural run.

Riot Games had been hyping up League Classic since the throwback mode was announced, including a live show match with ten retired pro players at this summer's Mid-Season Invitational tournament. It's not the only game studio to try and appeal to both new and long-time players by offering a version that turns back the clock on an ever-adapting live game; Blizzard Entertainment has seen success with its World of Warcraft Classic option. But it seems Riot hasn't quite nailed the balance in a way that connected with its audience for long-term success.