Riot to Sunset League of Legends Classic in January 2027

Riot had promoted League Classic as a way to recapture nostalgia for League of Legends' earlier years. The company announced the mode with a live show match featuring ten retired professional players at this summer's Mid-Season Invitational. When it launched, League Classic offered players a way to re-experience the game as it was in past years.

Interest waned quickly after launch, according to the developer team's blog post. The team said many players 'have gone back to other parts of League.' In regions where a lack of players has created long wait times for matches, Riot said it will introduce windowed queues for League Classic in the interim. It will also continue adding more champions to the Classic pool in the remaining patches planned for 2026.

Riot said it does not intend to completely discard the work that went into recreating bygone eras of League of Legends. The company aims to bring back Classic in the future, 'likely as an event mode with adjustments and additions' based on feedback from this inaugural run. Engadget reported that the throwback mode may reappear as a limited-time event.

The shutdown plan comes as other game studios have found audiences for older versions of live games. Blizzard Entertainment has seen success with its World of Warcraft Classic option, which lets players revisit an earlier form of the long-running MMORPG. Riot's attempt followed a similar impulse: appealing to both new and long-time players by turning back the clock on an ever-adapting live game.

But Engadget said Riot hasn't quite nailed the balance in a way that connected with its audience for long-term success. League Classic will remain available until the close of Season 3, with the end date set for early January 2027. Until then, Riot plans to manage queue times in struggling regions and add champions in 2026 patches.