Riot Games announced that the current permanent run of League of Legends' Classic mode will end on January 6, 2027. The mode launched on July 29 this year, allowing players to experience content from the game's early seasons. Riot hopes to bring back the mode in the future as a limited-time event after adjustments and additions, though no date for its return has been announced yet.
Riot explained that the Classic mode attracted a large number of players upon launch, but most eventually returned to other content in the game. Before officially ending its permanent availability, regions where players had already shifted significantly to other modes will first transition to limited-time access windows to reduce issues such as long queue times and MMR disparities.
Starting with version 26.21, players in Japan, the Middle East, and North Africa will only be able to access Classic mode through custom games. Riot stated that the ability to play via custom games will remain available in all regions.
Classic mode will continue to receive updates before this run ends: several champions were added in version 26.20, with more planned for versions 26.21 through 26.23. For mode-exclusive cosmetic items that players purchased but will no longer be able to use, Riot has announced a refund plan and intends to convert the Act II pass into a free single-track pass.