League of Legends Classic is ending its run in January 2027
Riot says most players went back to modern League. Classic will be shelved and could return later as an event mode.
Riot Games has confirmed that League of Legends Classic, the throwback mode it launched in the summer, will stay available until the end of Season 3 of 2026 and then end its current run in January 2027.
Why it's closing
According to Riot, most players have returned to other parts of League. In some regions that led to very long queue times and large skill gaps between players.
What changes now
Several regions — including Korea, Latin America, Oceania, Turkey and Southeast Asia — move to timed queue windows, while Japan and MENA switch to custom games only from patch 26.21. Riot is still adding champions each patch through 26.23, the Act II battle pass becomes free, and refunds are being issued for Classic-only content that can no longer be used.
Will it come back?
Riot says the goal is to bring Classic back later, most likely as an event mode with changes and additions.