Riot Games unveiled League Classic at the 2026 MSI Finals, introducing a Season 3-based version of League of Legends that will go live on July 30 KST. The mode is scheduled to arrive alongside Patch 26.15, giving players a set launch date after the stage reveal in Daejeon.
The new mode is built as a best-of collection from Season 3. Riot said it will bring back 60 classic champions, along with long-removed items and legacy runes and masteries, for players who want an older ruleset on live servers.
Daejeon Convention Center Exhibition Hall
The reveal took place onstage at the Daejeon Convention Center Exhibition Hall 2 in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, during the 2026 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational finals. Riot used the event presentation to frame League Classic as a live-server release rather than a one-off exhibition mode, and that makes the July 30 timing the part players can plan around now.
A live match followed with 10 players who have left their mark on League of Legends esports. The lineup included Doublelift, Levi, Weixiao, Ambition, Pawn, and Captain Jack, and Team Baron won the match with Ambition and Doublelift on its side.
Team Dragon and Team Baron
Team Dragon took an early lead thanks to Levi’s ganking, but Team Baron still won the match. The pick-ban phase also showed pre-rework versions of Karthus, Amumu, Alistar, Skarner, and Kassadin, offering the clearest preview of how closely League Classic is meant to mirror older versions of the game.
For players, the practical takeaway is simple: League Classic is not a concept trailer, and it is not tied only to the stage show. Riot has set it for live servers on July 30 KST with Patch 26.15, so anyone waiting for older champions, items, runes, and masteries to return has a date to watch rather than a vague window.
Patch 26.15 and July 30
What Riot has not laid out is how long League Classic will stay available after launch. For now, the release timing is the only operational checkpoint that matters, and the mode’s return to live servers arrives on July 30 KST.
