Official mechanics guideIndependent fan reference

How to Play LoL Classic

League of Legends Classic is live globally and in mainland China. Riot says the global release is free to play in the main League client; Tencent confirms a dedicated entry in the existing mainland-China client. Exact menu paths and China's unlock hour remain unverified.

Evidence Status Partially confirmed Last Verified 2026-07-30 Region Global-first guidance; mainland-China differences are labeled

Quick Answer

The most reliable answer now

Start safely

Launch dates and client access

League of Legends Classic is Riot's official classic-era 5v5 experience. It is not a private server or a separate standalone game.

Use Riot's main League of Legends client. Existing installations do not need a separate Classic download. Avoid unofficial installers, invite forms, and private-server files.

Install or update the official League of Legends client for your region.
Sign in with your normal Riot or Tencent League account.
Open the League client; do not install a separate “Classic client.”
Choose the League Classic entry shown for your service. The exact menu label may vary and remains a direct-client check.
Review the available Classic queues before joining; queue availability can change during maintenance.
Select a champion from the live 60-champion roster or the current free rotation.
Choose a rune and mastery page, or use the default page supplied by the client.
Queue through the official client and use the regional service-status channels for live troubleshooting.

Verified access information by service
Service	Launch	Client entry	Evidence
Global English	Live; scheduled July 29, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. PT	Main League client; exact click path not independently documented	Live — official page verified
Mainland China	Live since July 30, 2026; exact unlock hour unpublished	Dedicated entry in the existing client; exact menu path unverified	Live — Tencent page verified

Evidence boundary

Not independently confirmed in the current public clients: exact button names and menu locations, mainland-China unlock hour, regional maintenance behavior, and launch troubleshooting flow. Tencent's article timestamp is not treated as the gameplay unlock time.

Before queueing

Champions, runes and masteries

Launch starts with 60 champions: the original 40 plus 20 hand-selected champions released from 2009 through 2013.
Champions already owned in modern League are immediately available in Classic. Other champions can be unlocked through Classic Levels or the Classic Shop, and a free rotation is available.
Choose rune and mastery pages before entering a Classic game. Riot provides a default page when no setup is selected.
Riot's official Classic Champions page now displays the 60-champion roster. Final per-champion values and launch builds remain separate entity-level verification work.

Launch queues

One PvP draft queue, bots and customs

PvP Draft

Officially confirmed

Riot lists one player-versus-player draft queue at launch. Positional preference ranks the roles you would rather play.

Co-op vs AI

Officially confirmed

A cooperative queue against bots is confirmed for launch.

Custom Games

Officially confirmed

Custom games are confirmed. Public material does not yet document every lobby rule or tournament setting.

Evidence boundary

Do not infer a separate ranked ladder, blind-pick queue, exact matchmaking rule, or region-by-region queue schedule from historical League.

Classic progression

Classic Levels, Summoner's Journey and The Council

Classic Levels are a free, one-time progression track that unlocks champions and systems.
After Classic Level 10, Summoner's Journey starts at Salt and can progress toward Legend. Riot describes the highest rank as an aspiration for a single-digit percentage of players, not as current performance data.
Seasonal passes include free and paid tracks; no purchase is needed to describe the free Classic Levels track.
The Council is unlocked through Classic Levels. Playing increases voting power, while Riot retains responsibility for game health and balance.

Access and region boundaries

Creator tests are not public access; Patch 26.15 has global and regional boundaries

The July 24 LCS Classic showmatch is an official esports event, not proof of a public test or early-access application.
No first-party source reviewed here publishes a public invitation-code, PBE, account-purchase or third-party-client route for ordinary players.
Riot's global Patch 26.15 notes include a dedicated League of Legends Classic section.
Tencent also associates Classic with version 26.15 and regional launch activities. Tencent event rewards and campaign dates remain mainland-China operations, not global patch rules.
Tencent confirms the mainland-China service live from July 30 in the existing client; the exact opening hour and menu path remain unverified.

Evidence boundary

Because the available evidence does not support two non-duplicative standalone guides, early-access safety and China 26.15 context are intentionally merged here and on the Launch Status page.

Direct client verification

What still needs a reproducible client check

Exact global and China client buttons and menu paths
Regional maintenance windows and current queue availability
Champion unlock prices and service-specific rotation details
Final rune, mastery, item, custom-lobby, and progression details
Launch-specific errors and recovery steps

Quick checks

Frequently Asked Questions

01Do I need a separate League Classic client?

No. Riot says Classic runs inside the main League of Legends game client.

02Where is the League Classic button?

Tencent confirms a dedicated entry for mainland China, but the final global button name and menu path are not yet confirmed in the public launch client.

03Which queues launch with Classic?

Riot lists one PvP draft queue, Co-op vs AI, and Custom Games.

04Is League Classic live in both regions?

Yes. Riot verifies the global service live, and Tencent verifies the mainland-China service launched on July 30, 2026.

05Is League Classic free?

Riot's global page explicitly says “PLAY FOR FREE.” The reviewed Tencent launch notice does not make an equivalent regional price statement, so that wording is not extrapolated to mainland China.

Evidence ledger

Sources and verification dates

Claims use first-party evidence for the stated region. Public videos document observations only and do not imply creator endorsement.