| League of Legends | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Patch Schedule | Review |
| Release Date | |
|---|---|
| October 27, 2009 More Details |
|
| Genre | |
| Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) | |
| Platforms | Price (MSRP) |
 |
Free-to-Play |
| Developer | Publisher |
| Riot Games | Riot Games |
| Number of Players | Age Rating |
| 5v5 Multiplayer | ESRB Teen |
| Time to Finish | Cross Platform Play |
| 30-40 Minutes per Match- | No |
| Official Website | Official Website for League of Legends |
League of Legends Latest News
⚫︎ Path 25.23 was released on November 19 introducing balance adjustments for several champions, QoL additions, and the Arcane Anniversary.
⚫︎ League of Legends upcoming path 25.19 brings in new Arcana skins for Aurora, Karthus, and Zilean. Set to release on September 24, 2025, the patch will also include the Machine Herald Viktor Skin.
⚫︎ Andrei van Roon, Head of League Studio announced on Twitter (X) that the new WASD controls will be available for testing in the Public Beta Environment (PBE) on August 27,2025. There is no clear date for when the new controls go live, but League Studio will be taking this opportunity to test the controls and watch out for any balancing issues that might arise from the new scheme.
⚫︎ League of Legends next update brings back Doom Bots, tests WASD controls, and more. Along with the two initial changes highlighted above, there will also be smurf bans, visual updates, new skins, as well as gameplay changes. The update will be released with patch 25.17 of the game.
⚫︎ Riot Games released a trailer on its Chinese Weibo account celebrating the 3rd Anniversary of League of Legends: Wild Rift. However, it was pulled within hours after fans criticized its AI-like visuals, off-model faces and awkward animation. While the video was described as "creator-made," the studio still acknowledged the backlash and pledged to uphold higher standards.
⚫︎ League of Legends has now introduced its newest bot laner, Yunara, after a one-year drought. The last released bot laner was Smolder, released way back on January 31st, 2024. A priestess lore-wise, Yunara is the first Ionian champion, tying her in with the newest chapter and region in the Summoner's Rift.
League of Legends Overview
League of Legends (abbreviated as LoL) is a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game where two teams of five players clash to destroy the other’s base, the Nexus. Each player controls a character called a Champion, each with distinct playstyles, abilities, and even backstories. These Champions are categorized into various roles, such as Marksman, Mage, Tank, Assassin, and Support. Players must coordinate with each other to outplay opponents, secure objectives, and ultimately triumph over the enemy team. The game’s competitive nature has even made LoL one of the world’s largest Esports titles, drawing millions of players and spectators worldwide.
The game has always been free-to-play and is monetized through in-app purchases, mainly for cosmetics such as Champion skins, which alter the appearance of characters, and other personalized items. These purchases are entirely optional and do not provide any gameplay advantage.
Developed and published by Riot Games in 2009 for PC, League of Legends (LoL) was inspired by Defense of the Ancients (DotA), a popular mod for the real-time strategy game Warcraft III. Since its release, LoL has expanded into a multimedia franchise, branching out into various genres. These include collectible card games (Legends of Runeterra), turn-based strategy games (Teamfight Tactics), fighting games (2XKO), and even an animated series (Arcane) that delve into the lore of some of the game's Champions. The game is available to download from two sources: the official League of Legends website and the Epic Games Store.
| Epic |
|||||
| Price | Free-to-Play | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
League of Legends Gameplay
League of Legends is set on the Summoner’s Rift, a symmetrical battlefield featuring three lanes—top, mid, bottom—and a "jungle" filled with neutral monsters that grant boosts and advantages. This is where two teams of five players each vie for victory, with their primary objective being to push through enemy minions and turrets to ultimately reach and destroy the enemy Nexus. Guarding the Nexus, however, are three "inhibitor turrets" that damage approaching enemies. Upon reaching zero health, Champions will be slain and respawn at their base after a set duration.
Matches typically follow established strategies, with one player in each lane and one in the jungle, supporting teammates by ambushing opponents in lane skirmishes or contesting Epic Monsters. These creatures include Dragons that grant buffs; Baron Nashor, which provides a power boost to all teammates upon defeat; and the new Atakhan, which has two distinct forms depending on how the early game unfolds. A steady flow of experience points (XP) and gold allows players to level up and purchase items, which they buy at their base.
League of Legends Characters
As of January 2025, League of Legends boasts a roster of 170 Champions, with the latest addition being Mel, the Soul’s Reflection, who joined the fray on January 23, 2025. The game typically introduces 3-5 Champions annually.
Each Champion belongs to a primary class, with some also possessing a secondary class. These classes often influence the Champion’s role in a match. For example, a Tank or Support may protect the Marksman early in the game while they’re still collecting gold for items, while an Assassin’s strong clear speed makes them well-suited for the Jungler role.
However, this isn’t a rigid system. Champions can sometimes defy this. Nunu & Willump, for instance, despite being classified as a Tank, is frequently seen assuming the Jungler position during competitive play.
League of Legends Reviews
Aged Like Fine Wine
When League of Legends launched in 2009, it was received fairly well by many critics. Eurogamer, for instance, awarded it an 8/10, praising the depth of experimentation players can get from its roster of Champions while drawing comparisons to the established DoTA. GamesRadar+ echoed this sentiment with 4 out 5 stars, appreciating the game’s mechanics but criticizing its cartoonish visuals and steep learning curve.
GameSpot, however, was less impressed, giving the game a 6/10 back in 2009. Their review cited the absence of key features as a significant drawback. By 2013, as the game evolved and solidified its player base, GameSpot revisited their review. They gave the game a 9/10, acknowledging its improvements but noting persistent issues with experienced players "smurfing"—creating accounts to face less experienced opponents.
League of Legends currently holds a Metacritic score of 78, yet its user rating is significantly lower at 4.7/10, despite attracting millions of daily players. A common criticism from users centers around the game's competitive nature, which has given rise to a notoriously "toxic community."
League of Legends Announcement Trailer
League of Legends | Official Teaser Trailer (2009)
League of Legends Trivia
⚫︎ The 2024 League of Legends World Championship broke records as the most-watched esports tournament ever, peaking at over 6.7 million concurrent viewers.
⚫︎ League of Legends has a mobile counterpart titled Wild Rift, which is a streamlined adaptation of the original game. It features shorter match durations, optimized controls for touchscreens, and a smaller roster of Champions.
⚫︎ The lore of League of Legends is so extensive that it has inspired entire books and graphic novels. The franchise even gave rise to one of the most expensive animated series in history, Arcane, which delves into the backstories of several fan-favorite characters.
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