League of Legends is getting a major overhaul that could change everything

[Daniel Sims]

What we know so far: League of Legends has remained one of the most popular PC games for over a decade, having revitalized the MOBA genre. As developer Riot Games continues diversifying its catalog, reports claim that the company is preparing its flagship title's largest update ever.

After Bloomberg reported that Riot Games plans to re-imagine much of League of Legends in 2027, the company teased an upcoming major update intended to make the popular free-to-play game more accessible to newcomers. Although Riot did not specify many details, the report describes fundamental changes.

Current and former Riot employees informed Bloomberg that the overhaul, internally named League Next, will significantly alter the game's graphics and technology. The company will redesign the characters, user interface, and maps to expand its appeal to new players.

A look at some of our plans for League after 2026. pic.twitter.com/vqsnBksg1Y

– League of Legends (@LeagueOfLegends) December 18, 2025

Although League of Legends reported over 180 million monthly active players four years ago, employees admitted that the numbers have since decreased. The addition of WASD controls is one accessibility-minded change that Riot has already implemented.

In a recent video update, the company confirmed that, while it is not developing a full-blown sequel to League of Legends, significant updates are incoming. For example, Riot plans to introduce a new launcher that directly integrates with the game instead of a separate client.

Additionally, the company will revise Summoner's Rift, the game's main map, with new graphics and gameplay features. The onboarding experience will also receive an overhaul to make the update what Riot calls the best time to attract new players to League of Legends.

While the company plans to reveal more soon, employees also told Bloomberg about underlying technical changes that will speed up patches. Internal staff reorganizations have also occurred amid preparations for League Next.

Initially launched in 2009, League of Legends remains one of the most frequently recommended downloads for PC users. The free-to-play game's large competitive scene made the MOBA genre more popular than ever, inspiring a wave of copycats. While most of them didn't last, Valve's DOTA 2 has sat at or near the top of Steam's player rankings for years.

Riot has also expanded into other genres, with the competitive first-person shooter Valorant, the strategy card game Legends of Runeterra, and the upcoming fighting game 2XKO. Currently available in Early Access on PC, Riot plans to release 2XKO on consoles sometime in 2026.

Permalink to story:

League of Legends is getting a major overhaul that could change everything

 

[Squid Surprise]

Let’s not forget the best part of the franchise - the anime Arcane.

 

[zforgetaboutit]

I hate the "change everything" claim used by every YouTuber.

 

[yRaz]

LoL is a good time as it is, I don't understand what changing things up will do especially after people have spent over a decade learning it. I'm a DOTA guy myself but making changes for changes sake seems like a poor business decision and a big middle finger to the dedicated player base that has kept alive for all these years

 

[Liranan]

LoL is a good time as it is, I don't understand what changing things up will do especially after people have spent over a decade learning it. I'm a DOTA guy myself but making changes for changes sake seems like a poor business decision and a big middle finger to the dedicated player base that has kept alive for all these years

The problem is that they're losing players and think that they need to do something to revitalise the game.

 

[NumberNine]

Marketing has pounded the engliish language into mush. It's technically possible that it could "change everything", but you know logically that would constitute a new video game, which isn't what was announced, so it will be a patch that changes some stuff.

 

[user478318]

Been playing LoL since 2009, problem with this game is that the main game mode "summoners rift" is completely broken and nobody plays it anymore, all the people I know only play ARAM and Tactics and other for fun modes... Problem with main game is you have a team of 5 sprawled across this huge map and nobody communicates with anyone - it's a pain game of 45min you just can't wait to end... Without having a full team of 5 people to play this game every day with you there is not any progress possible you will be stuck in bronze or silver for life like 90% of their playerbase