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# When Did League of Legends Come Out?
- URL: https://blog.loltheory.gg/when-did-league-of-legends-come-out/
- Published: 2023-04-27T13:27:06.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-25T02:55:16.000Z
- Author: Griffin Wood
- Tags: League of Legends

League of Legends was released on **October 27, 2009**. The game has been live for over 17 years as of 2026, and it remains the most-played MOBA in the world.

| Milestone                  | Date                        |
| -------------------------- | --------------------------- |
| Announced                  | October 7, 2008             |
| Closed beta (invite-only)  | April 11 - October 20, 2009 |
| Open beta                  | October 21 - 26, 2009       |
| Official release (NA & EU) | October 27, 2009            |
| macOS release              | March 1, 2013               |

[Riot Games](https://blog.loltheory.gg/who-made-league-of-legends) developed League of Legends as a standalone successor to the Warcraft III mod Defense of the Ancients (DotA). The game launched with 40 champions, was free-to-play from day one, and reached millions of registered players within its first year. Season 1 began on July 13, 2010, and the first World Championship was held at DreamHack Summer in June 2011, won by Fnatic.

League of Legends is a [MOBA](https://blog.loltheory.gg/what-genre-is-league-of-legends) (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) with 173 champions as of 2026\. For a full list of when each champion joined the roster, see our [champions by release date](https://blog.loltheory.gg/league-of-legends-champions-by-release-date) page.