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 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 (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 page.
