Riot Games Makes League Classic Skins Free After Backlash

After League Classic players noticed the game was charging for its original character models, the internet lit up with commentary. Riot Games has now reversed its decision. Here’s everything to know about the League Classic skins debacle and what’s changed.

League Classic is Here

League Classic was one of the most anticipated 2026 League of Legends updates. The mode brings the community back to the game’s 2011-2014 early days with time-accurate mechanics. Players get access to 60 champions at launch, most running their old pre-rework kits, along with the original Summoner’s Rift map. League Classic’s format includes old Summoner Spells like Fortify, vintage items like Heart of Gold, and higher mana costs. For an in-depth guide, check out our explainer article here.

League’s fanbase was particularly excited about a return to old Champion skins, since many of the game’s characters now look very different. Take Evelyn as an example: her original base sprite is unrecognizable when you compare it to her modern-day model. After all, the Champions are the most important part of the game, and seeing modern sprites in the Classic game mode just ruins the immersion.

Players Notice Riot Games is Charging for League Classic Skins

When players got their hands on League Classic during PBE testing, they noticed something unexpected: the game is charging real-world money to access the original ‘Classic’ skins.

It didn’t take long for frustration to build online over how Riot handled the old-school cosmetics. Users could only access the original models champions had before their visual reworks with ‘Classic Skin Tokens’, which were set to cost 500 Riot Points each. This comes out to around five USD per champion.

It’s important to note that players could receive 2 tokens for a free Champion skin through the Progression pass, and 1 free token through the paid pass. However, there are 60 champions total available in the mode at launch. Therefore, anyone who wanted the full nostalgic look across their favorite picks would rack up a pretty steep bill.

Riot was also requiring players to purchase these base models before unlocking additional skins for them. The studio had categorized Classic model skins as ‘chromas’, recolors which don’t work unless they have a base character to attach to.

The community didn’t hold back on social media. One Reddit user, Lucky_Pangolin_3760, called the process “quite ridiculous” in a viral post: “It’s not an actual skin, it’s just the old default models that were free 15 years ago that you now have to pay 500 RP for in this ‘League Classic‘ game mode.” Plenty of others echoed that sentiment across X.com and other platforms in the days after the reveal.

Riot Games Makes All League Classic Skins Free

On July 16, 2026, Riot Games addressed the backlash with a video. The clip featured Brian “Riot Feralpony” Feeney, who arrived on the scene with the studio’s “first Classic update.”

Feeney began, “I want to thank everyone for the feedback […] Feedback received.” Feeney revealed that Riot had reversed its Classic Skin pricing decision, saying:

“If you’re on PBE, you’ve probably already noticed that all Classic skins are unlocked for all Champions that have one. They will also be the default option soon, and they’re going to be replacing the modern base skins.”

The changes went into effect immediately for all players and should appear in current League Classic games. Feralpony acknowledged that some Champions don’t have Classic skins available yet, and stated that Riot Games was “working on those too.” In addition, the studio is reportedly working to restore the Champions’ original voicelines.

Feralpony cautioned the community that the changes may take time to complete: “Some of that will be very soon, some of that will be soon, and some of that will be … soon(tm).”

Addressing which exact time period the game mode would fall into, Feralpony said that Riot conducted many surveys with players to gain an idea. The results showed that “any single snapshot in time would fall really short here and miss the mark for the overwhelming majority of you … our goal is to make the best game with the best pieces of Classic League.” That said, the crew is making most of League Classic’s features “a little bit older,” pulling more from Season 3 to Season 5 (around 2013 to 2014).

Some necessary mechanics, like the current ping system and modern UI adjustments, are staying the same. Feralpony closed off his video by saying, “We are listening to your feedback, and we’ll make adjustments so Champions feel healthy, fun, and, most importantly, Classic.”

Community Reactions

The League of Legends community is generally pleased with the changes, and netizens have shown appreciation for how quickly Riot implemented them. @Balkyne writes, “Great stuff, thanks for listening and course correcting so quickly.” However, the fanbase generally agrees skin purchase changes were never necessary in the first place. One netizen, @DrChetti, wrote:

“This shouldn’t have been an update, whoever thought paying for classic skins was a good idea should be fired.“

@Stressced also wrote, “I just want to play the old League and experience it the way it was. I don’t want a remaster or a modern remake. If I wanted that, I’d just stick with the current version. Thank you for the improvements!”

Users are asking for further reworks for more accurate old animations and music to fully immerse themselves in the old-school ambience.

Stay tuned for more League of Legends esports and in-game news.