LoL Champions Release Order 2026: All 173 Champions With Release Dates, Patches, Classes and Prices

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How many champions are in League of Legends in 2026?

There are 173 champions in League of Legends. That is the number of entries in Riot's own Data Dragon champion file for version 16.22.1, the data release for patch 26.22, whose notes Riot published on 3 November 2026. The same file had 172 champions until version 16.12.1 and has had 173 since 16.13.1, the version that added Locke. Riot's patch 26.22 notes add no new champion; they nerf Locke and give Mel a midscope update.

Riot sorts champions in two ways. The client and Data Dragon give each champion one or two role tags: Fighter, Mage, Marksman, Tank, Support or Assassin. The League of Legends Wiki uses Riot's finer class system with 13 subclasses, such as Juggernaut, Enchanter or Catcher. The release-order tables use the wiki class; the newest-champions table adds the Data Dragon tags in brackets.

Fighter is the biggest group: 50 champions carry it as their first tag. By wiki subclass, Marksman leads (26 champions), then Assassin (21) and Diver (19); Warden is the smallest with 7.

Newest LoL champions: the last 12 releases

The newest LoL champion is Locke. Riot's patch 26.13 notes from 23 June 2026 say he was "hitting the Rift this patch", and the wiki dates his release to 24 June 2026. He is a melee mid-lane assassin with the Data Dragon tags Assassin and Mage. His official champion page lists his abilities and his release skin, High Noon Locke. Every patch number in this table links to Riot's patch notes for that release.

From 2013 to 2022 Riot added three to eight champions a year; since 2023 it has been four, three, three and now one. No other champion has reached the live game in 2026 as of patch 26.22.

LoL champions release order: 2009 to 2011 (champions 1 to 90)

More than half the roster came out in the game's first three years. The first 17 champions (Alistar, Annie, Ashe, Fiddlesticks, Jax, Kayle, Master Yi, Morgana, Nunu, Ryze, Sion, Sivir, Soraka, Teemo, Tristana, Twisted Fate and Warwick) were in the game by Alpha Week 2 on 21 February 2009. Dates are year-month-day. Champions on the same date are listed alphabetically, so the first column is a release-order rank, not a Riot ID. "Alpha" means Alpha Week 2; patches before 1.0.0 are beta versions, and the wiki names a few early ones only by date.

The table uses current names, such as Nunu & Willump, and reworked champions like Aatrox, Fiddlesticks or Skarner keep the date of their first release. 2009 added 42 champions, and 2010 and 2011 added 24 each.

LoL champion release dates 2012 to 2016 (champions 91 to 134)

Releases fell from 24 in 2011 to 19 in 2012 and 8 in 2013. In 2013 Riot also switched from the long 1.0.0.x version numbers to season patches such as 3.03, the patch that brought Quinn. That is why the patch column changes format here.

Jhin at 1,234 BE and Vel'Koz at 1,618 BE are not typos. Both got special prices in March 2023 (4,444 and 3,141 BE), patch 25.05 halved them to 2,222 and 1,570, the numbers still in Riot's pricing article, and the wiki records a change to 1,234 and 1,618 on 2 April 2025. The table follows the wiki.

Accounts with 200+ skins and a full champion pool

Older accounts often own most of the 173 champions plus legacy skins, and each listing names what is on it.

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Newest LoL champion release dates: 2017 to 2026 (champions 135 to 173)

This block runs from Xayah and Rakan, released together on 19 April 2017, to Locke. In 2025 Riot started naming patches after the year: the first ones were 25.S1.1 and 25.S1.2 (Mel's patch), and by March it used plain numbers such as 25.05. In 2026 the patches are 26.x, up to 26.22 now. Data Dragon keeps the old count, so patch 26.13 is Data Dragon 16.13.1.

Most of the 2017 to 2026 champions cost 2,400 BE, but there are cheap exceptions. Kai'Sa, Sett and Naafiri sit in the 675 BE tier and Yuumi in the 225 BE tier. Naafiri dropped from 6,300 BE to 1,350 BE on 9 January 2025, before the BE halving, according to the wiki's price history.

How many LoL champions were released each year

Champions by year of first release, with the running total. It shows how big the roster was when an account was made: an account from the end of 2016 could own up to 134 champions, and one from the end of 2020 up to 153.

Riot released 109 champions in 2009 to 2012, which is 63 % of today's roster. From 2013 to 2022 it added 53, and 2023 to 2026 added 11.

Cheapest LoL champions for new accounts

The cheapest League of Legends champions cost 225 Blue Essence or 260 RP. Riot's champion pricing overview describes this tier as champions that are good for new players and have been out for several seasons, and names Malphite, Miss Fortune and Yuumi as examples. Since patch 25.05 on 5 March 2025, every champion's BE price is half of what it was, while RP prices stayed the same.

The tier covers every lane, and all 23 together cost 5,175 BE. A practical first set of five, for 1,125 BE, is Garen or Darius for top, Amumu or Warwick for jungle, Annie or Lux for mid, Miss Fortune or Caitlyn for bot, and Leona or Soraka for support. Our Blue Essence, Orange Essence and RP guide explains how you earn BE and what else it buys.

LoL champion prices: every tier

Kayle, Ryze and Singed cost 2,400 BE but only 260 RP, and Twisted Fate 2,400 BE and 585 RP. Their BE prices went up in March 2023 while RP stayed low; Riot says the higher BE price is meant to make new players think before buying a hard champion. At list price, the whole roster costs 273,002 BE or 122,630 RP.

• Riot says it avoids moving champions to higher tiers and announces any increase in advance.
• Price drops are planned ahead, so Riot does not refund champions bought before a reduction.

How LoL champion release dates and patch numbers work

A release date is the day a champion went live, not the reveal or PBE date. Riot usually posts patch notes a day earlier: Locke's notes are dated 23 June 2026 for a 24 June release, Zaahen's 18 November 2025 for 19 November. Mel's 25.S1.2 notes give her arrival as 23 January 2025 at 20:00 UTC.

The class column reflects the current kit, so a reworked Skarner is listed as Vanguard and Juggernaut. For the skins of each era, our skin rarity and legacy guide and the Ultimate skins list cover the cosmetic side. For ranked, the ranked tiers guide explains the rank you see on an account.

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Sources and editorial scope

Champion count, names and role tags: Riot's Data Dragon champion files, version 16.22.1 and earlier versions to date when Locke and Zaahen entered the data. Release dates, release patches, classes and current store prices: the League of Legends Wiki list of champions, its champion data module, its price reduction history and the Locke page. Release patches checked against Riot's patch notes: 26.13, 26.22, 25.23, 25.14, 25.S1.2, 14.22, 14.14 and 14.2. Pricing rules: Riot's Champion Pricing Overview and the patch 25.05 notes. Locke's current price is shown as the wiki lists it; Riot has not published a per-champion price list. Usual lanes in the cheapest-champions table are editorial guidance. Reviewed 7 November 2026.

Riot prohibits selling, sharing or transferring accounts under its Terms of Service. Nothing in this guide changes those rules or removes the risk of account action. For how access types differ, see our NFA vs Full Access guide.