Riot Games is simultaneously releasing major content across its live games: Teamfight Tactics Set 18 'Enchanted Forest' launched August 26, VALORANT Season 2026 Act 4 is live, League of Legends Classic arrived July 30, and 2XKO ends active development at the end of 2026 while servers stay up.
Across 2026, Riot Games has been reshaping its biggest games. Teamfight Tactics left the League of Legends client behind, moving to Unreal Engine with Set 18 on August 13 and launching a dedicated client on October 10. The new set, 'Enchanted Forest,' arrived August 26 with the Wisp mechanic, a reworked version of the set 12 Charm system, plus the return of Draft Rounds. It includes 65 champions and jungle monsters, with vertical traits like Blossom and Rift Beast shaping strategy.
League of Legends itself is revisiting its past. Riot announced League of Legends Classic on June 27, letting players experience old systems such as Rune Pages and the Revive summoner spell. The mode launched July 30 in patch 26.15, with community voting on future updates. At the same time, developers are handling a live meta issue: lead designer Matthew Leung-Harrison said the mage bot (APC) situation has gone too far, and patch 26.16 responds with ADC buffs and support roam penalties rather than direct mage nerfs.
VALORANT's competitive scene got a new map and mode with Season 2026 Act 4 on June 24, while the anti-cheat system Vanguard was updated at the end of June to run only during active games on systems meeting Windows 11 25H2 and security requirements. The esports side brought in mainstream musician Yuya Tegoshi as support supporter for VALORANT Challengers Japan 2026. Not every project is growing. 2XKO, which launched in January 2026, will end active development at the end of 2026 after Riot said player retention did not reach a sustainable level and costs far exceeded revenue. Servers stay online, and updates continue through the year, including patch 1.3.3 in October adding final new champion Samira.
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Teamfight Tactics' new set, 'Enchanted Forest,' launched August 26. It introduces the Wisp mechanic, an updated version of the Charm system from set 12, and brings back Draft Rounds. The set features 65 champions, including Ahri, Lux, and Aphelios, plus jungle monsters. Vertical traits like Blossom and Rift Beast anchor the strategy.
Riot Games announced on August 21 that active development of the free-to-play 2v2 fighting game 2XKO will end at the end of 2026. The online servers will continue to operate, and the game will remain playable on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, with offline play unaffected. The company said player retention did not reach a sustainable level, and that operating costs far exceeded revenue, with engagement remaining flat even after major updates. Throughout 2026, Riot Games introduced new champions, the PvE mode The Climb, and competitive events, but these did not change the game's trajectory. The company considered reducing team size, decreasing update frequency, and changing the business model before deciding to complete in-development content and end active development. Updates continue through the year: patch 1.3.1 on September 8 adds champion Lux and unlocks all champions for all players, while patch 1.3.3 in October adds Samira, the final new champion. A December patch focuses on bug fixes. Systems including the battle pass, KO Points, champion tokens, seasons, events, and ranked matches will be removed, with matchmaking consolidated into casual lobbies. Refunds for eligible in-game purchases made by August 20 are planned, with Japan and Korea procedures to be announced later.
Riot Games lead designer Matthew Leung-Harrison responded to the rising mage bot (APC) meta in League of Legends, stating the current situation has gone too far. Instead of nerfing mages, the next patch 26.16 will increase support roam penalties, strengthen ADC items and runes, raise ADC base magic resistance, and buff Heal. The goal is to keep marksmen as the main bot lane class while preserving mage options.
Riot Games published an overview of its revamped Vanguard anti-cheat system, which was updated at the end of June 2026. The key change lets Vanguard run only while a game is active instead of staying resident on Windows, provided the system meets two conditions: Windows 11 25H2 or later, and properly configured Windows Security with virtualization-based security and Secure Boot enabled.
Riot Games will release League of Legends Classic on July 30, letting players experience the game with old systems like Rune Pages and the Revive summoner spell. The mode arrives in patch 26.15 and includes community voting on future updates.
Riot Games announced League of Legends Classic, a new game mode that recreates past versions of the MOBA, on June 27. A trailer shows Executive Director Paul "Pabro" Bellezza suggesting eras like the beta with 40 champions or the time of the Heart of Gold item. Details will come at the MSI finals on July 11.
Riot Games launched VALORANT Season 2026 Act 4 on June 24, adding the new map Summit set in a Chinese mountain radiant training academy. The map features deployable walls that block sightlines and movement for the round. A new 3v3 mode Retake focuses on post-plant scenarios with randomized loadouts. Summit is available in competitive queue immediately with reduced RR loss for losses in the first two weeks, and a Summit-only queue for seven days.
Riot Games announced Teamfight Tactics will migrate from the Hextech engine to Unreal Engine with Set 18 on August 13, 2026, and launch a dedicated client on October 10. The move lifts constraints tied to the League of Legends client, aiming for long-term development. A longer PBE period starts July 15 to address expected bugs.
Yuya Tegoshi has been appointed support supporter for VALORANT Challengers Japan 2026. His band T.N.T.'s song "RADIANT" will serve as the tournament's cheer song and will be played at the Season Finals on July 25-26, where T.N.T. will also perform. Tegoshi wrote the lyrics, which include references to VALORANT.