The League of Legends seasons aren’t just a date on the calendar; for many League players, they're a reset leading to a new ranked climb.
For millions upon millions of players, knowing the exact start and end dates of League of Legends (LoL) seasons is crucial, as it dictates the rhythm of the ranked grind, the anticipation of end-of-season rewards, and the excitement for upcoming patch changes.
From the early days of a single, year-long climb to the three-season structure Riot introduced with the 2025 annual cycle, the League of Legends pulse keeps beating. Below you’ll find every season start and end date on record, plus the full schedule for the 2026 cycle that is running now.
When does the current LoL season end? 2026 Season 3 started on July 29, 2026 and is the last season of the 2026 ranked year. Riot has not announced its exact ranked end date yet. Its second Battle Pass act, “Worlds 2026”, started on October 7, 2026 and runs into early January 2027, so expect the season to close in early January 2027. Riot confirms the exact cutoff in an end-of-season post a few weeks beforehand.
A Look Back at All Seasons in League of Legends
Before the multi-split year and battle pass model that League introduced, Season 1 existed. Season 1 commenced on July 13, 2010, and set the very cornerstone of competitive League of Legends itself.
However, even a couple of years ago, the League cycle was fairly straightforward in concept: a typical season usually launched in January of every year and persisted through most of the year before concluding in mid-November with a few weeks of preseason gameplay where game patches were being tested and polished.
This model enabled players to spend a significant amount of time climbing the ranked queue to earn end-of-season rewards.
Here’s a summary of all season start and end dates leading up to the current season:
|
Season |
Start Date |
End Date |
|
1 |
July 13, 2010 |
August 23, 2011 |
|
2 |
November 29, 2011 |
November 12, 2012 |
|
3 |
February 1, 2013 |
November 11, 2013 |
|
4 |
January 10, 2014 |
November 11, 2014 |
|
5 |
January 21, 2015 |
November 11, 2015 |
|
6 |
January 20, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
|
7 |
December 8, 2016 |
November 7, 2017 |
|
8 |
January 16, 2018 |
November 12, 2018 |
|
9 |
January 23, 2019 |
November 19, 2019 |
|
10 |
January 10, 2020 |
November 10, 2020 |
|
11 |
January 8, 2021 |
November 15, 2021 |
|
12 |
January 7, 2022 |
November 14, 2022 |
|
13 |
January 11, 2023 |
January 9, 2024 |
|
14 |
January 10, 2024 |
January 6, 2025 |
|
15 (2025 Split 1) |
January 9, 2025 |
April 28, 2025 |
|
15 (2025 Split 2) |
April 30, 2025 |
August 27, 2025 |
|
15 (2025 Split 3) |
August 27, 2025 |
January 6, 2026 |
|
16 (2026 Season 1 – For Demacia) |
January 8, 2026 |
April 29, 2026 |
|
16 (2026 Season 2 – Pandemonium) |
April 29, 2026 |
July 28, 2026 |
|
16 (2026 Season 3 – Classic) |
July 29, 2026 |
Ongoing |
Each League of Legends season above brought its flavour, introducing new champions, reworks, map updates, item overhauls, and meta shifts that kept the gameplay fresh and the esports scene chugging along.
Understanding the Three-Season Structure
Things changed significantly starting with the 2025 ranked year. Riot Games moved away from the single-season-plus-preseason model. Now, the ranked year is divided into three distinct seasons (initially called splits, but now seemingly referred to as full seasons within the year). Each season lasts approximately four months, featuring its own theme-based progression, ranked climb, and rewards.
This faster tempo means more frequent resets, keeping the ranked climb fresh throughout the year. It also allows Riot to align gameplay changes and theme-based content drops (such as the Noxus focus for the 2025 Season 1) more closely with the competitive periods.
League of Legends 2026 Season Schedule
The 2026 annual cycle is the 16th competitive year and the second run of the three-season format. It opened on January 8, 2026, and is again split into three thematic seasons, each divided into Acts with its own Battle Pass and ranked split. Season 2 (patch 26.9) added two new Sorcery keystone runes, Deathfire Touch and Stormraider’s Surge.
League of Legends 2026 Season 1 (For Demacia)
- Start Date: January 8, 2026 (Act II: March 4, 2026)
- End Date: April 29, 2026
- Theme: Demacia. The season leaned on Demacian identity across its events and cosmetics, and shipped a visual and gameplay update for Shyvana.
League of Legends 2026 Season 2 (Pandemonium)
- Start Date: April 29, 2026 (Act II: June 10, 2026)
- End Date: July 28, 2026
- Theme: Pandemonium, picking up straight from Season 1 with demons on the outskirts of Demacia. It introduced the new champion Locke, an assassin-mage, and centred its mode work on Arena.
League of Legends 2026 Season 3 (Classic)
- Start Date: July 29, 2026 (Act II – the “Worlds 2026” Battle Pass: October 7, 2026)
- End Date: expected around January 6, 2027, when the 2027 season is due to start (Riot has not announced the exact date yet; the last 2026 patch is 26.24 on December 9)
- Theme: the “Golden Age” of League of Legends, built around the League Classic mode. This is the season currently running, so it is the one that matters for your ranked rewards right now.
League of Legends 2025 Season Schedule
The 2025 year fully embraces this new structure, marking a departure from the old "Season 15" naming convention. Instead, we have the Year 2025, Season 1, Season 2, and Season 3. That cycle finished on January 6, 2026. Here’s how it broke down:
League of Legends 2025 Season 1 (Noxus)
- Start Date: January 9, 2025
- End Date: April 28, 2025
- Theme: Noxus. This season brought visual updates to the Rift reflecting the imposing Noxian aesthetic, along with gameplay tweaks and the introduction of the epic jungle monster Atakhan. The first Battle Pass of 2025 was also launched alongside these changes.
League of Legends 2025 Season 2 (Ionia / Spirit Blossom)
- Start Date: April 30, 2025
- End Date: August 27, 2025
- Theme: Ionia, featuring the return of the popular Spirit Blossom thematic. Season 2 is centered around Ionia’s mystical and spiritual aesthetic, with a major focus on Spirit Blossom skins, events, and cosmetics. It also introduced Yunara, who released on July 16, 2025 as a marksman – an ADC rather than a support – alongside gameplay changes and cosmetics built around the Ionian theme.
League of Legends 2025 Season 3 (Trials of Twilight)
- Start Date: August 27, 2025 (Act II: October 22, 2025)
- End Date: January 6, 2026
- Theme: Trials of Twilight, a culmination of the Noxus and Spirit Blossom stories that ran through the first two seasons. It introduced the champion Zaahen and a gameplay update for Xin Zhao, and closed out the ranked year before the 2026 reset.
Knowing seasonal dates is more important than ever. With three seasons packed into one year, you have three sets of ranked-reward deadlines and three soft resets to plan around instead of one.
End-of-Season Rewards Explained
What drives the relentless climb for many? The end-of-season rewards. The system has also seen adjustments with the new season structure:
- Victorious Skin: The crown jewel, and a big reason why people buy League of Legends boosting. Previously awarded for reaching Gold rank or higher, the system changed. Since Season 1 of 2025, the Victorious skin goes to players who win 15 ranked games in the season (Solo/Duo, Flex, or a mix of both). While accessibility increased, your final rank still matters – higher ranks unlock exclusive chromas for the Victorious skin. A minimum Honor level 3 is also typically required.
- Ranked Regalia: These are the visual markers of your achievement.
- Crests: Display your current rank on your profile and in lobbies.
- Loading Screen Borders: Show off your rank achieved in that specific queue during the loading screen.
- Other Rewards: Each season (split) may offer additional goodies, such as unique emotes, icons, or ward skins, based on participation or reaching certain milestones within that season.
Keep an eye on the official League of Legends website and support pages about a month before the end of each season for the specific reward details.
Stay Ahead of the Game
The League of Legends season cycle is the lifeblood of the game and the essence that keeps competition, storylines, and growth in motion. Whether you’re chasing the peaks of the ranked climbs, grabbing every Victorious skin, or merely taking in the fresh offerings and the thematic events, each seasonal timer inspires it all.
With Season 2 “Pandemonium” wrapped up on July 28, 2026 and Season 3 “Classic” live since July 29, the ascent begins again. What are you most looking forward to in the upcoming League season? Share your thoughts below in the comments!
