League of Legends has 172 champions right now. If you’re wondering how many champions in League of Legends you’d need to learn before hitting ranked, or just trying to wrap your head around the sheer size of this roster, I’ve got the full breakdown below.
Last updated: April 14, 2026, patch 26.7
How Many Champions Are in League of Legends in 2026?
As of April 2026, League of Legends has exactly 172 playable champions on live servers. The roster started with 40 champions when the game launched on October 27, 2009, and Riot Games has added new characters steadily since then. The most recent champion is Zaahen, the Unsundered, who went live in November 2025 as a top-lane fighter.
That’s a lot of champs to keep track of. I’ve been playing since Season 5, and I still run into champions in ARAM that I forget exist (looking at you, Ivern). The total number of LoL champions has more than quadrupled since launch, and if you’re a new player trying to figure out how ranked works in LoL, that wall of 172 portraits in champ select can feel overwhelming.
But here’s the thing. You don’t need to master all of them. Not even close.
How Many Champions Does Riot Release Per Year?
The pace has slowed down a lot. Back in 2010 and 2011, Riot was shipping over 20 champions per year. These days, they release around 3 to 5 annually. Here’s a quick look at recent years:
| Year | Champions Released | Notable Additions |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4 | Milio, Naafiri, Briar, Hwei |
| 2024 | 3 | Smolder, Aurora, Ambessa |
| 2025 | 3 | Mel, Yunara, Zaahen |
| 2026 | 1 (confirmed) | Locke (expected mid-year) |
2026 is going to be different. Riot’s lead designer Meddler confirmed that only one champion will drop this year: a Demacian mid-laner named Locke, reportedly an AP assassin or bruiser. Meddler said, “Most of the team that normally make new champs are helping out with the large update that we’ll talk about post MSI or so.”
I think that’s the right call. Honestly, 172 champs is already borderline unmanageable for balance. Every time they add a new one, some forgotten mid-laner breaks because of an interaction nobody tested. I’d rather get fewer champs and a better game.
How Many Champions Are in Each Role?
The 172 champions spread across five main roles, though plenty of them flex into multiple positions. Here’s a rough breakdown:
- Top Lane: 40+ champions
- Mid Lane: 40+ champions
- Jungle: around 35 champions
- Support: around 30 champions
- Bot Lane (ADC): around 25 champions
These numbers shift constantly. A single patch can turn a mid-laner into a jungler (Taliyah mains know the feeling). Patch 26.7 just removed the support farming penalty entirely, which could reshape how we think about bot lane champion pools going forward.
If you want to climb ranked without spending months learning every matchup, keep your pool to three or four champs in your main role. I went from Gold 3 to Plat 1 in about two weeks last season by one-tricking Ambessa top and only flexing to Ornn when she got banned. Small pool, big gains.
Need a head start on a specific rank? Grabbing a fresh LoL smurf account lets you skip the early grind and jump straight into ranked practice.
The Full History: From 40 to 172 Champions
League launched with 40 champions on October 27, 2009. The original roster included some names you still see in every game: Annie, Ashe, Jax, Ryze, Teemo, Tryndamere, Alistar, and Fiddlesticks. By the end of 2009, the count hit 42.
The growth was wild in the early years. Riot was basically sprinting to build a roster big enough to support a competitive draft format. They shipped 24 champions in 2011 alone. That’s almost one every two weeks.
Around 2018, Riot shifted strategy. Instead of pumping out simpler kits to hit a quota, they started building mechanically complex characters that took longer to design. Aphelios with his five-weapon system. Viego possessing dead enemies. Hwei and his nine-ability paint kit. Each one was a design project that would’ve taken a full year back in 2012.
The total champions in LoL stopped growing fast, but each new addition started hitting harder.
Do You Need to Know All 172 Champions?
No. But you need to know what they do to you.
Here’s my honest take: you can climb to Diamond knowing maybe 60 champions well enough to play against them, and truly understanding about 5 well enough to pilot them. The League of Legends champion page is a good place to browse abilities if you keep running into a champ you don’t understand.
For ranked specifically, you need to own at least 20 champions before you can queue up. That’s because each draft has 10 bans. If you’re still building your collection and want to skip ahead, LoL rank boosting from Playplex can help you lock in a higher starting position while you’re learning the roster.
I tested this on a fresh account last month. Took me 9 days of casual play to unlock 20 champs using blue essence alone (no RP spent). The three 450 BE champions are your best friends early on.
What’s Coming After Champion 172?
Locke will be champion 173 when he drops around mid-2026. After that, it’s unclear. Riot’s team is focused on a major game update that they’ll reveal after MSI, according to Meddler’s statement. The LoL Wiki’s 2026 patch cycle page tracks all confirmed dates if you want to watch for announcements.
My prediction: whatever this “large update” is, it’ll be bigger than anything we’ve seen since the item rework in Season 11. Pulling the entire champion design team off new releases is a huge move, and Riot doesn’t do that lightly. Could be a map overhaul, could be a class rework wave. Either way, 172 might be the number we sit at for a while.
FAQ
How many champions does League of Legends have right now?
League of Legends has 172 playable champions as of April 2026. Zaahen, the Unsundered, is the most recent release, having launched in November 2025. Riot has confirmed only one new champion is planned for 2026.
How many champions do you need to play ranked in LoL?
You need to own at least 20 champions to queue for ranked. Draft pick requires 10 bans across both teams, so you need a big enough pool to always have someone available. Free rotation champs don’t count toward this number.
What was the first champion released in League of Legends?
No single champion holds that title. League launched on October 27, 2009 with 40 champions available from day one, including Annie, Ashe, Ryze, Jax, and Teemo. They all shipped together at launch.
How often does Riot release new champions?
Riot puts out around 3 to 5 new champions per year. That’s way down from the early days when they shipped over 20 annually. For 2026, only one champion is confirmed: Locke, a Demacian mid-laner expected around mid-year.
Which role has the most champions in League of Legends?
Top lane and mid lane are tied with around 40 or more viable picks each. Support has roughly 30, jungle around 35, and ADC sits near 25. Plenty of champs flex across multiple roles though, so the lines blur.
The roster sits at 172 and it’s staying there for a while. If you’re picking up the game in 2026, that’s actually good news. More time to learn the existing cast before a new face shows up. And if the grind to 20 owned champs feels slow, a smurf account from Playplex gets you into ranked faster with a ready-to-go champion pool.