Over 15 years after its original release, League of Legends remains one of the most popular games in the world, with millions playing every month. That is primarily down to new champions, with the Riot Games team regularly adding new characters.
Every few months, Riot teases the release of a new League champion. Each champ has various abilities and is intended to be played in specific roles around the Summoner’s Rift map and in limited-time modes like Nexus Blitz and, more recently, Arena. The development team also issues reworks for champs who have been around for a long time and need additional updates to their visuals and abilities. How many League of Legends champions are there that you can play as?
How many champions are there in League of Legends?
You can find over 171 unique champions in the League of Legends roster. This number of characters is extremely daunting for many new players, especially with Riot gradually adding more throughout the year.
This gradual drip when it comes to new Rift debuts has continued through 2025 as well, so we can expect to hit the 172 mark soon. If things stay on a similar path through the ’20s, the MOBA’s ballooning roster could boast 200 unique characters by around 2029.
For anyone new interested in jumping into League, a good way to tackle a game with this many characters is to focus primarily on a role or two to specialize in when playing. This way, you can narrow down the number of characters you want to learn to play, and you won’t feel overwhelmed. You won’t always be able to play the role you want, so learning to play one or two champions in the other roles could help you. Take your time with each champion, and gradually focus on others.
Which new League of Legends champs came out recently?
The three most recent League champions added to the roster were Yunara (July 2025), Mel (January 2025), and Ambessa (November 2024). You can check out the always-updated champion roster list, where we highlight the latest additions to the game and their upcoming release date.
Each has brought something new to the League experience, ranging from Mel’s spell reflector to Ambessa’s ability to blink to a faraway champion.
The 2024 League season was actually one of the quieter years when it came to new debuts. In 2023, only Briar, Naafiri, and Milio landed on the Rift. But the 12 months before were a little busier, with K’Sante, Nilah, Bel’Veth, Renata Glasc, and powerful AD carry Zeri all arriving from January to December.
The 2025 season started with the arrival of Mel, the second character from the hit Netflix show Arcane. After she hit the Rift, Yunara followed in July. We’ll have to see who joins her next.
This article will be updated as new League of Legends champions are released. Expect to hear more details whenever Riot Games begins drumming up excitement from the community about the newest champion.
