These League of Legends preseason changes will affect your rank in 2026

The preseason of League of Legends marks the end of a competitive cycle and the beginning of a phase of key adjustments ahead of the next season. While it does not always introduce drastic changes immediately, it does lay the groundwork for the metagame that will shape the months to come.

At the close of 2025, Riot Games has used the final patches of the year to adjust champions, fine-tune systems, and prepare the ground for the 2026 season.

The 2025–2026 preseason: context and schedule

During November and December 2025, League of Legends went through patches 25.22, 25.23, and 25.24, which function as transition patches between the end of the 2025 season and the start of the 2026 season.

These patches do not completely redefine the game, but they do serve a key role: stabilizing balance, correcting metagame excesses, and anticipating the direction the game will take in the new year.

Riot Games confirmed that the 2026 season will officially begin on January 8, 2026, with the release of patch 26.01, when the most impactful system and mechanic changes are expected.

What is really changing during this stage

Champion adjustments and overall balance

The main focus of the final patches of 2025 has been roster balance. Riot has applied targeted adjustments to champions with high presence or inconsistent performance, both in lanes and in the jungle.

In patch 25.24, for example, statistics and scaling were modified for champions such as Aatrox, Ambessa, Lux, Miss Fortune, Qiyana, and Sylas, aiming to reduce excessive power spikes or reinforce champions that had fallen behind.

These changes do not transform the champions’ roles, but they do influence their pick priority and real effectiveness in matches.

Greater openness in the jungle role

One of the most visible adjustments in the year-end patches has been the indirect reinforcement of jungle diversity.

In patch 25.23, Riot introduced changes aimed at improving the viability of a wider range of champions in this role, reducing reliance on a small group of dominant picks.

This results in a less predictable jungle, with more viable options depending on playstyle, team composition, and game pace.

Experience and quality-of-life changes

While not the main focus, recent patches also included adjustments that affect the overall player experience:

• Improvements to champion select, with smoother processes and reduced unnecessary downtime before entering a match.
• The seasonal return of Winter’s Rift, a visual variation of Summoner’s Rift available during the holiday period.

These changes do not alter the metagame, but they do influence match flow and player perception during this time of year.

What players should do now

Adapt to the current balance, not the past

The preseason is the right moment to leave behind builds and picks that worked months ago.

Recent adjustments have changed the real effectiveness of several champions, making it essential to review updated statistics and observe which picks maintain stable performance after the latest patches.

Use this period as a testing ground

Before ranked play becomes active again, the preseason offers a more flexible environment for experimentation:

• Testing champions affected by recent buffs.
• Adjusting paths, builds, and priorities based on the current balance.
• Exploring team synergies without direct impact on competitive rank.

Read the direction of the game, not just the patch

Although the major changes will arrive with patch 26.01, the current adjustments already hint at Riot’s direction in terms of balance, game pace, and role diversity.

Observing which champions receive attention, which stabilize, and which lose prominence helps anticipate strategic decisions for the start of the new season.

Patches 25.22 through 25.24 have adjusted champions, expanded role diversity—particularly in the jungle—and optimized aspects of the gameplay experience, establishing a more stable foundation for the next competitive cycle.

Understanding these changes, adapting to the current balance, and using this period as a testing phase allows players to arrive better prepared for the start of ranked play in January 2026, with a clearer read of the metagame that is beginning to take shape.