If you’ve just downloaded League of Legends for the first time in 2026, or you’re coming back after a multi-year break, one of the first questions you’ll likely ask is how many heroes are in league of legends. Riot Games has been adding new content to the game consistently for over 15 years now, and the roster has grown far beyond the original 40 champions that launched with the game back in 2009. You don’t have to sift through patch notes or the in-game client to get an accurate count, either—we’ve pulled all the latest data straight from Riot’s official 2026 roster announcements to give you a full, up-to-date breakdown.
How Many Heroes Are In League of Legends in 2026? Official Riot Count
As of the 13.24 mid-year patch in 2026, the official count of heroes (also called champions) in League of Legends is 172 playable characters. This number includes the three new champions added in the first half of 2026: the Ixtal water bender Nalani, the Noxian siege engineer Kael, and the Bandle City prankster Zip. It does not include any retired champions, limited-time event characters, or champions that are only playable in game modes like Teamfight Tactics or Legends of Runeterra.
Riot used to release 6 to 7 new champions per year before 2022, but slowed down their release schedule to 4 to 5 per year to focus on reworking older, outdated kits and improving overall game balance. That means the total count will likely rise to 174 by the end of 2026, with two more releases planned for the 14.1 pre-season patch in November. Note that this count only applies to the main Summoner’s Rift and ARAM game modes—if you play rotating modes like URF or One for All, you may occasionally see legacy champions that are no longer available for standard play.
How Are League of Legends Heroes Split Across Roles?
Now that you know the total count, you might be wondering how these 172 heroes are divided across the five standard roles on Summoner’s Rift. Riot balances releases to make sure no role gets left behind, so the split is fairly even as of 2026. If you’re trying to figure out how many heroes are in league of legends for each specific role, these counts will give you an accurate idea of how many options you have for your main role:
You’ll notice that some champions can be played in multiple roles, which is why the counts add up to slightly more than 172 total. For example, the 2025 release Lira can be played both as a mid lane mage and a jungle enchanter, so she’s counted in both role totals. If you’re a new player, don’t feel pressured to learn champions for every role right away—most players stick to 1 or 2 main roles when they first start, and only branch out once they’re comfortable with the game’s core mechanics. If you want to test out different champions without spending blue essence to unlock them, you can use the weekly free champion rotation, which gives you access to 15 random champions every Tuesday. If you're looking for a full list of free champions for the current week, you can check Riot's official free rotation page for the latest updates.
What About Retired or Removed League of Legends Champions?
If you played League of Legends years ago, you might remember some champions that aren’t on the 2026 roster anymore. Riot rarely fully removes champions, but they do occasionally rework outdated kits so heavily that the original version is no longer playable, or move champions to limited-time modes only. As of 2026, there are only 3 champions that are completely unavailable for standard play: Aatrox’s original 2013 kit, the old AP Sion, and the original League of Legends version of Udyr, who got a full rework in 2022.
Riot has stated multiple times that they don’t plan to fully remove any more champions moving forward, preferring to rework underplayed kits instead of deleting them entirely. You don’t have to worry about losing a champion you spent blue essence or RP on—even if a champion gets a rework, you’ll still have access to the new version for free if you already owned the original. Some legacy skins for reworked champions are no longer available for purchase, but if you owned them before the rework, you’ll still keep them in your skin collection.
Tips for Picking Your First League of Legends Hero in 2026
With 172 heroes to choose from, picking your first main in League of Legends can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Start by figuring out what playstyle you enjoy most—do you like being on the front line taking damage for your team, or do you prefer staying in the back dealing damage from a safe distance? If you’re not sure, test out a few champions from the free rotation before you spend any blue essence to unlock one.
Stick to low-complexity champions when you first start—picks like Garen for top lane, Amumu for jungle, Annie for mid lane, Ashe for ADC, and Soraka for support have simple kits that let you focus on learning game mechanics instead of memorizing complicated ability combos. Don’t listen to people who tell you that you have to play meta champions to climb, either. Meta shifts every patch, and you’ll have far more success playing a champion you enjoy than you will playing a strong champion you don’t like. If you end up not liking the first champion you pick, don’t worry—you can earn blue essence for free just by playing games, so you can unlock new champions every few weeks without spending real money.
Whether you’re a brand new player or a returning veteran, knowing how many heroes are in league of legends can help you plan which characters you want to try next, and understand the scope of the game’s roster in 2026. The number will keep growing as Riot releases new champions every year, so check back in a few months for updated counts once the late 2026 releases drop. At the end of the day, the number of champions doesn’t matter as much as finding the few that fit your playstyle perfectly—you don’t have to master all 172 to have fun or climb the ranked ladder.