If you’ve ever spent 10 minutes scrolling through your LoL profile trying to pick the perfect icon to match your new skin or rank, you’ve probably wondered how many icons in League of Legends actually exist. Most players only interact with a tiny fraction of the available options, even if they’ve been playing for years. Icons are more than just profile decorations too—they can signal how long you’ve been playing, which events you’ve participated in, and even what fandoms you love outside of Riot’s universe. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about LoL’s icon library, from total counts to hidden gems you might still be able to unlock.
How Many Icons in League of Legends Are There in Total?
As of the latest game patch, there are just over 1,600 unique icons available across all global regions, though that number grows every few months with new events, champion releases, and brand collabs. That count doesn’t include region-locked icons that are only accessible in specific markets, like Lunar New Year exclusive icons for CN servers or K/DA promotional icons that only dropped in South Korea for a limited time. If you count those region-locked variants, the total jumps to nearly 1,800 total icons across the entire global LoL ecosystem.
Most players will only ever unlock between 50 and 200 icons in their entire playtime, unless they specifically grind events or buy every battle pass that releases. The vast majority of icons are not available for permanent purchase in the in-game shop, so many are locked forever once their associated event ends. Some icons are also only given out as rewards for bug reports, charity donations, or real-world event attendance, so they’re never available to the general player base.
The Most Common Types of LoL Icons You Can Unlock
Not all icons are created equal, and Riot groups them into distinct categories based on how you get them and how rare they are. You’ll recognize most of the common types if you’ve played for more than a month, but a few are so rare most players have never even seen them in the wild. The core categories include:
- Champion icons: These are the most common type, released alongside every new champion launch. You can usually buy them for 250 Blue Essence in the shop, or get them for free by completing low-level champion mastery challenges.
- Event icons: Dropped for every in-game event, from Worlds to Spirit Blossom to Arcade. Most require you to complete simple event missions or spend event tokens to unlock, and they’re only available for the duration of the event.
- Rank icons: Awarded at the end of every ranked split based on your highest rank in Summoner’s Rift, ARAM, or Teamfight Tactics. Higher ranks get more detailed, exclusive icons that you can’t get any other way.
- Collab and limited edition icons: These drop for crossover events, show releases, or real-world partnerships. Recent examples include icons for Arcane, K/DA, and even collaborations with fast food brands and popular music artists.
There are also extremely rare legacy icons that were only given out to players who participated in the game’s closed beta, or who reported critical game-breaking bugs during early testing. Some of these icons are so rare that less than 100 players in the entire world have them in their collection, and they often become status symbols among long-time fans.
Pro Tips to Grow Your LoL Icon Collection Fast
You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on RP to build an icon collection you’re proud of. There are tons of free or low-cost ways to unlock new icons if you know where to look, and most players miss these easy opportunities every month. First, always check the event mission tab as soon as a new event drops. Most events give away at least 2 to 3 free icons just for completing a handful of simple missions, like winning 3 ARAM games or playing as a champion from the event’s theme. You don’t even need to buy the event pass to get these free rewards, so there’s no cost involved.
Next, save your Blue Essence for champion icon sales that happen a few times a year. Riot often discounts all champion icons to 50 Blue Essence each during these sales, so you can pick up 10 or more icons for the same cost you’d usually pay for one. If you play ranked, make sure to play at least 10 ranked games per split to qualify for the end-of-split rank icon, even if you don’t care about climbing. These icons are only available once, so they’re a great way to show how long you’ve been playing ranked years down the line.
Never buy random icon chests from the shop, by the way. They almost always give you duplicate icons you already own, and the drop rate for rare icons is less than 1%, so you’re wasting your RP 99% of the time. You’re far better off saving that RP for specific limited-time icons that drop during events you care about, or for skins you actually want to use in game.
Rarest League of Legends Icons You Might Still Be Able to Get
Most rare legacy icons are locked forever, but there are a handful of super sought-after icons that you can still unlock if you know what to do. For example, the original Ryze icon that was given out to closed beta players is gone for good, but the Urf the Manatee icon that was first released in 2010 still comes back every April Fools event for a limited time. It’s one of the most recognizable rare icons in the game, and you can usually pick it up for 1 Blue Essence or a single simple mission when it drops.
Another one to look out for is the Arcane icon collection that drops whenever Riot announces new content for the show. The first wave of Arcane icons were only available for a month when the show premiered, but Riot re-released them for the second season launch, so there’s a good chance they’ll come back again in the future. If you’re willing to do a little extra work, you can also get exclusive icons by linking your Riot account to your Amazon Prime account, or by watching official LoL esports streams on Twitch with drops enabled. These icons are usually only available for a few weeks at a time, but they’re completely free to claim if you catch the window.
Just don’t fall for scams that promise free rare icons in exchange for your account login info, by the way. Riot will never ask for your password to give you an icon, so any site that claims to do that is trying to steal your account. If an icon is not available through official Riot channels, you’re not going to get it without buying a second-hand account, which violates Riot’s terms of service and can get your main account banned if you’re caught.
At the end of the day, icons are one of the most fun ways to customize your LoL profile and show off your personal style to friends and teammates. Now that you know how many icons in League of Legends exist, you can start hunting for the ones that match your favorite champions, events, or fandoms to build a collection that feels uniquely yours. You don’t need to have every single icon to have a great collection, either. Even a handful of rare or meaningful icons will make your profile stand out way more than a library of 500 random icons you never use. Next time you log in, take a minute to scroll through the icon tab—you might be surprised how many free icons you already qualify for that you haven’t claimed yet.