Everything you need to know about Riot’s update schedule
With over 160 champions and a complex ecosystem of items, runes, and objectives, League of Legends constantly evolves to maintain balance and freshness. Riot Games keeps the game updated through regular patches, which include balance changes, new skins, bug fixes, and gameplay adjustments.
But when exactly do these patches go live — and how can you prepare for them?
Riot’s Patch Schedule: A Biweekly Rhythm
League of Legends follows a biweekly patch cycle, meaning new patches are typically released every two weeks. Riot publishes a patch schedule at the beginning of each year, available on their official support site. This schedule lists expected dates for each game patch and major seasonal update.
When Do Patches Go Live?
Patches usually go live on Wednesdays, with times varying slightly by region:
- North America (NA): 3:00 AM PT
- Europe West (EUW): 5:00 AM GMT
- Korea (KR): 8:00 AM KST
Server maintenance begins shortly before the patch launches and typically lasts about 3 hours. During this time, matchmaking is disabled and you’ll be logged out if you’re in the client.
How to Track Patch Releases
Stay up to date by checking:
- Riot’s Patch Notes blog
- The League client notifications
- Community websites
Patches are usually previewed on the PBE (Public Beta Environment) a week prior, where you can see early balance changes and skin previews.
What Gets Updated in a Patch?
Each patch may include:
- Champion balance adjustments
- Item, rune, and summoner spell changes
- New or updated skins and chromas
- System updates (e.g. jungle changes, map tweaks)
- Bug fixes and UI improvements
Final Tip: Be Ready for Ranked Queue Downtime
Riot temporarily disables ranked queues during patch rollout to avoid game-breaking bugs affecting competitive integrity. If you’re climbing the ladder, keep the schedule in mind.
Written by:
Christian