Demacia’s story begins to unfold, with gameplay and rewards for every role.
League of Legends (LoL) Season 1 of 2026 launches on 8 January, putting Demacia front and centre. The new season arrives with Patch 26.01 alongside its accompanying cinematic, For Demacia, featuring an original track, Salvation (ft. Forts).
Demacia’s influence extends across Summoner’s Rift, while Patch 26.01 introduces gameplay updates and seasonal content, with plenty more for players to discover throughout the season.
Patch 26.01 pushes faster games and clearer role identity
Patch 26.01 delivers the first wave of gameplay changes for Season 2026, with Riot targeting faster game starts, less objective overload, and more room for strategies like splitting and sieging to actually matter.
Role quests have been overhauled and now progress through role-specific conditions. Completing them grants tangible in-game rewards tied to how each role plays. Mid laners can earn free tier three boots and a faster recall, while bot laners gain increased gold generation and access to a seventh item slot.
Across Ranked, Normal, and Swiftplay, the early game is being sped up. Champ Select moves faster, minion waves arrive earlier, and jungle monsters spawn sooner, pushing players into action more quickly. New map mechanics, Faelights and Crystalline Overgrowth, are also being added to the Rift.
Updates to both Swiftplay and Ranked are rolling out alongside the season. If you're interested to know more about Patch 26.01, click here.
ARAM Mayhem sticks around with a larger update planned
Following positive player feedback, ARAM: Mayhem will remain available for longer. Riot has confirmed that a larger update to the mode is scheduled to arrive later in the season with Patch 26.03.
Demacia’s influence is all over Summoner’s Rift
Demacia’s presence extends directly onto the map in Season 1. Summoner’s Rift has received visual updates inspired by the kingdom, including petricite towers and gold-winged accents that reinforce the season’s theme.
The new seasonal meta-game, Demacia Rising, also launches with the season. Players will follow Demacia’s rise from a single settlement to a fully realised nation, with the experience evolving through regular updates across the season.
Additional story beats will be delivered through a series of motion comics, expanding on the narrative introduced in the season-opening cinematic.
Shyvana finally gets her long-awaited update in Act 2
Finally, after a long wait, Shyvana’s visual update is set to arrive in Act 2 of Season 1. The update introduces entirely new visuals for both her human and dragon forms while keeping her abilities largely familiar. Her kit includes minor changes, with full details to be revealed closer to release.
Champion Select and behaviour systems receive targeted changes
Player behaviour improvements are planned for later in the season, including the rollout of lobby hostage intervention. This system is designed to automatically terminate lobbies where a player is threatening to intentionally sabotage the game, and will be deployed gradually across regions.
Champion Select is also changing. Players will no longer be able to ban a teammate’s hovered champion, and autofill status will now persist through dodging.
New skins and seasonal events
Season 1 features a wide slate of skins across multiple thematics. Starting in Patch 26.02, Briar and Samira receive Battle Academia skins, while Galio and Ornn join a mecha anime-inspired line.
Lunar Revel sees the return of the Firecracker skinline, alongside a new Petals of Spring thematic developed in collaboration with Wild Rift. April Fools’ skins will release later in the season as standalone designs rather than a single theme.
Act 2 will introduce a darker Demacia-inspired skin set, while a brand-new skin thematic is planned for the First Stand window. Prestige Veiled Lady Morgana launches at the start of the season, followed by Prestige skins for Sona and Mordekaiser later on.
Revenant Reign Viego joins the Exalted tier through The Sanctum, while Victorious Braum is available this season to players at any rank who play Ranked during Season 1.
Season 1 of 2026 begins with Demacia at the centre of the Rift. With Patch 26.01 live, players can explore new gameplay updates, skins, and seasonal content, and follow the kingdom’s story as it unfolds across the season.
