The free champion rotation in League of Legends is Riot Games’ way of letting all players try out a set number of champions each week – without having to spend any Blue Essence or Riot Points. It’s a rotating lineup, giving everyone a chance to test various playstyles, discover new favorites, and expand their in-game knowledge.
📅 Current Free Champion Rotation
Rotation Dates: February 25, 2025 – March 4, 2025
Available Champions:
Aatrox, Aurora, Cassiopeia, Cho’Gath, Fiora, Graves,
Jayce, Kai’Sa, Kalista, Kennen, Kha’Zix, Lee Sin,
Maokai, Nautilus, Nilah, Orianna, Pantheon, Pyke,
Tahm Kench, Tryndamere
Whether you enjoy brutal top-lane duels or elusive jungle ambushes, this lineup has something for every kind of summoner.
⏱ How Scheduling Works
Each week, roughly 20 champions (or 21 when a new champion joins) become freely available – around 10% of the full champion roster.
New champions are added three weeks after their official release.
This rotation schedule is synchronized globally, so North America and Europe share the same lineup.
🧠 Fun Facts & Trivia
Holiday Shifts: Riot sometimes adjusts the rotation to avoid major U.S. holidays – like Labor Day back in Season 1 (2010), when the rotation shifted forward a day.
Special Inclusions: Occasionally, champions join the rotation early or unexpectedly – usually during major events or to make up for temporarily disabled characters.
Launch Day Legends: Only Poppy and Udyr have joined the free rotation on the exact day of their release.
Delayed Debuts: Champions like Yorick missed rotations due to balancing issues, while others like Tristana and Alistar were already offered through promotional content.
🔄 Evolution of the Rotation System
As the champion pool expanded, so did the rotation mechanics:
Pre-Fiora Era: New champions were often added to the rotation immediately upon release.
Post-Fiora Policy: New champions are now held back for 3 weeks post-launch, to respect those who purchase them early.
Oddball Entry: Sylas broke tradition by entering rotation just 10 days after release.
Patch V7.16 increased the rotation from 10 to 10% of the total roster, adding 4 more champions at the time (going from 10 to 14).
In September 2019, this went up again to 15 champions.
October 22–29, 2019, saw a special 40-champion rotation to celebrate League’s 10th Anniversary, featuring the game’s original lineup.
🧩 Classifications Over Time
Season 1 (Week 33 onward):
Champion roles were first structured like this:
1–2 Fighters
1–2 Melee DPS
2 Mages
2 Ranged DPS
1 Support
2 Tanks
Season 2 (Week 1 onward):
Class names got revamped:
Melee DPS became Assassins
Ranged DPS turned into Marksmen
The rotation continued with the same spread of roles to maintain balance and variety.
💡 Note: These classifications aren’t hard rules. They’re meant to help new players understand a champion’s general strengths and intended role.
🎬 Arcane Crossover (2021)
With the premiere of Arcane, Riot added six champions from the show to the rotation – free for all players, on top of the usual set:
Caitlyn, Ekko, Heimerdinger, Jinx, Vi, Viktor
This bumped the total free champions to 22 during the event, giving players a chance to dive into the Arcane universe firsthand.
Whether you’re a new recruit or a seasoned player, the free champion rotation keeps the gameplay fresh, the strategies diverse, and the lanes filled with surprises.
