League of Legends Announces First Season Theme for 2026

As 2025 comes to a close, fans bid farewell to a bit of a turbulent year — from really high highs like seasonal changes to low lows like the Hextech controversy, it's been quite a few months in League of Legends. Now, Riot Games is moving on to its next step of the annual tri-seasonal approach, welcoming 2026 with open arms.

League of Legends had a Dev Update where the team talked a bit about what's coming in 2026, including revealing the first theme of the year. The first theme of 2026, Season 1 Act 1, will be For Demacia, contrasting directly with the first-ever, Welcome to Noxus.

We already know a few things about For Demacia, even though it won't see the light of day for another month. The Summoner's Rift is getting a blue and gold recolouring to fit the colours, and we've also had a look at the Demacian-themed skins that will be arriving for some champions (with maybe a few more to come).

Here are the champions who will be getting a Demacian-themed skin:

• Quinn
• Nautilus
• Cho'gath
• Morgana

Though the official name of the skin line hasn't been announced, and we don't have confirmation about the pricing of these (looking at you, Sanctum), it's still great to know which champions will be getting some love. It's also worth noting that Riot Games confirmed that more skin themes will be coming to prevent fatigue from some regions (like Noxus).

The final Demacia-focused change is one that long-time viewers of League of Legends Dev Updates will remember: Shyvana. In a skit between Pabro and Meddler, the team soft confirms the champion's rework, bringing much-needed love to her after a long time of the community making memes about her being forgotten.

It's been a strong year for League of Legends, and the continuation of the tri-seasonal approach shows that Riot Games is willing to support it. It's been received well, and we're looking forward to seeing what sort of narrative will transpire 2026, after the heartbreaking ending for 2025.

League of Legends Season 1 Act 1 starts in January 2026, with no official confirmed release date yet.