League of Legends Announces New Champion Release Date in Latest Dev Update

The latest League of Legends Dev Update touched on the topics regarding 2026 Season 2 Act 2: Pandemonium, the shorter Season giving way to the epic finale at the end of the year. As the second Act of Pandemonium arrives, we get the opportunity to learn more about it in a Dev Update that's shorter than usual.

Riot Meddler and Riot Pabro kicked off by talking about Locke, the upcoming champion to League of Legends. We've been anticipating the launch of a new character to play, as the last was Zaahen at the end of last year, and previously, we had Shyvana's rework at the end of For Demacia, which, although it was a highly promising change, didn't bring new abilities and gameplay to the mix.

There isn't much we know about Locke other than the fact that he'll be a midlane mage. It's a bit of a disappointment for Support mains, who haven't been able to enjoy a new champion since the launch of Milio on the 22nd of March 2023, but perhaps by the end of the Season, we'll get a new champion in that role.

Locke's release date has been announced, giving us an exact date for when summoners will be able to play as him. As it currently stands, he was confirmed for 26.13, which is earlier than we were expecting — this update launches on the 24th of June 2026, according to the 2026 Patch Schedule.

We'll learn more in the coming updates leading to the full launch, so stay tuned for a champion trailer, ability reveal, and overview in the future!