It is a lot. Honestly, if you’re looking at the list of champions in LoL for the first time in 2026, it’s basically like trying to memorize a phone book where every entry can kill you in a different way. We aren’t in 2009 anymore. Back then, you had 17 characters. Simple times. You had a nunu on a yeti, a girl with a bear, and a guy with a sword. Now? We are sitting at 172 champions as of early January 2026.
That number is honestly staggering. It’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that Riot Games has managed to keep this engine running for over seventeen years without the whole thing collapsing under the weight of its own complexity. But here we are. The latest additions like Zaahen and Yunara have pushed the boundaries of what we even consider a "champion" anymore.
The sheer scale of the list of champions in LoL right now
You’ve probably heard people say the game is "too bloated." Is it? Maybe. But every time a new name hits the list, the meta shifts. It’s a living organism. If you look at the raw data, the growth hasn't been linear. Riot went through a phase where they were pumping out a new face every two weeks. Lately, they’ve chilled out, focusing more on making sure the ones we have actually work.
The diversity is the real kicker. You have:
- Tanks that refuse to die, like K'Sante (who still feels like he has twenty abilities in one).
- Assassins that appear, delete you, and vanish before your brain registers the gray screen.
- Enchanters who exist solely to make the ADC feel like a god.
- Hypercarries that are useless for 20 minutes then suddenly end the game.
It is a mess. A beautiful, balanced (mostly), frustrating mess.
From 17 to 172: A quick history lesson
If we go back to the very beginning, February 21, 2009, the "Alpha" list was tiny. Alistar, Annie, Ashe, Fiddlesticks, Jax, Kayle, Master Yi, Morgana, Nunu, Ryze, Sion, Sivir, Soraka, Teemo, Tristana, Twisted Fate, and Warwick. That was the original crew. Look at that list. Most of those names are still staples today.
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Then 2010 happened. Riot went absolute ham and released nearly 20 champions in a single year. That’s when we got the "classics" like Lux, Garen, and LeBlanc. By the time we hit the mid-2010s, the pace slowed, but the kits got weirder. Think about Aphelios. He doesn't even have a normal skill bar. He has five guns. Who does that?
Why the roles actually matter (and how they're changing)
When you look at a list of champions in LoL, you can't just look at the names. You have to look at the "lanes." But in 2026, the lines are blurring. We have "support" champions like Pyke who are actually assassins. We have "top laners" like Akshan who are basically marksmen.
The Top Lane Islanders
This is where the bruisers live. It’s a 1v1 island where you either win or you suffer in silence for thirty minutes. Champions like Aatrox, Darius, and Fiora dominate here. But then you have the weird stuff. Teemo. Nobody likes Teemo. Yet, he’s been on the list since day one, ruining everyone’s day with mushrooms.
The Jungle Architects
Junglers don't stay in one spot. They’re the ones playing 4D chess while everyone else is playing checkers. Lee Sin is the perennial favorite here. He’s been one of the most played champions for a decade because his skill ceiling is basically in the stratosphere. Newer additions like Bel'Veth have changed how the jungle feels, turning it into a scaling carry role rather than just a "help the lanes" role.
The Mid Lane Playmakers
This is the heart of the map. You’ve got the flashy stuff—Yasuo, Zed, Ahri. If you want to see a "montage" play, it’s usually happening here. Interestingly, the list of champions in LoL for mid lane has seen some of the most dramatic "reworks." Ryze has been changed so many times it’s a running joke in the community. At this point, I think he’s had five different ultimate abilities.
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The Bot Lane Duo
This is a codependent relationship. You have the ADC (Attack Damage Carry) and the Support.
- ADCs like Jinx or Ezreal just want to farm gold until they can melt health bars.
- Supports like Thresh or Milio are there to make sure the ADC doesn't do something stupid and die.
The 2026 Shift: New Faces and Reworks
What most people get wrong about the current list is thinking it's static. It’s not. In the last year, we saw the release of Zaahen, a champion that actually interacts with the terrain in ways that make old-school players dizzy.
And let’s talk about the reworks. Riot has realized that some of the old guard just can't keep up with the new kids. So, they do "VGU" (Visual and Gameplay Updates). Skarner finally got his, and it took forever. But now he actually feels like a terrifying crystal scorpion instead of a clunky relic from 2011.
How to actually choose who to play
If you're staring at all 172 icons and feeling paralyzed, you’re normal. Don't try to learn them all. That’s a trap.
- Pick a "vibe" first. Do you want to be the guy who takes all the hits? Pick a Tank. Do you want to be the one everyone is scared of? Pick an Assassin.
- Stick to the "Easy" rated ones initially. There’s no shame in playing Garen or Annie. They work. They’ve worked since 2009 for a reason.
- Use the free rotation. Every week, Riot gives you a handful of champions for free. Use it. It’s the only way to find out you actually hate playing Draven before you spend your hard-earned Blue Essence on him.
The Reality of "Power Creep"
We have to be honest: the new champions are usually "better" than the old ones at launch. They have more tools. They have "dashes" on every ability. This is the "200 years of collective design experience" meme coming to life. But the funny thing is, a really good Twisted Fate player can still carry a game against a brand-new Yunara just by having better map awareness.
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The list of champions in LoL is a toolset. Some tools are fancy power drills (the new stuff), and some are just reliable hammers (the old stuff). Both can build a house, or in this case, destroy a Nexus.
Common Misconceptions
- "Higher difficulty means a better champion." Not true. Master Yi is "easy" and can 1v5 a team if he gets three kills early.
- "You need to play what the pros play." Unless you are actually a pro, playing what Faker plays is usually a recipe for a 0/10/0 scoreline. Stick to what you're comfortable with.
- "New champions are always broken." They are usually overtuned, yeah. But they also get nerfed into the ground within two weeks.
Actionable Steps for Navigating the Roster
Stop trying to "main" ten different people. It doesn't work. If you want to actually get better at the game and understand the roster, follow this:
- Build a "Champion Pool" of three. Pick one main and two backups for your primary role. That’s it.
- Read the abilities of the "Free to Play" rotation every Tuesday. You don't have to play them, but you need to know what they do so you don't die to them.
- Watch one high-level VOD for your main. See how the pros handle the specific matchups.
- Focus on the "Class" not the "Name." If you like playing tanks, you’ll probably like most of the tanks on the list.
The list of champions in LoL will likely hit 175 or 180 by next year. It’s not slowing down. The best thing you can do is find the three or four characters that actually make the game fun for you and ignore the noise of the other 168.
Mastering the mechanics of the game—like last-hitting minions and warding—is always more important than which specific character you're clicking. Even the most "broken" champion in the world won't win a game if the player doesn't know how to look at the mini-map.