In 2025, League of Legends is still alive, well, popular, and attracting millions of players in what is essentially a black hole created by caffeine and poor life choices. Launched in 2009, this MOBA from Riot Games has become one of the most played video games in the history of video games. If you count their professional e-sports tournaments and world championships, League of Legends has an e-sports scene that makes traditional sports leagues look small.
However, League of Legends is not just surviving, but is evolving. Riot is giving you multiple new champions every year, many patches, the champions you know already being reworked, meta changes, numerous reworks of the game tutorial that at least look like they were created by someone who didn't have their master's degree in cryptography and enriched learning, and Riot is making it easier for new players to learn and keeping veteran players engaged. If you’re looking to go into League of Legends 2025, you will need this guide to start up.
League of Legends (LoL) is a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) where two groups of five players must battle on Summoner’s Rift, the game’s classic map. The goal is? Destroy the other team’s Nexus (their base) until you realize, there are 160+ champions, hundreds of items, changing strategies and a community ready to flame you for missing that last hit.
But don’t worry. Still, LOL is about teamwork, strategy, and execution of skill. Play a champion, play a role (top, jungle, mid, ADC, or support), and navigate your way through lanes, jungle monsters, and opponents. Matches can last 20-45 minutes, depending on whether your team is coordinated or just five people shouting at each other in different languages.
Every player in League of Legends has a role, typically associated with a role or lane on the map. Understanding each role helps you know what to do in each game:
In each lane, your main goal is to farm minions (kill them for gold and XP) and outplay the enemy laner. Each lane has 3 towers and 1 inhibitor guarding it (plus 2 extra nexus turrets), so it is important to play carefully. Use your champion’s abilities to attack the enemy laner and last hit minions (get the final hit on the minion), so you can gain gold.
By mid-2025, League of Legends will have over 170 champions, with Riot continuing to produce more champions every year. Don't be intimidated by that number. If you are a beginner, you typically start with champions like Garen, Ashe, or Lux.
Riot has been reworking older champions to make them relevant, so you won't have to feel like you are choosing between "new shiny" or "ancient relic"; you will have options. Each champion offers unique abilities, and relationships as champions have their own strengths and weaknesses, so it's important to try a variety of champions before you settle on one main champion.
Pro tip: don't try to master every champion, just use a small pool of champions. Learn their strengths and weaknesses, and you will rank faster.
The Meta in League of Legends 2025 is always evolving due to the game's constant balance changes and patches supplied by Riot. Every few weeks, patches come out for champions and items that buff, nerf, or rework, causing a refresh on everything in the game, in other words, keeping the game100% Meta relevant and fresh. While this is great for balance and longevity, as a player, it is important to adapt and stay up to date.
Currently, the Meta favors champions that have flexibility for multiple roles. Bruisers are very effective in short, extended fights, enchanter supports have returned due to their utility, and junglers continue to provide influence across the entire map with all-dominating champions in lanes. It all comes down to them.
For new players, the most important thing is not to think too much about the Meta right now. Focus on learning the fundamentals: farming, positioning, and, most importantly, keeping strong map awareness. Once you can develop them, adapting to a changing Meta is easy.
In 2025, the process of starting League of Legends is easier than ever. Riot has completely redone its tutorials; now, instead of dumping you into a match and saying "Good luck," you are taught about the game. Additionally, new players begin their experience with free AI matches, practice tools, and a much better onboarding experience.
Here is the path to learning, step by step:
League of Legends has seen a few changes to the item system, and in 2025, it will be a lot easier to use. Every champion has their recommended builds, but they are customizable. Maybe you need more damage, survivability, or utility; selecting the right build could easily win you the game.
If you are starting, it is best to start with the recommended items, and then later on mix and match. You will eventually encounter situations in which you need to change builds, for example, if the enemy team is full of heavy healing buy Grievous wounds, or if they are stacking AD and you need to stack armor against their fed carry.
The League of Legends community is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there are forums, guides, and endless content creators who could help you learn about the game; on the other hand, there is toxicity, toxic blame games, and players who use flaming as a personality trait.
Esports-wise, LOL is still the best. The World Championship (Worlds) gets millions of viewers around the world, and before you know it, you'll be cheering on your favorite teams, keeping up to date with roster changes, and staying up late to watch international tournaments.
If you are interested in being competitive, ranked mode is where you really start grinding. Here are some tips:
There are many games in the market, so why is League of Legends still one of the most played games in the world? Simple: depth, community, and updates. League of Legends offers so much strategy that players come back for years. Riot's balance patches and new content are frequent enough to ensure that the game doesn't become stale.
League of Legends is more than a game; it is a cultural phenomenon, an esport, and for many, a second home (or in some cases, maybe first depending on time spent).
If you have thought about playing a MOBA, then League of Legends 2025 is the way to go. The game is as strategic and competitive as ever, but with even better tutorials and beginning systems. Play League of Legends if you enjoy complex strategies, working with others, and the constant pursuit of improvement. Be aware that you will experience frustration in the form of rough matches, skill spacing, and learning curves, but that feeling of progress and mastery is 100% worth it.
So, should you play League of Legends in 2025? Yes! Start today, practice, and find out why this is still the number one game in the esports market.
League of Legends 2025 is the current version of Riot Games’ popular MOBA. It has over 170 champions, regular patches, and a revamped onboarding system to improve the experience for new players.
Yes. League of Legends is still one of the most played video games in the world, with millions of active players and one of the largest esports scenes in the gaming world.
New players begin by signing up for a Riot account, doing the patch tutorials, and playing a few AI games and practice games to get the basic mechanics before playing real, normal games.
The 2025 Meta is characterised by flexible champions, with bruisers, enchanter supports, and power junglers, on top. Meanwhile, Riot patches are creating shifts in the Meta every few weeks.
Yes. League of Legends 2025 is a great option for you if you enjoy teamwork, strategy, and competition. It's free to play. League of Legends is consistently evolving with regular updates.
