As someone who has encountered myriad issues with Riot’s League of Legends client, a part of me has always wondered if the hit multiplayer sensation will finally make the transition to Steam, emulating Blizzard’s decision to port across both Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. Riot, however, remains resolute: LoL will not be coming to Steam anytime soon.
Last night I was unfortunately burned by the League of Legends client, and while it’s been the first time in a long time, it certainly left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. A random ‘critical error’ on the client side has left me in the MOBA‘s leaver’s queue, meaning you’re battling it out with players who, oftentimes, will just leave mid-game.
After a (very short) rant about my newfound penalty, I did find myself asking whether or not League of Legends on Steam is just a pipe dream or a potential reality. Studio head of Riot’s League studio, Andrei ‘Meddler’ van Roon has, ironically, answered my question overnight – call it foreshadowing.
When asked “Will League of Legends ever be put on Steam? The Riot Forge games [Song of Nunu, The Ruined King] are on there,” Meddler replies “No current plans to.
“Forge games are a pretty different offering since they’re single-player, completable, aimed at being accessible to an audience that hasn’t necessarily played League before etc. We took a different distribution approach as a result.”
At the time of writing, the post is in the positive with 28 upvotes, and despite my earlier moaning, I am largely in agreement. I know for a fact I’d probably just use the original client anyway, just like how I still use Battle.net for Diablo 4. If it opens the game up to new players, then that’s always a positive, but I think most OG fans would keep using Riot’s client either way.
So, the TLDR is not to expect LoL on Steam coming into League of Legends Season 14. But what we can expect is more Arenas, so check out our LoL Arena tier list to ensure you’re running the best comp this Winterblessed season.
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