League of Legends: The MOBA That Grew from DotA to Global Esports
Riot Games' 2009 League of Legends: its origins, 5v5 gameplay, why it's a classic, Worlds and Arcane, and how to start playing today.
League of Legends is a team battle game in which five players form a team and race to destroy the key structure in the enemy base. After its official launch in North America in 2009, it became known in Korea simply as "LoL" and grew into a game that defines PC bang (internet café) culture and esports.
In this post, we look at the background against which League of Legends was made, how a single match unfolds, and why it has been loved for so long. We then cover its influence beyond the game itself, such as the World Championship and the animated series Arcane, along with tips for anyone looking to start playing now.
More than 15 years after launch, the game is still regularly updated, so it can look intimidating to newcomers. That's why we'll walk through it step by step, starting with the basic structure.
At a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Release | October 27, 2009 (North America); official Korean service December 4, 2011 |
| Developer | Riot Games (also the publisher) |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS (added March 1, 2013) |
| Genre | MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) |
Origins
League of Legends has its roots in DotA (Defense of the Ancients), a user-made map for Warcraft III. In this map, each player controls a single hero and attacks the enemy base together with teammates, and it became hugely popular despite not being an official game.
Riot Games was founded in September 2006 in Santa Monica, California, by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill. The two set out to build this genre as a standalone online game from the ground up and to grow it as a service that would keep being operated after launch. Riot's first hire was Steve "Guinsoo" Feak, who had worked on the early development of DotA Allstars. With someone who had worked on the original map on board, development could begin with a solid understanding of the genre's core.
The game was first announced on October 7, 2008, went through a closed beta in April 2009, and officially launched in North America on October 27 of that year. From the start, it adopted a free-to-play model where the game itself was free and cosmetic items such as skins that change a character's appearance were sold. Because spending money doesn't make you stronger, the structure preserved fairness in skill-based competition.
China's Tencent signed a deal in 2008 to operate the game in China, acquired a 93% stake in Riot in February 2011, and then bought the remaining shares on December 16, 2015. Official service in Korea began on December 4, 2011.
Gameplay
The main mode is a 5v5 battle on a map called Summoner's Rift. Each team has a base at opposite ends of the map, and the first team to destroy the Nexus at the heart of the enemy base wins.
The map has three lanes, top, middle, and bottom, each lined with turrets. Over time, small soldiers called minions automatically spawn from both bases and march down the lanes. Players kill minions and enemy champions to earn gold and experience, leveling up and buying items to make their champions stronger. The forest between the lanes, known as the jungle, holds neutral monsters, and there is also a role that hunts them while helping the other lanes.
The characters players control are called champions. Each champion has four unique abilities and a passive trait, and as of 2025 there are more than 170 champions. Even the same champion can play a very different role depending on which items you choose and how your team is composed.
Another important feature is that every match starts with all players at level 1 under the same conditions. Stats from previous matches don't carry over, so each game is a fresh contest. Besides Summoner's Rift, more casual modes are also available, such as Howling Abyss (ARAM), which is fought on a single lane.
Why It's a Classic
First, it brought the genre to the mainstream. It took a format that existed as a user-made map and turned it into a standalone game anyone could download and play for free, refining the rules and interface so newcomers could keep up. Winning four awards, including one for game design, at the 2010 Game Developers Choice Awards, the year after its release, reflects this level of polish.
Second, it has upheld the live-service model for a long time. Regular patches rebalance champions and items, and new champions and seasonal changes have been added steadily. As a result, even after more than a decade of matches on the same map, popular strategies keep changing.
Third, it's a structure where skill determines the outcome. Because you can't buy power and every match starts under the same conditions, decision-making, mechanical skill, and teamwork decide wins and losses directly. This became the foundation for ranked play and professional matches.
Fourth, it's a game you play together. Gathering five friends, dividing roles, and playing a match fit well with Korea's PC bang culture, and the game became such a part of daily life that it turned into a common topic of everyday conversation.
Spin-offs and Influence
League of Legends' biggest influence is on esports. The annual World Championship, commonly called Worlds, was first held in June 2011 at DreamHack in Jönköping, Sweden, where Fnatic took the first title. Teams from Korea's LCK have consistently performed well at the event, and T1 won in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2023, 2024, and 2025, becoming the team with the most titles in the tournament's history. League of Legends was also included as an esports event at the 2018 and 2022 Asian Games. It also won Best Esports Game at The Game Awards three years in a row, from 2019 to 2021.
Several games have also been made in the same universe.
- Teamfight Tactics (TFT): Started as an in-game mode in June 2019, with a standalone mobile version released in March 2020.
- Legends of Runeterra: A card game released in April 2020.
- Wild Rift: A version of League of Legends for mobile and consoles, announced in October 2019.
- Single-player story games such as Ruined King (2021) and Song of Nunu (November 1, 2023) have also been released.
It has expanded beyond games, too. Arcane, an animated series Riot made with French studio Fortiche, premiered on Netflix in November 2021, and its second season arrived in November 2024. As people unfamiliar with the game encountered the story of champions Jinx and Vi, the universe reached a much broader audience.
How to Play It Today
League of Legends can still be downloaded and played for free on Windows and macOS. Just create a Riot account on the official website and install the client. At first, it's best to learn the basic controls through the tutorial and matches against AI opponents, and to focus on practicing a few champions. With so many champions, trying to learn them all at once can be overwhelming.
Matches take a fair amount of time to finish and require coordinating with teammates, so starting with friends makes things much easier. If you want to get a feel for the game without pressure, starting with a casual mode like Howling Abyss is another option.
Even if you don't play yourself, there's plenty to enjoy. Many people watch professional matches like the LCK and Worlds, or watch Arcane first, get interested in the universe, and then start playing. If you'd rather play in short sessions on your phone, you can choose the mobile version of Teamfight Tactics or Wild Rift.