Riot delays private LoL replays to patch 26.21
Published on · Updated on
After backlash from creators and coaches, Riot delayed to October 21 the change that makes League of Legends replays private; see what exactly changes.
League of Legends replays are about to go private — just not in this patch. Riot Games pushed to October 21, with patch 26.21, the change that limits replay access to matches the player was actually in. The original announcement came in the patch 26.20 notes published on October 6, and the company backed down the next day after a wave of criticism from content creators, coaches and analysts who use third-party replays as a work tool.
Until the 21st, the old rule applies: you can still download replays of ranked matches from friends through profile match history, and stat apps and sites keep accessing the files. After that, only your own matches stay available in the client — and anyone who wants to keep plays from these weeks needs to record them before the switch, because replays from patch 26.20 stop working when the client updates.
What changes with patch 26.21
The restriction was scheduled for patch 26.20, released on October 7 and treated by the press as the "Worlds patch." Stopped in time, it should now arrive with 26.21. Here is what changes in practice:
| Feature | Today (patch 26.20) | Starting with 26.21 |
|---|---|---|
| Replays of your own matches | Available in the client | Available in the client (no change) |
| Friends' ranked replays | Downloadable from profile match history | Blocked |
| Replays of matches you did not play in | Accessible through the client and apps | Blocked |
| Third-party apps and sites | Download the files normally | Lose access to downloads |
| Recording highlights in replay | Available | Available |
Riot was explicit on one point: reviewing your own matches, the so-called VOD review, still works inside the client. What ends is access to someone else's game — the basis for much of the analysis videos, scouting work and coaching sessions.
The backlash that made Riot back down
The 26.20 notes gave the change a short passage, wedged between the skin announcements and the champion adjustments. There was no dev blog, video or separate post explaining the decision — and the community reacted within hours.
That same day, well-known community channels published videos treating the announcement as the end of a format, and coaches, analysts and professional players joined the discussion noting that the restriction hit directly at the livelihood of those who produce analysis from other people's matches. Riot responded on X, and the text stands as the official statement of the delay:
"The changes announced for replays have been delayed to patch 26.21. We're working on a solution to ensure that creators and coaches who rely on replays aren't meaningfully affected by this change, and we want to have it ready before this goes live."
— League of Legends (@LeagueOfLegends), on October 7, 2026
According to PCGamesN, the biggest losers from the restriction are precisely the Challenger replay channels and the coaches, whose work depends on watching other players' matches. The site recalls that the tool was also used to study high-level players, learn new champions from specialists and revisit plays that go viral.
Why Riot says it is changing replays
The official justification is security. In the notes, the company states that the restriction comes alongside limits on third-party access to the game's memory — and it is this combination that closes the loopholes:
"Starting with this patch, you will only be able to access replays of matches you played in. Other players will no longer be able to download your replays, and third-party apps and sites will lose access to downloads entirely. We're making this change, alongside some restrictions on third-party access to game memory, to close security vulnerabilities that have recently been exploited by cheat developers and other bad actors to build unauthorized tools around League match data."
— "Private Replays" section, patch 26.20 notes
The part about memory is already in effect. In a support article, Riot said it would start blocking unknown third-party apps' access to game memory by default starting October 6. According to esports.gg, the company also cited automated match data collection among the problems it wants to close, and Riot's head of anti-cheat, Phillip Koskinas, publicly confirmed that replays do not go through Vanguard — meaning the game's anti-cheat is not the source of the loophole.
What is still open
What Riot promised and has not detailed yet is the solution for creators and coaches. The company only said it wants something working before turning on the restriction, without explaining what it would be. Part of the community speculates about a manual access system, in which creators in the partner program and registered coaches would keep some level of access, but the idea has not been confirmed by Riot.
There is also the calendar. Riot warns on its patch page that dates can change at any time, and 26.21 does not come with the restriction alone: it is the balance patch of the moment, with a list of adjustments aimed at champions penalized by pro play. The dates marked are October 21 for 26.21 and November 4 for 26.22.
How to save the replays you care about
The restriction is not the only deadline on the way. Riot explains in its support center that a replay lasts one patch cycle and stops opening when the client updates — the client also keeps only the last 20 matches. In practice, any replay of a game played on patch 26.20 stops working on October 21, rule change or not. To avoid losing what matters, the path is to record it on video first:
- Open match history — yours or a friend's — and download the replay with the download button; the file is the .rofl;
- Before recording, adjust the quality in the replay settings: highlights are recorded at 720p by default;
- Inside the replay, use Ctrl + V to start and stop recording a highlight; replay mode shortcuts let you switch the camera between champions;
- The videos come out as .webm and go to the Highlights folder in Documents — the client itself shows the path when you confirm the capture, and the full list appears on your profile;
- Do this before October 21, when the client updates to 26.21 and old replays expire.
For those who follow competitive play, the discussion is closely relevant: much of the coverage and analysis of the scene depends on access to other people's matches. It is worth following the esports category to track the fallout until 26.21 and the games one for the other League of Legends changes. And if the idea is to climb the ranks by reviewing your own matches — the feature that still works —, check out the best champions for each rank. Meanwhile, Riot is also working on a completely new client for the game in 2026.
The original reporting on the restriction is from PCGamesN, on October 7. The delay was reported by Dot Esports and by esports.gg, and the full patch 26.20 notes are on the game's official website.
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