Developers Riot Games is officially jumping on the card games bandwagon withRiftbound: League of Legends TCG, and there are plenty of reasons to be excited.
After a mixed experience withLegends of Runeterra, players can have a physical experience withRiftbound. With over 300 cards already planned for the upcoming launch, let’s take a look at all the vital information. UnlikeRuneterra, the physical card game could well become Riot’s means to trump Nintendo andPokemon.
Riftbound: League of Legends TCG is set for a 2025 debut
Riot Games hasn’t revealed an exact release date, but the game is scheduled for later this year. Based on the initial plans, the game will be available inOctoberafter an early launch in China. Sequential releases will follow this in the US and other English-speaking nations.
The launch will be celebrated with the release ofRiftbound: Origins, which is the inaugural set. The Origins set will have over 300 cards and feature popular champions like Jinx, Lux, Yasuo, and Lee Sin, among others. The set will feature original card art inspired by community feedback, and players will have to rely largely on booster packs to build their collections.
Riftbound: League of Legends TCG will have something for all
Despite being a tabletop adventure,Riftboundwill have different game modes available for the players. The core game will feature different multiplayer formats, ranging between 1v1 and 2v2 contests. For something more extreme, a free-for-all mode is also planned.
While Origins will be centered around booster packs, players can enjoyChampion Decks. These decks will have 56 cards, including units, legends, champions, and more.Riftbound: Proving Groundsis set to provide a custom experience for those looking to learn the game.
Proving Groundswill be a boxed set designed for play between 2-4 players. Players can choose to start their adventures with the Proving Grounds set and then power up their decks with the help of Booster Packs. These packs will feature 14 cards of various rarities and types.
Players in China will get the first shot at playingRiftbound, and it’s going to happen as early as summer this year. The rollout in English-speaking countries is expected to conclude in 2026 after beginning in the last few months of 2025.
Riot Games is hyped about Riftbound’s potential success
Any new launch is always a matter of excitement, and here’s what Chengran Chai, Executive Producer, said about the upcoming product.
“We’ve been incredibly humbled by the excitement and interest from players around the world who can’t wait to playRiftbound. We’re grateful to the growing Riftbound community and the TCG players who’ve jumped in early to share their feedback including the call for more original art and refined UI. That feedback encouraged us to level up the game experience by revisiting some of our design decisions and conducting more playtests to ensure that we’re delivering a game that players will love.”
Dave Guskin, Riot Games’ Game Director, explained how the developers fell in love with the game.
“We fell in love with the nameRiftboundas it evokes Summoner’s Rift, captures a sense of playful action that we see in the game, and it’s extremely catchy and concise. As we moved to finalizing the name, we discovered that an indie studio in Australia, Barrel Smash Studios, had already released a game under the same title. They generously took the time to meet with us to hear our game vision, listened to why we loved the name ofRiftboundso much, and agreed to transition theRiftboundname to us. We look forward to bringingRiftboundinto the TCG andLeague of Legendscommunity by getting decks into the hands of players later this year.”
Taking onPokemon TCGwill not be an easy task, given what Nintendo has managed to do over the last few decades. But the upcoming launch from Riot Games will be no pushover given the popularity ofLeague of Legends. It also falls in line with the gradual streamlining of theLoLuniverse outside the realm of video games.
