League of Legends Winter Map 2026: Patch 26.23 Release Date

The League of Legends winter map (Winter Rift) returns to Summoner's Rift with patch 26.23 on November 18, 2026, and it is live on the PBE (Public Beta Environment) right now. The snow map has been on the PBE since the patch 26.23 cycle started on November 3, 2026, and as of November 5, 2026, the PBE still has no setting to turn it off. Riot has not published a patch preview or patch notes for 26.23 yet.

If you want a skin that matches the snow before patch day, our Winter Wonder skins page tracks the full holiday line, and Frostblade Irelia is in the store year-round for 975 RP. No Ancient Sparks, no waiting for a December vault sale. We will update this guide when the patch 26.23 notes land and when the map goes live on November 18.

League of Legends winter map 2026 at a glance#

Detail	2026 Winter Rift
Official names	Winter Rift, Winter's Rift (Riot's 25.23 patch notes)
Map	Summoner's Rift
On the PBE	November 3, 2026 (checked on our PBE client November 3 to 5, 2026)
Live release date	Patch 26.23, November 18, 2026
Final 2026 patch	Patch 26.24, December 9, 2026
Expected end date	First patch of January 2027 (dates not published yet)
2025 dates	Patch 25.23 (November 19, 2025) to patch 26.01 (January 8, 2026)
Setting to turn it off	None on the PBE as of November 5, 2026
2026 winter skins	None announced or on the PBE as of November 5, 2026

When does the League of Legends winter map come out in 2026?#

The winter Summoner's Rift goes live with patch 26.23 on November 18, 2026, according to Riot's patch schedule. Last year, the snow map returned in patch 25.23 on November 19, 2025 (November 18 in some regions) alongside the champion Zaahen.

Riot has not posted a standalone announcement or patch preview for the 2026 return yet, and public datamine trackers had not listed the map as of November 5. We checked it ourselves on the PBE during the 26.23 cycle.

Patch 26.23 also brings a few datamined cosmetics that are already on the PBE. DJ Sona Ultimate Remix arrives as a Mythic Variant in the Sanctum, alongside Cafe Cuties Neeko and Cafe Cuties Zoe at 1350 RP each in the Cafe Cuties line.

How to get the winter map in League of Legends#

On live servers, the winter map replaces the normal Summoner's Rift automatically from November 18, 2026. In 2025 it applied to every Summoner's Rift game we played, ranked included, so there is no opt-in step and no escaping it in Solo/Duo.

Before November 18, only players with a PBE account can play on the winter map. Outside the seasonal event there is no official way to enable it, and third-party map mods modify game files, which Riot's terms of service do not allow.

How to turn off the winter map in League of Legends#

As of November 5, 2026, there is no setting to turn off the winter map in League of Legends. When we checked the settings on our PBE client, Riot had not added a seasonal map toggle that reverts the ground to standard Summoner's Rift. Riot's 2025 patch notes for the winter map mention no toggle either. Riot could still add an option before November 18, and we will update this section on patch day if the live build changes.

The missing toggle drove complaints on r/leagueoflegends when the Christmas map came back in 2025. Players in those threads reported that the white snow floor was too bright and that bushes and spell effects were harder to see. Queueing into an icy lane at midnight felt a bit like staring into a flashbang. One Reddit player asked "when will this abomination be gone". A reply in the same thread said the map was so bright that they made a monitor profile for it. Colorblind players have complained about the snow map since at least 2017. Others loved the map, and the 2025 reveal threads were celebratory.

What you can do if the snow map hurts your eyes#

Because there is no official off switch, you have to work around the brightness through your display and client settings.

1. Try the Colorblind Mode option in League's in-game settings. Turn it on and see if it helps you on snow.
2. Lower your monitor brightness during the event. Dropping your display brightness takes the sharpest glare off the snow floor.
3. Apply a darker monitor or GPU color profile. One Reddit player made a monitor profile during the 2025 event to cope with the brightness.

We do not recommend third-party custom map mods that replace the winter terrain with standard Summoner's Rift. Those tools modify game files, which Riot's terms of service do not allow.

What is on the Winter Rift map?#

Riot has not published the patch 26.23 notes yet, so it has not listed whether anything on the map changed compared with 2025. We will update this section once the official patch notes go up.

For last year's return, which Riot's 25.23 patch notes called "Winter's Rift" and the League of Legends Wiki documents as "Return of the Winter Rift (Updated)", Riot rebuilt the map to work across every Elemental Rift dragon transformation and packed the lanes and jungle with holiday details:

• Terrain and weather. Snow covers the lanes and jungle, snowflakes fall across the screen, the river is frozen over, and wrapped presents and Poros sit around the map.
• Baron Nashor. Baron wears a Santa hat, earmuffs and mittens. Riot's 25.23 patch notes pointed out that "we even put little hats and mitts on Baron." Getting aced at the pit hurts a little less when the boss monster has mittens on.
• Rift Herald and Voidgrubs. Rift Herald wears green ribbons, a red nose, fake antlers and sleigh bells. The Voidgrubs are dressed as elves, and the Voidmites as presents.
• Nexus and minions. Each base has a snow-globe Nexus circled by a toy Poro train, and lane minions march out in winter coats.

When does the 2026 winter map end?#

Riot has not announced an end date for the 2026 Winter Rift yet. Based on last year's schedule, expect the winter map to stay live through December and turn off with the first patch of January 2027. That gives the snow plenty of time to stick around through New Year's queues.

After patch 26.23 on November 18, only one patch remains on Riot's 2026 schedule, which is patch 26.24 on December 9, 2026. Riot has not published its 2027 patch dates yet, though the 2027 season starts with the first patch of January. Last winter's map stayed active through the holidays and switched off when patch 26.01 launched on January 8, 2026 with the Demacia-themed Rift. Reddit players reported it was gone on January 9.

There is also a chance that this is one of the last winters on the current Summoner's Rift. In its "TL;DW For Demacia" developer update, Riot said it is working on long-term updates that include "a revamped Summoner's Rift". Riot has not given a date for the new Rift or said whether it will get a winter version.

League of Legends winter skins and what is available in 2026#

As of November 5, 2026, Riot has not announced any new 2026 winter skins, and none are on the PBE in the patch 26.23 cycle. That matches last year's rollout. In 2025, the winter map launched in patch 25.23 on November 19, and the holiday skins followed one patch later in patch 25.24 on December 3, 2025. That batch brought Prestige Winterblessed Mel, Winter Wonder Zeri (1820 RP, Legendary), Winter Wonder Milio (1350 RP) and Reindeer Smolder (1350 RP). If Riot follows last year's schedule, any new 2026 winter skins would land in patch 26.24 on December 9, 2026, though that is only a guess based on 2025 timing.

In the 25.23 patch notes last year, Riot also put its retired holiday skins back in the store and said they "will remain available until the Winter Rift turns off early next year." Riot has not said whether it will repeat that legacy skin vault sale for the 2026 run.

Four winter skin lines live in our catalog if you want to dress for the map:

• Winter Wonder (15 skins). Set in the magical Winterlands where the Poro King reigns supreme, this line mixes older vault skins with year-round store picks. Frostblade Irelia (released April 30, 2012, with splash art by Viktor Titov and Grafit Studio) and Frostfire Annie (released in 2011) both cost 975 RP and stay in the shop all year, and Irelia's skin lore casts her as an ice sprite hoping to serve in the Poro King's court. Last December's additions, Winter Wonder Zeri and Winter Wonder Milio, are also available in the store. The rest of the line, including Snowstorm Sivir, Winter Wonder Lulu, Winter Wonder Orianna, Poro Rider Sejuani, Winter Wonder Karma, Snow Fawn Poppy, Winter Wonder Neeko, Snow Man Yi, Winter Wonder Soraka, Ice King Twitch and Frozen Prince Mundo, is mostly legacy.
• Winterblessed (17 skins). Riot's newer winter line, which includes Prestige editions for Camille, Warwick and Prestige Winterblessed Mel.
• Snow Day (7 skins). Cold-weather skins for Bard, Gnar, Graves, Malzahar, Singed, Syndra and Ziggs.
• Snowdown Showdown (20 skins). Classic Christmas and holiday costumes dating back to 2009, including Santa Braum, Santa Draven, Ambitious Elf Jinx, Snowmerdinger and Reindeer Smolder.

History of the League of Legends winter map#

The winter Summoner's Rift left for multiple years and came back twice over League's life, first in 2016 and again in 2025.

Years	Status	Notes
2009 to 2011	Active	The original Snowdown winter Rift launched in 2009 and returned for Snowdown 2010 and 2011.
2013 to 2015	Absent	Snowdown ran without a winter map.
2016 to 2018	Active	The updated winter Rift hit the PBE on November 16, 2016, went live in patch 6.24 on December 7, 2016, and returned in 2017 and 2018 (December 6, 2018 to January 7, 2019).
2019 to 2024	Absent	Riot said elemental drakes made a winter version impractical.
2025	Active	Rebuilt for every Elemental Rift in patch 25.23 (November 19, 2025 to January 8, 2026), seven years after the 2018 map.
2026	Active	On the PBE since November 3, 2026. Goes live in patch 26.23 on November 18, 2026.

When Riot rebuilt the map for the 2016 return, clarity on the white floor was already a priority. Riot Aeon wrote at the time (via Surrender at 20), "When developing the map we wanted to deliver the mood and atmosphere of Summoner's Rift during the winter holidays, while maintaining as much gameplay clarity as possible." Riot also said it updated a number of ability effects so they stay visible on snow.

That 2016 version made its last appearance in the 2018 Snowdown, which ran from December 6, 2018 to January 7, 2019. The 2019 Elemental Rift update changes the map's terrain by drake element, and Riot said a winter Summoner's Rift was not possible after elemental drakes arrived (Esports Insider, October 17, 2025).

Players kept asking for the snow map anyway, and it returned in 2025 after seven years without it. Riot revealed the return on October 17, 2025 in a video, where executive producer Paul "Pabro" Belleza said, "Winter Map is coming back everyone." GamesRadar reported that Riot said its "tech and tools need some work", and that the map came back "because you really asked for it". Riot has not said whether the 2026 map differs from the 2025 rebuild.

Sources#

• Heimerdinger.lol PBE client check, patch 26.23 cycle, November 3 to 5, 2026.
• Riot Games Player Support, "Patch Schedule", checked November 5, 2026.
• Riot Games, Patch 25.23 Notes, November 18, 2025, and Patch 25.24 Notes, December 2025.
• Riot Games, TL;DW For Demacia Dev Update.
• League of Legends Wiki, Summoner's Rift, V25.23, V6.24 and Snowdown Showdown, checked November 5, 2026.
• GamesRadar, After 7 long snowless years, the League of Legends Winter map is coming back, October 17, 2025.
• Esports Insider, League of Legends Winter Map returns in Patch 25.23, October 17, 2025.
• Surrender at 20, 11/16 PBE Update: Winter's Summoner Rift, November 16, 2016.
• r/leagueoflegends, When will the winter map be finally gone?, December 2025, and The new snowdown map for the colorblind, December 2017.
• Heimerdinger.lol Winter Wonder, Winterblessed, Snow Day and Snowdown Showdown catalog records, checked November 5, 2026.