Riot Games has released its first State of the Game update for Riftbound, the League of Legends trading card game, detailing expansions in competitive play, new card sets, previews, and language support for the year ahead. The announcements aim to build on player feedback and grow the game's community worldwide. Key highlights include regional qualifiers across multiple continents and synchronized global releases for upcoming sets.
Riot Games' update, published on February 4, 2026, provides a comprehensive look at Riftbound's development and plans. The game, which launched recently, is entering an expansive phase with organized play scaling up significantly. Regional qualifiers are scheduled throughout the year, from February to late September, in cities including Lille, Atlanta, Sydney, Vancouver, Barcelona, Singapore, and Los Angeles. These events will feed into higher-level competitions such as the 2026 China Minor and Major tournaments, as well as the North America and EMEA Regional Championships.
On the card side, two new sets are confirmed. The fourth set, Riftbound: Vendetta, launches globally on July 31, marking the first synchronized release in English and Simplified Chinese. It introduces enemy faction pairings, a new mechanic expected to deepen strategic options. Following in October 23, the fifth set, Riftbound: Radiance, will add popular champions Ekko—from the Arcane series—and Seraphine to the roster.
Preview seasons will allow players early access to content: Riftbound: Unleashed begins March 16, Vendetta follows in summer, and Radiance in fall. Language support expands with French cards arriving mid-year and Traditional Chinese later in 2026. Additionally, Riot confirmed a reprint of the introductory Proving Grounds product, addressing high demand for its unique competitive cards. The company noted this as a lesson learned, stating future starter sets will avoid including such cards to prevent scarcity issues.
Riot emphasized minimal early intervention in the competitive meta to allow the game to mature, avoiding power-level changes or restrictions. The update reflects lessons from launch and player input, with Riftbound: Spiritforged set for English release on February 13. These steps signal Riot's commitment to evolving the trading card game alongside its League of Legends ecosystem.
