League of Legends Patch 26.20 Makes Replays Private Ahead of Worlds

League of Legends Patch 26.20 is live, and its biggest change isn’t a champion nerf or a Worlds meta tweak. Riot Games has made replays private, meaning players can now only download and watch replays from matches they personally played in.

That also cuts off replay downloads for third-party apps and websites. Riot says the move is meant to close security gaps that cheat developers and other bad actors have been using to build unauthorized tools around League match data. Players can still review their own games through the League client, but they can no longer pull replays from friends, high-ranked players, or pro accounts unless they were in the match.

The change is already a sore spot for parts of the community, especially coaches, analysts, and video creators who used public replay access for educational content or breakdowns of high-level play. Riot is pairing the replay restriction with new limits on third-party access to game memory.

Patch 26.20 is also the Worlds patch, so it includes a round of pro-focused balance changes. Ambessa, Ashe, Cassiopeia, K’Sante, and Yunara are among the champions getting nerfed, while Kennen, Kindred, Lillia, Lucian, Mordekaiser, Smolder, Swain, Tahm Kench, and Vayne are getting buffs.

Items are getting some attention too. Hextech Rocketbelt is being adjusted so it functions less like a buyable Flash and more like an engage tool. Experimental Hexplate is weaker on ranged champions, Runaan’s Hurricane is being toned down slightly, and several item counters are now hidden on the scoreboard.

League Classic is adding original-version Aatrox, Caitlyn, Irelia, Karma, and Quinn with Valor. Classic balance changes hit Fiora, Graves, and Fizz, while Kennen and Nautilus get buffs. ARAM: Mayhem also gets champion-specific buffs and augment usability changes. New HEARTSTEEL Live My Life skins and Prestige Classic Baron Kog’Maw arrive October 7.

Further reading: Official League of Legends Patch 26.20 notes