There have been more League of Legends game modes than most players may think. This is mainly due to the game being out for so long. When looking back at all of the different modes, it is hard to see why some are not permanent. While others, it is pretty obvious why they are rarely seen or are completely gone. With that, here is a ranking of all League of Legends Game modes to date.
Before diving too deep, here is a list of every League of Legends Game Mode. This list will not include Teamfight Tactics as it is essentially its own game and not really related to League of Legends gameplay-wise like Legends of Runeterra is not.
Note*: This will not include Summoners Rift as it is the most popular and main game mode.
These are the 20 different game modes that will be ranked.
Assassins everywhere. There were just a few OP champions in this one and it was an interesting concept that felt like it was not fully fleshed out.
The idea behind this mode was to make minions stronger. While that isn’t terrible and entire games have been made with this concept in mind, it was not necessarily a successful one.
This game was one of the few that were created to celebrate a major skin line. The Project skins are awesome, this game was just average.
Dominion was not very popular so they tried to add Ascension to get more people to play the game mode and map. It was not a terrible game mode but Dominion itself it remembered more fondly.
Thresh players loved this game mode. Everyone else enjoyed a game or two of it and then it got a little old.
Picking the opponent’s champions was an interesting idea, at least initially. Then people started to make things a bit fun and ultimately very difficult with their champion choices. Conceptually this worked, but in reality, it was much less fun after a few games.
Maybe this is more of a personal favorite, but attack and defend modes go hard. Defending the base was a little too easy in this mode sadly. With proper balancing and some additional ways for the attackers to find their way into the base, this could be an interesting mode to revisit.
There was a time when the devs clearly wanted to see if 6v6 League of Legends would work. It brought about plenty of new strategies and ultimately was interesting but it could not overtake the classic 5v5 variation that everyone knows and loves.
Star Guardians were instantly one of the most popular skin lines of all time. Having an enjoyable game mode on an interesting map that was PvE felt like a no-brainer. While other modes were and have been similar, this was a solid version.
This is mostly just an ARAM with the addition of a massive Poro that can breathe fire. But this is a fun game mode where hitting poros actually matters and where that fire-breathing Poro King will do some serious damage.
Who doesn’t love fighting off waves and then a giant Demon Teemo? While not overly complicated survival modes in League of Legends could certainly find their way back in the rotation as players look for more ways to play League of Legends again/
This mode was taken away because there were not enough players to allow it to be a permanent game mode anymore. Even still, it was an enjoyable game mode where players could capture spires and fight over controlling these areas. Almost like king of the hill or capture modes in many other games. It feels like it deserves a new life and many hope with new game modes being added that Dominion may find its way back to the client one day.
1 v 1 at Baron Pit? This was just that. For a short time, literally 15 days, players could 1v1 or 2v2 people on the ARAM map. This is still shown to a certain degree in custom modes where people will 1v1 but it is not the same as having it as an official game mode.
Another easily implemented but fun game that has been in rotation on and off. Seeing everyone vote on a champion and then dancing in the mid lane before throwing Ziggs ults all over the map will always bring a smile to players’ faces.
While short, this was clearly one of the better skin game modes added to the game. It saw players working together to fight against Kayn as the big bad boss. It was tough but certainly enjoyable and added to an already fun universe for the Odyssey skins.
Another fan-favorite mode that has been in rotation for some time, Ultimate Spellbook similar to URF is more focused on abilities. This time though, it allows for champions to use the ultimate ability of another champion along with their own. This has created some incredible moments in-game and given a glimpse as to what could be with certain champion and ultimate combinations.
Ultra Rapid Fire, also more affectionately known as URF, is one of the most popular modes of all time. It brings such an intensity due to the goal being to spam abilities as often as possible. It makes for very fun skirmishes and team fights. It would be higher on this list if it was more than just ability spamming but being in the top five is nothing to scoff at.
The release of 2v2v2v2 was a pleasant surprise. It showed that the League of Legends developers were listening. Game modes felt forgotten about until this release and it delivered. There are plenty of issues and balancing to be done, but it is clear that it should be one of the game modes in line to become permanent.
Yes, this is a full game mode available that so many people play every day. Does it deserve the top spot? Maybe. But because it is always available the luster just isn’t there like the current number one on this list. That being said, there is no doubt that this is a fan-favorite game mode and it became a permanent mode for a reason.
Even though the devs continue to work on the game, keeping it out of players’ hands, this game continues to be a game mode darling. Maybe it is the fact that it has been taken for so long but the game is extremely fun. It brings every aspect of the main game, adds mini-games and is a quick experience. Overall it is a blast and regardless of its popularity, it earns the top spot on its own merits.
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