League of Legends Is Finally Adding a Feature Players Have Wanted for 17 Years

Riot Games confirmed that League of Legends will finally receive team voice chat as an in-game feature nearly 17 years into the game's lifespan. As one of the most popular free-to-play titles available, League of Legends continues to see millions of daily active players log in from around the world.

Over the years, Riot Games has added various features to keep League of Legends players engaged with the long-running MOBA title. Earlier this summer, Riot introduced League of Legends Classic, based primarily on the game's third season from 2013. As for the modern version of League of Legends, Riot revealed that upcoming Season 3, Act 2 would be music-themed. More details about what this means for League players will be revealed on Wednesday, September 9.

League of Legends Will Soon Get Team Voice Chat

Alongside the existing voice chat feature for pre-made squads, League of Legends players will soon have a new way to communicate with their teammates. Riot Games revealed that, starting in Patch 26.20, team voice chat will be available for players to use as a way to coordinate and strategize with team members. League of Legends developers Paul "Pabro" Bellezza and Andre "Meddler" Van Roon stated that access to team voice chat will be available for players at Honor level 3 and higher. Additionally, the feature will begin its rollout in North America and Oceania before expanding to regions like South Korea, Brazil, and Latin America. Although other voice chat programs like Discord still see regular use in games, the upcoming team voice chat option for League of Legends can be useful for players who want to save resources on their PCs while playing with random teammates.

Riot Games stated that features like improved noise cancellation, improved stability, and faster connection options will be available for players to try out in Patch 26.20. Additionally, League of Legends players will have access to voice skins as cosmetic modifiers for all in-game voice chats. Given that League of Legends has already implemented parental controls that allow parents to restrict and monitor what their children can do, the upcoming team voice chat feature will be subject to these controls. On the League of Legends subreddit, users weighed the pros and cons of team voice chat. While some League players expressed hesitation over team voice chat, others pondered over how Riot Games could moderate and punish bad actors.

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The developers also discussed some additional champions arriving in League of Legends Classic in the coming weeks. Players looking to play as Champions outside the popular ADC role are in luck. Characters such as Poppy, Galio, and Shyvana will arrive with Patch 26.18 on September 10. Time will tell how their presence will shake up the competitive metagame of League Classic. Some Bilgewater characters, including Graves, will arrive in League Classic at a later date.

League of Legends' 26.20 update, which will include team voice chat, is currently scheduled to launch on Wednesday, October 7, one week before the start of the 2026 League of Legends World Championships. Considering both the risks and usefulness of in-game voice chat features, it remains to be seen how many League players will utilize it.

League of Legends

MOBA Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 84/100 Critics Rec: 90% Released October 27, 2009 ESRB T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco Developer(s) Riot Games Publisher(s) Riot Games

Genre(s) MOBA 0:00 / 0:00