Players eager to get their hands on Riftbound: League of Legends TCG cards won’t have long to wait. Formerly known as Project K, Riftbound’s first set “Origins” launches in two major waves starting this year.
The game is set to arrive in China in the summer of 2025, around August. Then it will be releasing in the USA, Canada, Australia, UK, and some European countries in October 2025.
Many suppliers in the West are expecting stock to be delivered from suppliers to stores by Friday the 31st of October, so this is a likely date. So far the only official word is October, with no specific date.
What Countries/Languages Will Riftbound Be Released In?
Chinese cards will be in simplified Chinese, and Western regions are English only for now. In a “phased global launch”, there will be further rollouts to different regions in 2026 and onwards.
Will Regions Get Sets At The Same Time?
As China will be 2 to 3 months ahead initially, they’ll be getting sets ahead of the West for the time being. However, the team have said they want to make release times line up between the East and West by slowing down China’s set releases for us to catch up.
That’ll be helpful for many reasons. Initially, you’ll find the meta comes to the West almost pre-formed, as keen players watch results from China. Then, when the Regional and World Championships start to take place, it’ll be important that both regions use the same set.
What Products Are Being Released?
At launch, there are just a few different products. The easiest way to jump in is with the Riftbound: Proving Grounds box set, designed as an entry point for 2-4 beginners. It comes with four ready-to-play decks, with playmats, with a learn to play rules booklet.
As the game can be played 1v1, 2v2, or as a free-for-all, you don’t need all four players to learn or enjoy the game. The Proving Grounds Box Set makes for pretty good value if you can split it with others, or functions as a “bring-along” box for game nights.
There are also three pre-constructed 56-card decks for players to pick up and play, featuring characters Jinx, Viktor, or Lee Sin. You don’t need any experience, as they come with a rules booklet, plus a paper deckbox and playmat for you to start playing immediately.
Each includes a booster pack of Origins to start your collection, just choose your favorite character and get going. Getting one of these is a good budget way to start the game, and will be used for release events.
If you want to kickstart a collection properly, you can pick up a full booster box of 24 packs to crack. You can also get individual sleeved booster packs, with one of three designs on the packaging. All booster packs contain 14 cards.
Where Can I Buy Riftbound?
The game will be available in local game stores and larger retailers wherever the game is released, as well as online. You can get your Riftbound pre-orders in now, but actual release dates may vary.
When a brand new TCG releases, it can be hard to find locally, as not all stores will pick it up. It’s worth pre-ordering locally to make sure you get it for release.
Are There Demo Events?
Before the official launch, players can try the game through trial deck demos. There are also demo events planned for the LoL 2025 Mid-Season Invitational from July 27th and GenCon from July 31st. Some local stores and other conventions may have similar learn-to-play events.
Who Makes Riftbound?
Riot Games is the creator of the game, basing it on much of the League of Legends lore, characters, and battle systems. They already have experience designing TCGs with the digital game Legends of Runeterra, but this is the first physical TCG they’ve made.
Some of the game designers include Frank Skarren, (previously worked on Legends of Runeterra) Aaron Barich (previously worked on Disney Lorcana and Legends of Runeterra), and David Smith (previously worked on Legends of Runeterra). Notice a pattern?
UVS Games will be the official publishing and distribution partner. They produce the UniVersus card game, which is a TCG with a set of rules shared across various franchises, as well as distribution for other games.
