After seven snowless years, the League of Legends (LoL) Winter Map is finally returning to Summoner’s Rift. If you remember the old Snowdown vibe, this release will feel like a cozy homecoming—and if you never got to experience a winter-themed Rift, it’s a seasonal facelift rather than a new map.

What follows is an up-to-date explanation of the new Winter Map, its release date with Patch 25.23, and how to access it in League of Legends. We’ll also cover some settings to help you adapt to the refreshed Summoner’s Rift.

What Is The League of Legends Winter Map?

LoL’s Winter Map is a festive visual theme applied to the existing main map, Summoner’s Rift. Think of snow-dusted ground, a colder visual theme, and seasonal props that dress the map without changing its layout.

The core pathing and objectives stay exactly the same—only the aesthetics change, not the underlying rules. The last time the Winter Map was part of the game was way back in 2018, which is why this year’s return resonates so strongly with long-time League of Legends players.

Why Is The LoL Winter Map Returning In 2025?

Riot focused on what the community wanted when it revealed the Winter Map.

In the official announcement, League of Legends’ executive producer, Paul “Pabro” Belleza, joked about hemispheres and old tooling before landing the line: “Because you really asked for it, we’re just going to do it anyway. Winter map is coming back, everyone.”

LoL Winter Map Release Date And Patch Timeline

Riot’s official announcement states that the LoL Winter Map will arrive in Patch 25.23. This means that players can expect the updated Summoner’s Rift to arrive around November 19, 2025, which matches Riot’s usual cadence leading into the holiday season.

However, there’s a slight chance the developers push the new LoL map release date by a couple of days. After releasing a new update, Riot occasionally delays enabling its bigger features.

How Long Will The Winter Map Stay In League Of Legends?

You can expect League’s Winter Map to run as a limited seasonal theme, not a permanent addition.

Riot Games will confirm the exact start and end window in the Patch 25.23 notes. For context, though, the last time the Winter Map arrived was during the Snowdown event, which ran from December 6, 2018, to January 7, 2019.

What Actually Changes On The LoL Winter Map 2025?

The LoL Winter Map is more of a facelift than a brand-new map. This means you can expect seasonal dressings, including snow effects, winter props, and lighting tuned for colder tones. Riot’s preview footage also depicts the Nexus as a snow globe centerpiece, with a toy train circling it.

In a similar vein to previous LoL Winter maps, Baron will also be dressed in a festive outfit with the iconic Santa hat and mittens. There aren’t any confirmed gameplay changes, as the update mainly focuses on setting the mood and bringing back a sense of nostalgia.

LoL Winter Map: Visual Considerations

Many players have also reported seeing some parts of the game, such as minions and specific skills, having a kind of “glowy” silhouette. These changes are said to make them stand out a bit too much. To address similar visibility issues on the LoL Winter Map, you can adjust a few simple settings.

• Brightness/Gamma: Turn your brightness down a notch if the whites bloom too much and aim for crisp minion outlines and readable projectile visuals.
• Shadows and Effects: Keep shadows and effects enabled, as they help provide depth and visibility on the lighter terrain.
• Colorblind Mode: Test both states, as many players experience better tracking with the altered color schemes on snowy terrain.

How To Access The LoL Winter Map In 2025

The Winter Map will only go live with League of Legends Patch 25.23. Based on past updates, it should appear automatically in eligible queues—so you won’t need to download any additional content. If Riot adds a client toggle option, they’ll mention it in the official 25.23 patch notes.

LoL Winter Map Mods: Riot’s Third-Party Policy

In the seven-year gap, custom skins and other in-game content have kept the LoL Winter Map alive on modded clients. However, these are unofficial alterations, and Riot warns that using any third-party software that interacts with the game or its memory can flag your account and result in penalties.

With the official Winter Map on the way, modding now carries unnecessary risk.

Summoner’s Rift Changelog

For context alongside Winter Summoner’s Rift, here’s a tight look at all major updates that changed how games play.

Year / Patch	Update Summary
2014 (Patch 4.20)	Full visual overhaul of Summoner’s Rift released without increasing system requirements.
Preseason 2017 (Patch 6.22)	Introduced jungle plants: Blast Cone, Scryer’s Bloom, and Honeyfruit.
Preseason 2020 (Patch 9.23)	Elemental Rifts reshaped the map after the second drake; lane alcoves and brush tweaks added new skirmish dynamics.
Preseason 2022 (Patch 11.23)	Debut of Hextech and Chemtech systems.
January 2022 (Patch 12.2)	Chemtech Drake and its terrain were disabled after widespread negative feedback.
Preseason 2023 (Patch 12.22)	Chemtech system was reworked with a new Chemtech Rift, enhancing jungle plants.
Season 2024 (Patch 14.1)	Major map overhaul introduced Voidgrubs and a redesigned Baron pit layout.

FAQs

When is the LoL Winter Map release date?

The League of Legends Winter Map will launch with Patch 25.23. The targeted release window is around November 19, 2025.

What is the League of Legends Winter Map?

The Winter Map is a visual theme for Summoner’s Rift. It features snow, colder lighting, and festive props, without altering the map’s layout or mechanics.

How to install the LoL Winter Map?

You won’t need to install anything manually for the official release. Once LoL Patch 25.23 goes live, the Winter Map will automatically appear in eligible queues.

Are League of Legends Winter Map mods safe to use?

Mostly, yes. Community mods do exist, but Riot does not officially support them. As a result, you use them at your own risk. With the official Winter Rift 2025 shipping in November, the safest and simplest option is to use the official map.

How long will the Summoner’s Rift Winter Map stay live?

The Winter Map is a seasonal update in League of Legends. Riot should confirm its exact duration in the Patch 25.23 notes. For reference, the 2018 Snowdown map remained active for about 32 days.