Riot explain League replays restrictions in new anti-cheat update

Riot Games has restricted access to League of Legends match replays, preventing players from downloading replays of games they did not participate in and removing third-party apps and websites’ access to replay downloads. The change is being introduced with patch 26.20, released on October 6, 2026, as part of a broader effort to address security vulnerabilities exploited by cheat developers and other bad actors.

Under the new rules, players can still download and watch replays of their own matches directly through the League of Legends client. However, other players can no longer download those replays with third-party applications and websites, that lost access to replay downloads entirely, limiting a resource commonly used for gameplay analysis, educational content, and competitive scouting.

In the patch 26.20 notes, Riot explained that the replay restrictions are intended to close security vulnerabilities that had recently been exploited to develop unauthorized tools using LoL game data.

The change accompanies a wider security initiative announced in Riot’s Game Memory Access Removed for Third Party Apps support article. Starting October 6, Riot began preventing these “unknown third-party applications” also from accessing game memory of its other titles, including Teamfight Tactics and VALORANT.

Riot said third-party applications have historically been allowed to read or write game memory for functions such as trackers, overlays, and modifications. However, the company argued that advances in AI-assisted reverse engineering have made it easier for bad actors to develop cheats, operate bot farms, and interfere with players’ experiences.

According to Riot, restricting access at its source is necessary to protect game integrity, with official APIs becoming the only permitted way for third-party applications to retrieve game data.

Riot said the changes will have limited impact on the day-to-day experience of most players. However, applications that rely on direct game-memory access may need to change how they operate.

Existing approved third-party tools have until April 2027 to transition affected features to official APIs, request additional data through approved channels, or discontinue features for which no suitable alternatives exist. Riot has not guaranteed that any specific application will continue to function.

The replay restriction also affects the wider League of Legends community beyond players using third-party apps. Content creators and educational channels that rely on downloading other players’ replays may face limitations when producing gameplay breakdowns, showcasing high-level matches, or explaining champion-specific strategies. Riot's announcement does not establish whether alternative methods will become available for those use cases.

Riot clarified that the security update does not automatically result in bans for players who use third-party applications. Instead, the changes block unauthorized tools from interacting with the game client.