Microsoft and Riot Games have a new partnership in the works, bringing more perks to all Xbox Game Pass members. The gaming subscription service will fast-track progress across the firm’s entire games catalog, including League of Legends, Valorant, and Teamfight Tactics. The deal can save players thousands of dollars, or hours of playtime, for no extra cost.
Rewards for Game Pass members include full character rosters, content packs, and XP boosts, all set to arrive this winter. These bonuses join the growing list of perks bundled in the service, starting from just $10 per month. Here’s what we know about the Xbox and Riot Games partnership, what it means, and the available benefits.
Riot Games is joining Xbox Game Pass
Riot Games made a surprise appearance at Microsoft’s Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase in June, kicking off the show with one of the biggest Game Pass partnerships to date. The publisher’s entire catalog “joins” the service this winter, with the associated benefits first available on PC and mobile. Every Riot Games title to date is free-to-play, so Xbox Game Pass brings thousands of dollars of premium content, for zero extra cost, instead.
Game Pass subscribers unlock various in-game rewards upon linking their account, including all champions in League of Legends and all agents in Valorant. League of Legends: Wild Rift, Teamfight Tactics, and Legends of Runeterra players all have similar perks, applicable across their respective PC and mobile versions. These are just some of the growing list of Xbox Game Pass perks right now.
Riot Games & Game Pass list of rewards
Riot Games announced its Game Pass partnership earlier this spring, detailing which titles will be included in the deal, and all planned benefits. The deal spans the complete Riot Games catalog, with generous rewards totaling thousands of dollars if otherwise purchased through traditional avenues.
Benefits for League of Legends, Wild Rift, and Valorant are relatively straightforward, with unlimited access to all champions and agents. That totals hundreds of characters among the games, making this a lucrative entry point into Riot’s most popular titles. With day-one access to future additions to the roster and XP bonuses, it could make Game Pass the ideal subscription for avid Riot Games fans.
While you don’t get all the unlocks in Legends of Runterra, subscribers receive the “Foundation Set,” featuring 318 cards with 24 champions from the game’s original launch. Details on Teamfight Tactics remain a little hazier, with Riot promising “select” Little Legends as of the announcement.
- League of Legends: Unlock all 160+ champions, day-one access to future champions
- Valorant: Unlock all 18 agents, day-one access to future agents
- League of Legends: Wild Rift: Unlock all 80+ champions, day-one access to future champions
- Teamfight Tactics: Unlock “select” Little Legends, specifics to be announced
- Legends of Runeterra: Unlock Foundations Set, includes 318 cards with 24 champions from launch
How to claim Riot Games rewards via Game Pass
While Microsoft and Riot Games haven’t detailed exactly how Game Pass subscribers can claim in-game benefits, we already have a rough understanding of how the partnership will function once it launches.
Riot Games will allow active Game Pass subscribers to link their accounts this winter, with rewards automatically unlocked across all titles. The approach will incentivize new players to try Riot Games titles (likely a huge driver behind the Game Pass deal) while allowing existing players to link their accounts and receive all the benefits.
Champions, agents, and Game Pass perks like XP bonuses will be tied to an active subscription, according to senior director of corporate communications at Riot Games, Joe Hixson. That means if you cancel, all benefits will be revoked. This prevents players from making a single, one-time payment, reaping the rewards, and canceling their Game Pass membership before the next month.
Riot Games also plans to allow Xbox Game Pass subscribers to progress while they play, meaning earned rewards are permanently unlocked, should you decide the service isn’t for you.
When do League of Legends, Valorant, and other Riot Games join Xbox Game Pass?
Riot Games has stated it expects to bring its titles to Xbox Game Pass sometime “this winter,” likely suggestive of an early 2023 rollout. The partnership was first announced on-stage during the June 2022 Xbox showcase, promising more details to follow over the coming months. While we don’t have a firm date, expect more information from the duo later this year.
Are League of Legends and Valorant coming to Xbox consoles?
Maybe. Microsoft’s current collaboration with Riot Games centers around existing PC and mobile versions of its titles, with no official word on an Xbox release. But the latest Game Pass deal leaves Riot Games well positioned to expand into the console space, joining the trail of evidence hinting at potential console plans.
Expanding to Xbox, PlayStation, or other consoles would bring existing Riot Games titles to millions of untapped players. Top contenders include two of its latest releases from 2020, League of Legends: Wild Rift and Valorant. While the current Game Pass deal helps expand Microsoft’s PC and mobile offerings, Xbox versions could be a natural step forward.
Wild Rift launched on mobile as an accessible spin on the League of Legends MOBA experience, with its lightweight approach cutting the complexities of the legacy title. Valorant, the publisher’s debut into tactical shooters, has also become an esports hit, making a console version a natural next step.
Riot Games hasn’t announced console release dates for any of its titles, and we’re not expecting more news in the short term. With the Game Pass deal expected to roll out this winter, don’t expect more news until 2023, at the earliest.
