League of Legends replay download limit is now set at 10 downloads per hour, starting during Patch 26.21 in October 2026. Riot says the cap applies to replay downloading, while the feature still lets you access your own match replays and those belonging to friends or other players. It’s a change aimed at mass downloading, not the removal of League’s replay system.
If you’re reviewing a lot of games, plan which files you need first. Replay files use the .rofl format and become unplayable after a patch change. For clips you want to keep permanently, record them as Highlights in .webm before the next patch.
How many League of Legends replays can you download?
The official League of Legends replay download limit is 10 replay downloads per hour. Riot announced it in the Patch 26.21 notes published October 20, ahead of the October 21 patch. The limit is time-based and intended to stop automated tools downloading thousands of match files while preserving access for regular players and creators.
Riot hasn’t specified whether the allowance resets on the hour or on a rolling timer. If you hit the cap, take a break before downloading more rather than repeatedly attempting the same request.
You can still download your own replays and the eligible replays of friends or other players. The change does not say that League now has a personal-replays-only policy. Riot’s replay support guide also confirms that ranked replays from friends can be accessed through their Match History.
Where is the League replay download button?
According to Riot’s official replay guide, there are two normal ways to download a match replay. Immediately after a game, open the End of Game screen and look for the download control near Advanced Details in the upper-right corner. Alternatively, open your Match History in the League client and use the replay download control beside an eligible match.
After the file downloads, the replay button changes to Watch Replay. Select it to launch the match recording. League replay files use the .rofl format. They are not ordinary video files that you can simply upload to a video platform or open as an MP4.
If you need footage from a whole practice session, download the important matches first. You can then record shorter Highlights of the moments you’re analysing without needing to save every available replay.
Why can’t I download more League replays?
Reaching ten downloads in an hour is one possible reason. Riot introduced the restriction specifically to reduce large-scale replay scraping by third-party applications. If you’re requesting a large batch of matches and the downloads suddenly stop, the new cap is the first rule to check.
There are other normal restrictions too. Riot’s replay FAQ says the League client makes only the last 20 games available in its Match History replay interface. It also says replay playback expires with the patch cycle. A missing match or a replay from a previous patch may therefore be unavailable for reasons unrelated to the hourly limit.
If you’ve downloaded ten replays within the past hour, wait before trying another current-patch match. If the match isn’t in your recent history or was played on a previous patch, the problem is separate from the hourly limit.
League of Legends Replay Download Limit – Do downloaded replays expire after a patch?
Yes. Riot’s replay support page says a match replay is available for the length of its patch cycle. When the next patch arrives, a replay made on the previous version may no longer be playable. Downloading a .rofl file doesn’t turn it into a permanent, patch-independent recording.
For content creators, there are two things to plan around: the ten downloads per hour allowance and the next game patch. Capture video Highlights of anything you want to keep; the .rofl replay files themselves won’t remain playable indefinitely.
How to save highlights as video instead
League has a built-in Highlights recorder for preserving short parts of a replay. Open a downloaded replay, navigate to the moment you want and start the recording. Riot lists Ctrl + V as the shortcut to begin and end a Highlight recording. The resulting clip is a .webm video file, which is different from the original .rofl replay.
Riot’s FAQ gives the normal Windows Highlight location as Documents\LeagueofLegends\Highlights, and says you can change the replay and highlight save folders under the League client’s Replays settings. The saved video can be played or shared outside the League client, unlike the version-dependent replay file.
Highlights are captured at 720p by default, though Riot says you can adjust the quality before recording. If your goal is a permanent clip of a teamfight rather than an editable League replay camera session, make the Highlight before the patch rolls over.
Does the ten-per-hour rule stop watching replays?
Riot specifically describes the October change as a download limit, not a cap on how many times you can watch a replay you have already downloaded. Once a replay file is downloaded and its Watch Replay button is available, the support FAQ describes playing it through that control. The announcement doesn’t identify a separate ten-views-per-hour restriction.
The League of Legends replay download limit changes how quickly you can collect match files, not how often you can watch one you’ve already downloaded. Save the important matches, make permanent Highlights and use the client to see whether a replay is still available.
For other October changes, visit our League Classic Patch 26.21 guide, Mel’s upcoming 26.22 kit changes and ARAM Mayhem guide. Those cover separate gameplay updates from this replay policy.
Related League of Legends Replay Download Limit Guides
Official sources: Riot’s Patch 26.21 replay download announcement and Riot Games’ replay FAQ and recording instructions.
