Is Riot Banning Third-Party Apps? What Changed on October 6
No. Riot started blocking apps it does not know from reading the game's memory in League, TFT and VALORANT. Nobody is banned for that, apps on Riot's official routes keep working, and approved apps have until April 2027. Here is the whole change in plain words, with Riot's own sources.
Disclosure: we build Hexgate, a League companion app that never read game memory. Every claim below links to its source, mostly Riot's own pages.
The Short Answer
Riot did not ban third-party apps. It closed one way of getting game data, reading the game's memory, to every app it does not know.
What changed?
From October 6, 2026, Riot blocks game memory access by default for all unknown third-party apps, in League of Legends, TFT and VALORANT.
Riot Support, September 29, 2026Can I get banned for it?
No. In Riot's words,
Riot SupportThis change does not result in bans by itself
: it only blocks unauthorized tools from talking to the game. Cheats and scripts were bannable before and still are.Is my app affected?
Only if it read the game's memory. Apps that get their data through Riot's API, the League client or the game's Live Client Data API are not the target. Known, approved apps that did read memory have until April 2027 to switch.
Riot SupportWhat should I do?
Usually nothing. If an app broke, update it and check its developer's news. If you think it deserves the grace period, Riot asks you to write to player support.
Riot Support
Same week, separate change: since patch 26.20 you can only download replays of games you played in, and third-party apps and sites lost replay downloads entirely. More on replays below.
Where Does Your App Get Its Data?
Every League app gets what it shows you through one of a few routes. October 6 closed the bottom of this list to unknown apps; the routes above the line are untouched.
Pick a feature to see where it comes from
-
Riot APIRiot's servers, over the internet
Gives apps match history, ranks and player profiles, with a developer key from Riot.
Comes from the Riot APIOfficial route, not affectedRiot developer portal -
League Client APIThe League client on your PC
Gives apps champion select, the lobby, your rune pages (which is what rune import edits), and your own match history and game timelines.
Comes from the League Client APINot game memory, not affectedRiot says apps that use itare still expected to work
, but calls it unsupported: it can change without notice.Riot Vanguard FAQ -
Live Client Data APIThe game itself, on your PC, during a match
Gives apps your items, gold, level, abilities and runes, every player's items, scores and summoner spells, and game events such as kills, dragons and turrets.
Comes from the Live Client Data APIOfficial route, not affectedRiot developer portal -
Your own screenWhat your monitor already shows
Gives apps video recordings and text recognition of what is on your screen, without touching the game.
Comes from your own screenNot part of this changeRiot's announcement is about game memory only. What an app does with your screen still has to follow Riot's rules.
-
Game memoryThe game's working data in your PC's RAM
Gave apps whatever the game holds, including data the official routes leave out.
Came from game memory -
Replay downloadsOther players' games, from Riot's servers
Gave apps and sites other players' replays to download and study.
Came from replay downloadsRemoved for apps and sites in patch 26.20You can still download your own games in the League client.Patch 26.20 notes
Riot's own announcement says Many third party tools do not pilfer game memory
, and for those that do, there are potential data alternatives within the official APIs
.
What "Game Memory Access" Means, in Plain Words
While a match runs, the game keeps everything it is working with in your PC's memory, from gold and items to timers. Memory access means another program reaches straight into that working space and reads the numbers, or changes them. Nothing there was designed for apps. It worked because the door was open, and Riot says so itself:
For many years, Riot left the door cracked open for third-party applications, allowing them to read from or write to game memory for extracurricular use cases, including things like trackers, overlays, or mods.
Why close it now? Riot writes that advances in AI-assisted reverse engineering have grown the ranks of would-be hackers at an unsustainable pace
, and that the same door is being used to create thousands of new cheats, to spin up sophisticated bot farms, and to directly attack in-game experiences
. Its answer is to prevent memory access everywhere and move every remaining app onto the official API as the only allowed mechanism for retrieving game data
. Riot adds that it expects an immediate reduction in cheaters, game crashes, and eventually, accounts for sale
.
The official routes are the opposite of memory reading: doors Riot built on purpose, where Riot decides what an app may see. The Live Client Data API, for example, is served by the game on your own PC during a match and is documented on Riot's developer portal.
Wasn't this already the case with Vanguard? Partly. When Vanguard came to League in 2024, Riot's FAQ for developers said External tools reading memory will no longer work
. The 2026 announcement shows the door stayed open for some tools: it gives known and currently approved tools
until April 2027. Riot has not said which tools those are.
The Timeline, From September 29 to April 2027
One week between the announcement and the start, then about six months of grace for the apps Riot already knows.
- April 2024Vanguard comes to League. Riot tells developers that external tools reading memory will stop working and that there is no allow list. Vanguard FAQ
- September 29, 2026Riot announces the change in a support article covering all its games. Riot Support
- October 6, 2026Blocking starts for unknown apps. The patch 26.20 notes, published the same day, also make replays private. Patch 26.20 notes
- April 2027The grace period ends. Known, approved apps must have switched to the official APIs by then. Riot Support
What It Means for Each Kind of App
Apps on official routes Not the target
They read Riot's API, the League client or the game's Live Client Data API, none of which is game memory. Nothing in the announcement changes how they work.
Riot SupportKnown, approved apps that read memory Until April 2027
They keep working for now. During the grace period their developers can move each feature to approved APIs, ask Riot for new API data, or drop the feature where no alternative exists. Riot is careful here:
Riot Supportwe don't want to promise that any specific application will remain functional
.Unknown apps that read memory Blocked since October 6
That covers any tool Riot does not know, whether a hobby project or a cheat. The block itself is not a ban. But scripts, bots and tools that expose hidden information were bannable before this change and still are, up to permanent suspension for consistent, blatant use, and Riot reserves the right to act against free-skin tools (skin hacks).
Riot Support: third-party applications
Is Blitz, Porofessor, OP.GG, U.GG or Mobalytics Still Allowed?
Riot's announcement names no app, and Riot does not publish a list of approved ones: its support article says we can't provide a full list of which ones are safe to use
. Here is what each app has on the record. We searched for statements from each of them and in news coverage; we do not guess which apps read memory.
| App | About October 6 | Earlier, on the record |
|---|---|---|
| Hexgate We build it | Not affected: it never read game memory | Reads Riot's Live Client Data API, the League client and your own screen. Every source, feature by feature. |
| Blitz | No public statement found as of October 7, 2026 | Nothing about memory access found. |
| Porofessor | No public statement found as of October 7, 2026 | August 2022: Porofessor is approved by Riot. Using Porofessor will not get you banned.Porofessor on X A standalone app since December 2025, as well as on Overwolf. Moba Network release |
| OP.GG | No public statement found as of October 7, 2026 | August 2025: removed its spell and skill tracker overlay due to policy changes by Riot Games, an earlier rule. OP.GG Help Center |
| U.GG | No public statement found as of October 7, 2026 | Nothing about memory access found. |
| Mobalytics | No public statement found as of October 7, 2026 | August 2022: Mobalytics is still compliant with Riot's latest Terms of Service for applications and safe to use.Mobalytics on X |
| Overwolf | No public statement found as of October 7, 2026 | A platform, not an app: each app on it is its own case. Its last public response to a Riot policy, in June 2025, was about Riot's ban on in-game ads. Overwolf blog |
Statements from 2022 come before this change: they say how the apps describe themselves, not what Riot decided on October 6. If an app you use stops working, its developer's own news is the place to watch, which is also what Riot recommends. For the wider question of what gets accounts banned, see can you get banned for LoL apps.
My App Stopped Working. What Now?
Update the app and League
Patch 26.20 arrived the same week as the block, so first make sure both are on their latest version.
Check the developer's own news
Riot's advice:
Riot SupportWe recommend you follow updates from your app's developer to be ready for any changes that they might make next year.
Write to Riot if it should have the grace period
Riot invites exactly this:
Submit a ticket to RiotIf you have an app that's already stopped working and you believe it should be entitled to the grace period, please write to player support so we can have a look.
Skip anything that promises to get around the block
Riot's support article warns that if an app offers unauthorized services,
Riot Support: third-party applicationscontinuing to use it may still result in the loss of your account
.
Want an app that never needed memory access? Hexgate reads Riot's Live Client Data API, the League client and your own screen, so October 6 changed nothing for it: items against the enemy team, rune import, ARAM Mayhem augment tiers, and with Pro+, Lane Scouting, Match Breakdowns and Clips.
Also in Patch 26.20: Replays Became Private
Starting with this patch, you will only be able to access replays from matches you played in. Other players will no longer be able to download your replays, and third-party apps & sites will lose access to replay downloads entirely.
Riot ties it to the same effort, made alongside some restrictions on third party access to game memory, to close some security vulnerabilities
, and adds that you can still review your own games by downloading and watching your replays directly in the League client
.
Players reacted strongly to this part. A Reddit thread about it passed 2,900 upvotes within a day, mostly from people who learn by watching high-ranked and pro replays of their champion. Phillip Koskinas, who works on anti-cheat at Riot, replied on X that this isn't an anti-cheat change
, opening with I can't speak for LoL
, and said he believes the threat is AI-based pillaging
of League's replay endpoints, which are admittedly extremely vulnerable and juicy
.
Reviewing your own games is untouched: the client still downloads your own replays, and Hexgate's Clips Pro+ record your own games on your PC as you play, with every death, kill and assist saved as a clip. More in how to rewatch your deaths.
How Hexgate Gets Its Data
We build Hexgate, so here is where each feature's data comes from, before, during and after the game. None of it is game memory, which is why October 6 changed nothing for it.
Runes with one-click import, counters and ban targets Free
Swiftplay picks per slot with Import to slot Free
Lane matchup scoring and OTP builds Pro
The League client, in champion select and the lobby
Lane Scouting of your lane opponent and the enemy jungler, on the loading screen Pro+
The League client: the enemy team once the game loads, and their recent ranked games from match history
Items re-ranked against the five enemies, with the reason on every move Free
Riot's Live Client Data API, during the game
An S to D tier under every ARAM Mayhem augment card Free
Your own screen, read with Windows' built-in text recognition, because Riot's APIs do not expose the augment offers
Match Breakdown after every ranked, Draft and Swiftplay game, and Habits across games Pro+
The League client: your finished game's details and timeline, plus what the Live Client Data API showed during it
Clips of every death, kill and assist Pro+
Your own screen and the game's sound, recorded on your PC and never uploaded
Item and rune win rates come from public build statistics; everything about your own game comes from the sources above.
What it never does
- Read game memory
- Inject into the game
- Modify game files
- Automate any input
- Show ads, in game or out
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Riot ban third-party apps on October 6, 2026?
No. From October 6, 2026 Riot blocks game memory access by default for unknown third-party apps in League of Legends, TFT and VALORANT. Apps that get their data through Riot's API, the League client or the Live Client Data API are not the target, and known, approved apps that did read memory have until April 2027 to switch to the official APIs.
Will I get banned for using third-party apps after the update?
Not because of this change. Riot says the change does not result in bans by itself and only blocks unauthorized tools from interacting with the game client. Cheats, scripts and tools that expose hidden information were bannable before October 6 and still are.
What is game memory access?
While a match runs, the game keeps everything it is working with in your PC's memory. Memory access means another program reads, or changes, that working data directly instead of using an official route. Riot says it left this door open for years for trackers, overlays and mods, and is now closing it because cheat and bot makers abuse it.
Why did my League app stop working?
If it read the game's memory and Riot does not know it, the October 6 block stops it. Update the app and League, check the developer's own news, and if you believe the app should get the grace period, write to Riot player support, which Riot invites in its announcement.
What happens in April 2027?
The grace period for known, currently approved tools ends, and from then on they must use the official APIs. Riot has not given an exact day. Until then developers can move features to approved APIs, request new API data from Riot, or drop features that have no alternative.
Are Blitz, Porofessor, OP.GG, U.GG and Mobalytics still allowed?
Riot's announcement names no app, and Riot does not publish a list of approved apps. As of October 7, 2026 we found no public statement about the change from Blitz, Porofessor, OP.GG, U.GG, Mobalytics or Overwolf. Follow each developer's own channels, as Riot recommends.
Does the change affect TFT and VALORANT too?
Yes. Riot's announcement covers all of its titles, including League of Legends, TFT and VALORANT.
Why can't I download other players' replays anymore?
Since patch 26.20 you can only access replays of matches you played in, and third-party apps and sites lost replay downloads entirely. Riot made the change alongside the memory restrictions to close security vulnerabilities. You can still download and watch your own replays in the League client.
How do I know if my app is approved by Riot?
Riot does not publish a list. Its support article says it can't provide a full list of which third-party apps are safe to use, and its Vanguard FAQ for developers says there is no allow list. Riot's announcement only says that known, currently approved tools get the grace period, so ask the app's developer and follow its news.
Is Hexgate affected by the memory access change?
No. Hexgate never read game memory. It uses Riot's Live Client Data API during games, the League client for champion select, match history and game timelines, and your own screen for ARAM Mayhem augment cards (with Windows' text recognition) and for Clips, which are recorded on your PC.