5 Critical Things You Must Know About WASD Movement In League Of Legends (It's Already Live!)
The long-awaited WASD movement control scheme has officially arrived in League of Legends, marking the most significant change to the game's core control mechanics in its 16-year history. As of the latest developer updates, the new movement system is no longer a PBE (Public Beta Environment) test but a live feature available for players to use on the main servers right now. This massive shift in how players navigate the Rift is a direct response from Riot Games to make the MOBA title more accessible to new players and those coming from other keyboard-controlled games, but its rollout is carefully phased and its impact on competitive play is still being determined.
The implementation of the WASD control scheme began its live rollout on December 3, 2025, with Patch 25.24, but there are crucial restrictions and a planned timeline for its full integration into the competitive ecosystem. If you are looking to replace the traditional right-click movement with the familiar WASD keys, you can start practicing immediately, but you'll need to know exactly which queues support it and when you can expect to use it in your Ranked climb. Here is the definitive, up-to-date breakdown of everything you need to know about the WASD movement controls in League of Legends.
The Official WASD Movement Release Date and Current Status
The question "When is WASD coming to League?" has a definitive answer: it is already here. Riot Games officially launched the alternate control scheme on December 3, 2025, as part of the major Patch 25.24 update.
However, the rollout is intentionally cautious and limited. To mitigate any potential game-breaking bugs or unforeseen balance issues in the competitive environment, Riot is following a strict, phased introduction plan.
- Phase 1: PBE Testing. The feature was extensively tested on the Public Beta Environment for multiple patches.
- Phase 2: Limited Live Release (Current Status). As of the Patch 25.24 release, WASD movement is available in most unranked queues across all regions. This includes game modes like Blind Pick, ARAM, and custom games.
- Phase 3: Ranked and Pro Play. The system is currently not enabled in the highly competitive Draft Pick or Ranked queues. Riot Games has stated that they will only introduce WASD into Ranked and professional play once they are fully confident in its stability, balance, and performance across all regions.
This staggered approach is a direct result of the magnitude of the change. After 16 years, the game's fundamental control scheme is being altered, and developers like Riot Meddler have indicated that they are actively monitoring for bugs and holding off on a full global rollout until all technical issues are resolved.
How WASD Movement Actually Works on the Rift
The WASD control scheme fundamentally changes how you command your champion’s position, shifting a core function from the mouse to the keyboard. In the traditional "click-to-move" system, players use the right mouse button for all movement and auto-attack commands. With the new system, this changes dramatically.
Instead of right-clicking, players use the following keys for directional movement:
- W: Move Forward (Up)
- A: Move Left
- S: Move Backward (Down)
- D: Move Right
The beauty of the WASD implementation is that it is an alternate control scheme, not a replacement. Players can choose to enable or disable it, allowing veterans to stick with the classic right-click method while offering new players a more intuitive, familiar control setup common in MMORPGs and other PC games. The ability to move with the left hand frees up the right hand's mouse movements almost entirely for aiming skill shots and managing the camera.
The Gameplay Impact: Why ADCs and Ranged Champions Benefit Most
The introduction of WASD controls is not merely a quality-of-life change; it is poised to have a significant impact on the gameplay meta, particularly for specific champion classes. The community and professional players, including streamers like Doublelift and IWillDominate, have extensively tested the system and highlighted its clear advantages.
Eliminating Misclicks and Improving Kiting
The most immediate and powerful benefit is for ranged heroes, especially Attack Damage Carries (ADCs). The traditional click-to-move system requires players to constantly alternate between right-clicking an enemy to attack and right-clicking the ground to move, a demanding technique known as "kiting." This process is error-prone, leading to frustrating misclicks that can cause a champion to walk into the enemy instead of attacking or moving away.
With WASD, kiting becomes significantly easier. The right hand is dedicated to mouse clicks for attacking (Attack-Move click), while the left hand handles all directional movement. This split of duties allows for a much smoother, more precise execution of the attack-move-attack sequence, potentially increasing the skill ceiling for micro-positioning and making champions like Vayne, Jinx, and Lucian feel far more fluid to play.
Potential for a 'Two-Tier' Meta
Esports analysts and players have suggested that WASD could inadvertently create a "two-tier meta." While the feature is intended to be an alternate control scheme, if the advantages for ranged champions prove to be too significant—allowing them to kite and maneuver with a level of precision previously unattainable—it could become the optimal way to play the game, effectively forcing all competitive players to adopt it. Riot Games is aware of this possibility and has preemptively stated that they are prepared to nerf the movement system if it becomes actively superior and disrupts the competitive balance of the game.
The Timeline for Ranked and Pro Play Integration
The biggest question for the competitive community remains: When will WASD be enabled for Ranked and professional play? While Riot has not given a hard date, the official development roadmap outlines a clear commitment to a measured and cautious approach.
The current phase is a soft launch in unranked queues to gather massive amounts of data, identify edge-case bugs, and ensure server stability. The move to Ranked will only happen after all major issues are ironed out. Given the complexity of integrating such a fundamental change into a high-stakes environment, the full global release, including Ranked and Pro Play, is expected to take a considerable amount of time. Some community speculation suggests it may not be fully integrated into the Ranked queue until late 2026, though this is not an official timeline.
The developers are prioritizing competitive integrity above all else. They want to ensure that the introduction of WASD does not compromise the fairness of the Ranked ladder or the global esports scene. Until Riot Games issues a new official communication, the WASD control scheme remains a powerful training tool for unranked games but is strictly off-limits for your competitive climb.
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