League of Legends Skins: How to Get Them, What Types Are Available, and Can You Use Custom Skins?

League of Legends offers hundreds of skins for champions. Skins change the characters’ appearance, ability effects, animations, and voice lines, but they do not provide any in-game advantages. In this article, we’ll break down the different types of League of Legends skins, how to get them, where to find the latest League of Legends skins for 2026, as well as what custom League of Legends skins are and whether it’s safe to use them.

All skins in League of Legends are cosmetic items. They change a champion’s appearance, and some also add new animations, visual effects, voice lines, and dialogue. Skins do not affect game balance.

Main types of skins:

There are also limited-edition skins. These are released for events, world championships, collaborations, or holidays. Once the event ends, these skins either disappear from the store entirely or return only during specific promotions.

In addition to rarity, skins are grouped into themed series. For example, PROJECT, K/DA, Spirit of Bloom, Star Guardians, Arcana, Black Rose, and others. Within a single series, skins are usually released for several champions at once, all in a unified style.

Players from Russia cannot purchase Riot Points directly through the League client. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t get new skins. Some skins can be unlocked for free, and many players use third-party methods to top up their accounts to purchase RP.

Main ways to get skins:

1. Hextech Crafting. Skins drop as shards from Hextech Chests. A shard can be upgraded to a permanent skin using Orange Essence or combined with other shards to obtain a random skin.

2. Battle Passes and in-game events. During limited-time events, you can earn orbs, capsules, chests, Mythic Essence, and other rewards, which may also contain skins or skin shards.

3. Mythic Store. Prestige and Mythic skins are sold here for Mythic Essence. The store’s selection is updated regularly, so the skin you want might not be available right away.

4. Purchasing with RP. If a skin is available in the regular store, you can buy it with Riot Points. For players in Russia, direct top-ups through the client aren’t available, so they typically use Riot gift cards, international payment methods, or trusted balance-top-up services.

5. “Your Store.” Several times a year, Riot opens a personalized section with individual discounts on selected skins. The offers vary for each player.

If you want to get League of Legends skins without buying RP, the best option is to regularly complete quests, participate in events, and take advantage of the Hextech Crafting system. And if you need a specific skin, the easiest way is to buy it by topping up your RP using a convenient method.

Custom League of Legends skins are user-created modifications that change the appearance of champions, weapons, effects, or the interface. These skins are created not by Riot Games, but by fans. Most often, they work only on the client side, so other players cannot see them.

Custom skins can:

It’s important to understand that custom skins aren’t sold in the in-game store—they’re fan-created content.

There is no official system for installing custom skins in League of Legends. If a player chooses to use mods, they do so at their own risk. Riot does not approve of the use of skin changers or similar mods. If you don’t want to risk your account, it’s best to use only official League of Legends skins.

Over the years that League of Legends has been around, Riot Games has released dozens of themed skin lines. Many of them exist as separate universes with their own stories, characters, and visual styles.