Riot Games added a Private Replays section to the League of Legends patch 26.20 notes, published on October 6, 2026. It says you will only be able to access replays from matches you played in, and third-party apps and sites will lose access to replay downloads. Then, on October 7 (US time), Riot said on its official social channels that the change is being delayed to patch 26.21 while it works on a solution so creators and coaches who rely on replays are not meaningfully impacted. That set off talk of League replays and even spectating going away, but the actual scope is narrower than it sounds. This article first lays out what was announced, the timing, who is affected and what stays, then explains how to keep games as video with DOR instead of relying on replay files. The basics of replays themselves are covered in how to watch League of Legends replays.
Bottom line: downloading other people's replays is what goes away
The core of the change planned for 26.21 is simple: if you did not play in the match, you cannot get its replay. People who watched friends' or pros' games through replays, people who used third-party replay download sites, and coaches who analyzed other players' games through replays are the ones affected. On the other hand, the patch notes say reviewing your own matches by downloading replays in the client is not affected, and they say nothing about removing in-client spectating. One more thing to remember: replay files already stop playing once a new patch is released. If there is a game you want to show people, keeping it as a video rather than a file is what lets you store it long term and send it to others. The difference between a replay file and an mp4 is explained in detail in how to save a LoL ROFL replay as an MP4.
How to keep your LoL games and replay footage as video with DOR
- 1Install DOR on a Windows PC and launch LeagueDOR is a free Windows desktop app. After installing it, launch League of Legends and DOR detects the game automatically. Recording starts from your next match without a separate record button to press.
- 2Check that replay and spectate recording are onUnder Recording by Mode in DOR's settings there are two League-only options, Replay and Spectate, and both are on by default. As long as full recording or highlight recording is enabled, DOR also records the screen when you play a replay or spectate a game in the client. If you turned them off at some point, turn them back on here.
- 3Play your own games as usualWhether it is solo queue or a normal game, once a match ends the full-match recording is saved as an mp4 and shows up in the app library. League is one of the games with automatic highlight clips, so moments like kills are also sorted into short clips. Even without downloading a replay file, your own games are already saved as video.
- 4Play the replay or spectated game you want to keepBefore the patch changes, play any replay you can still watch, or open the game you are spectating, in the client. DOR records that screen as an mp4, so even after the replay file stops playing on the next patch, the video stays in your library. Keep in mind that access to replays of other people's matches is planned to end with 26.21.
- 5Trim only the part you need in the libraryIf you do not need to send the whole match, set a start and end point with the trim tool in the app library. Choose an output ratio of 16:9, 9:16 or 1:1. For a review clip going to a coach, 16:9 keeps the whole screen visible and is the safe choice.
- 6Send a dor.gg link to teammates or your coachOnce trimming is done, you can share the video through a dor.gg link. The person who receives it plays it right away in a PC or phone browser without installing DOR. Unlike a replay file, there is no need to match patch versions, and that is the biggest difference.
LoL replays: what changes and what stays
| Until now | Planned from 26.21 | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Download and play replays of matches you played in the client | Still available | Reviewing your own games is not affected (stated in the patch notes) |
| Download and play ranked replays from a friend's match history | Only replays from matches you played in are accessible | Watching friends' or pros' games via replay is blocked |
| Download replay files through third-party apps and sites | Third-party apps and sites lose replay download access entirely | Users of replay download sites need another approach |
| Other players could download replays of your matches | Other players can no longer download your replays | To show a teammate or coach, you need to send video |
| In-client spectating | Not mentioned in the 26.20 patch notes | No official basis for saying spectating is going away |
| Replays from a previous patch cannot be played after a new patch | No change | Games you want to keep already needed to be stored as video |
| Third-party apps reading game memory | Unknown third-party apps blocked by default from October 6, 2026 (approved tools have a grace period to April 2027) | Some third-party tools that read game data may stop working |
What to check before 26.21
- Replay and Spectate are turned on under Recording by Mode in DOR's settings.
- At least one of full recording or highlight recording is turned on.
- I checked that the replay I want to rewatch still plays on the current patch.
- I recorded the games I want to keep as video before the patch changes.
- I trimmed the part for my coach or teammates and confirmed the dor.gg link opens in a browser.
- I plan to recheck the final replay details when the 26.21 patch notes come out.
The DOR way: keep video instead of replay files
A replay is a data file that only plays in a client on the same patch, which makes it hard to keep long term or send to someone else. DOR solves this by recording. DOR is a free Windows app: when you launch League of Legends, it detects the game and records the entire match as an mp4, and events such as kills are collected separately as automatic highlight clips. In League, Replay and Spectate are on by default under Recording by Mode, so the screen you see while playing a replay or spectating a game in the client becomes a video the same way. The resulting mp4 keeps playing in your library no matter how many patches go by. Before sending, keep only the moments you need using the tips in how to trim game clips, then share a single dor.gg link so the other person watches it in a browser without the app. With an NVIDIA graphics card, NVENC hardware encoding is the default, and game sound and your microphone are recorded together, so your in-game calls are kept as well.
