In-game cosmetics and memorabilia might not improve your performance, but they definitely have a positive effect on your gaming experience.
Displaying an alternative appearance of the champion model might sound simple, but for Riot Games, it’s a million-dollar business. With Riot’s concept of creating games that are free to play, skin purchases have become the best way to support the developers and the game.
League of Legends skin total
With 161 unique champions on the League of Legends roster released over the 13 years since the game was launched, the number of skins is pretty large. According to the League of Legends section on Fandom.com, there are 1384 skins currently in the game. They are split up into four categories which are:
- 962 Available skins
- 342 Legacy Vault skins
- 80 Rare skins
- 53 Unavailable skins
Champions with the most skins. Credit: Fandom/ League of Legends
Rarest skins in League of Legends
The available skins can be purchased in the Shop or obtained through Hextech crafting. Legacy skins are older skins that were in the shop at their time of release but are now available only through Hextech crafting and limited events. Rare skins are the ones that are acquired only through special means and they make up most of the Unavailable skins.
Unavailable skins are not taken into consideration when counting since they often overlap with the Rare skins. Most of them have been sold in limited amounts, and the only way to get your hands on them is by purchasing an account that already has them. Examples of this are skins received through promotion codes available only with a ticket purchase to a live event, or with the physical copy of the game. Riot also used to give out personalized skins to winners of tournaments they organized, as the highest level of recognition.
Rarest skin in the game, PAX Twisted Fate. Credit: Riot Games
Types of skins in League of Legends
Apart from availability, League of Legends skins also differentiate through their cost which is linked to their classification. With Riot releasing more than 110 skin lines so far, and a new one at least once a month, it seems business is booming. Most of the newer skins fall under the Epic Skins category but are cheaper when purchased in bundles.
| Skin Type | Price | Description |
| Classic Skins | Up to 520 RP | Old skins/ minor color change |
| Budget Skins | 750 RP | Interesting concepts without a lot of changes |
| Standard Skins | 975 | Animations and VFX over Budget skins |
| Epic Skins | 1350 | Almost complete change of champion aesthetic |
| Legendary Skins | 1820 | A lot of skin specific graphic and audio effects |
| Ultimate Skins | 3250 or 2775 RP | Most expensive skins, rare, including a user interface for the skin |
| Mythic/Prestige Skins | 100 Mythic Essence or 100 Prestige Points | Enhanced versions of Legendary skins purchasable only with Mythic Essence for a limited period |
Apart from these seven types, there are also Chroma and Seasonal skins. Seasonal skins can’t be purchased but must be earned, with Riot giving them out at the end of the Ranked season. You must be at least a Gold IV rank in one of Riot’s competitive queues to earn these skins, and they also fall in the Rare/ Unavailable category.
According to our estimations, if you were to purchase every skin in the game without chromas, your Riot account would set you back around 5000 dollars. It would cost less to do it by purchasing entire bundles, but if you are doing it right now instead of over the course of 13 years, that is the price tag.
Chroma skins in League of Legends
Chroma skins are recolored variants of already existing and purchasable skins in League of Legends. They can be purchased individually or in a chroma bundle with many color variations. Currently, there are around 250 unique skins for which you can purchase around 2800 Chromas.
Elementalist Lux has its own unique chromas. Credit: Youtube/ Skin Spotlight
These and the Prestige skins are Riot’s smartest solution to make you spend money even after you have obtained your favorite skin. You would want to make sure your favorite skin doesn’t start feeling boring or stale, so you can switch up the color variant heading into the next game.
Champion with most skins in League of Legends
Making skins is Riot’s biggest source of revenue, so it only makes sense that the most popular champions have the most skins. Lux and Miss Fortune are at the top, with 16 skins each, trailed by Ahri, Akali, and Ezreal with 15 unique skins. Ezreal, Lux, and Miss Fortune own three of the five Ultimate skins in the entire game, which are the most expensive.
Header: Riot Games
