League of Legends patch 25.23 has reintroduced the Winter Rift seasonal map, complete with snow, holiday touches across monsters and objectives, and a Baron sporting a Santa hat and winter accessories.
The Winter Rift first appeared in 2017 and its return in this patch is more than a simple recolor. The nexus now sits inside a rotating toy train filled with poros. Monsters and primary objectives received seasonal outfits. The Rift Herald wears reindeer antlers, while the Baron has a complete holiday makeover with a hat on his primary head, earmuffs on the smaller heads, gloves on his limbs, and a scarf. The music has changed too. The original Winter Rift jingle was upbeat. This year’s theme leans more toward somber, atmospheric tones. Players loading into practice mode noted how the new score sets a quieter, more reflective tone before the usual chaos of matches takes over.
This is strictly a map reskin. Consumables and core gameplay remain unchanged. The patch also adds new winter skins including Winter Wonder Milio and Zeri, Reindeer Smolder, and Prestige Winterblessed Mel. These new cosmetics are visually striking, though they differ from some of the older, more playful holiday designs players remember. Patch 25.23 also introduces a new champion and the Arcane anniversary event, and it carries the usual mix of balance tweaks and quality of life updates. For an outline of the patch and Riot’s full notes, players can read the official patch document on Riot’s site.
We previously reported that the Winter map is returning in 2025, and this patch delivers that promise. The seasonal map will be a welcome option for players who enjoy snapping screenshots and exploring cosmetic changes, while ranked and competitive games remain driven by the usual balance and item adjustments in the notes.
If the sight of Baron in a Santa hat makes players nostalgic, the patch supplies that small, surprising joy without touching core systems. The winter map is available now with patch 25.23 on PC and will run alongside the Arcane anniversary content for the duration of the event.
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