{"rewrite":{"id":"r_7b41deaedbe69886d322934c","clusterId":"c_6958b597dcf06638ecadac2b","slug":"riot-patch-26-20-ends-replay-access-to-other-players-matches","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Riot Patch 26.20 Ends Replay Access To Other Players' Matches","summary":"Riot Games released patch 26.20 for League of Legends on October 7, the last adjustment before Worlds. The patch applies champion buffs and nerfs and item adjustments, and it also restricts replay access so players can only open replays of matches they played themselves. Third-party apps and sites lose replay downloads. Riot cites security vulnerabilities and third-party abuse of game memory, and says data acquisition is now limited to the official API.","whyItMatters":"Riot answered a real security problem by cutting a study habit the ranked and pro scene built its improvement around, and it shipped the cut before Worlds with no replacement tool in place.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe restriction is a side effect of a security fix. Riot says third-party abuse of game memory is rising and that it is limiting data acquisition to the official API, and the replay change follows that line.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor players, the practical result is narrower than a patch note suggests. Replays already cannot be downloaded or played back across patches, and now the only matches a player can open are the ones they were in. Anyone who wanted to study a pro\u0026#39;s skill usage, mechanical precision, or strategy has to wait for that player to record and publish the replay. Marcin Jankowski, the former pro known as Jankos, said analysts use replays to improve team play and argued the feature should not go without an alternative.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Riot cites security vulnerabilities and third-party abuse of game memory, but patch 26.20 also cuts off the coaching tools players used to study each other's matches. The API remains, but it is not the same data.","twitterPost":"Patch 26.20 cuts third-party replay downloads. Riot's security rationale lands hardest on players who studied each other through those tools.","threadsPost":"Riot's fix for memory abuse in League of Legends also removes the replay-scouting workflow players relied on. The official API stays open, but third-party apps lose the data they pulled from match files.","newsletterBlurb":"Riot shipped League of Legends patch 26.20 on October 7, its last balance pass before Worlds. Alongside champion buffs and nerfs and item adjustments, the patch limits replay access to matches a player played themselves, so third-party apps and sites can no longer pull replay downloads. Riot cites security vulnerabilities and third-party abuse of game memory, and says data acquisition now runs through the official API only. Former pro Marcin Jankowski argued the feature should not be removed without an alternative.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20261007-472143/\",\"title\":\"League of Legends Update Suddenly Makes \\\"Others' Replays Unviewable,\\\" Players Voice Discontent: \\\"We Were Just Using Good Players as Reference\\\"\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4631,"outputTokens":655,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1791338837,"createdAt":"2026-10-07T02:03:02.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-07T02:06:10.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-07T02:06:10.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_6958b597dcf06638ecadac2b","canonicalTitle":"『League of Legends』のアプデで突如“他人のリプレイ確認不可”となりプレイヤーたちの不満相次ぐ。上手い人を参考にしていただけなのに","representativeArticleId":"a_35b45b0de568b7af18492207","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"League of Legends\"],\"studios\":[\"Riot Games\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-10-07T00:56:57.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-10-07T00:56:57.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-07T02:06:07.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20261007-472143/","title":"『League of Legends』のアプデで突如“他人のリプレイ確認不可”となりプレイヤーたちの不満相次ぐ。上手い人を参考にしていただけなのに"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["League of Legends"],"studios":["Riot Games"],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}