Riot Games has announced that starting September 14, 2026, PlayRiftbound.com will become the official organized play site for Riftbound, taking over from carde.io, the platform used since the game’s launch.
What’s changing
The switch takes effect as registration opens for the Radiance pre-release. From that point on, players and stores will need to use PlayRiftbound.com to find, register for, join, and run events.
Another key change: login will happen directly through Riot ID, with no account-linking step required. Players who don’t yet have a Riot account are encouraged to create one before registration opens.
Riot says the platform is being built entirely in-house, and that the team is prioritizing the features that matter most for organized play before expanding what PlayRiftbound.com can do.
Why the move
According to Riot, many ideas for the future of organized play would benefit from — or outright require — an internal platform, which is why the switch to an owned website is happening now. Using Riot ID for logins is also meant to simplify access by removing the account-linking process that carde.io previously required.
How it works for players
For a first visit to PlayRiftbound.com, the recommended steps are:
- Log in with an existing Riot account, or create one through the Riot account page.
- Starting with Radiance pre-release registration, use the new event search to find a place to play nearby.
- Register for the chosen event directly with a Riot ID — no account linking needed.
- Once at the event, use a phone to check pairings and record match results.
What it means for stores
Stores and organizers running local Riftbound events will manage all event registration on a single platform, whether for a weekly Nexus Night, a pre-release, or future events like the Nexus Cup or Challenge Series. Riot plans to share more details on store programs in an update by the end of October.
What’s next
While no firm development timeline has been announced, Riot has flagged several improvements under consideration for 2027: better tools for judges and tournament organizers running local events, large tournaments, and side events; expanded support for 2v2 tournaments; easier deck list creation and validation across competitive formats; and improvements to card search and browsing.
FAQ highlights
Will match history from carde.io be lost? No — Riot is working with UVS and carde.io to migrate player history to the new platform.
Will fan projects built on carde.io data still work? They’re likely to be disrupted by the change, though Riot says it wants to keep supporting community-built tools that follow developer agreements and community guidelines.
What should a store do if it hasn’t heard about the transition? Reach out to its UVS partner or regional store partner for next steps.