Riot Games surprised Teamfight Tactics players on Dec. 4 with news about the upcoming Spectator mode, a holiday gift many players have been asking for since the autobattler launched.
Since the dawn of TFT, game designer Stephen “Mortdog” Mortimer has been fielding questions about a Spectator mode. But those days are over with Riot announcing on Dec. 4 that Spectator mode will drop into the PBE for testing on Dec. 6. And if all goes according to plan, players can start using the new Spectator mode through the live servers with the release of Patch 14.1 in 2024.
“Spectator is coming to TFT,” Riot said. “It will debut on PBE on Dec 6th, allowing you to spectate TFT games of friends on the PC client. We expect the feature to go to live with patch 14.1.”
The release of a Spectator mode in TFT aligns with Riot’s expansion of esports possibilities for the autobattler. For the first time in the game’s history, TFT will have a LAN tournament take place from Dec. 8 to 10 in Las Vegas called the Vegas Open. The event isn’t tied to competitive play for the Set 10 season but showcases a demand for more TFT events since passes for the tournament sold out shortly after going on sale.
Having a Spectator mode in TFT allows for non-competitive tournaments to take place more often while beefing up the viewer experience. It also allows for friends to run in-house events.
Mobile players will have to wait, though, as the TFT Spectator mode is only dropping onto PC for now. Spectator mode will be released onto the PBE servers on Dec. 6. A live version of the Spectator mode won’t officially be released until the new year through Patch 14.1.
