Apex Legends is a 2019 battle royale and hero shooter video game created by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. It takes place in the same science fiction universe as Respawn's Titanfall series. The game is free to play and is regularly updated with new content. It was first released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in February 2019. Later versions were released for Nintendo Switch in 2021, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2022, and Nintendo Switch 2 in 2025. All versions allow players to compete together across different platforms. A mobile version for touchscreen devices was available briefly but was discontinued in 2023.

Before each match, players join teams of 1 to 4 players and choose from characters with unique abilities called "Legends." The game includes several modes with different team sizes. In the battle royale mode, up to 20 teams of three players or 15 teams of two players compete. In "Arenas," teams of three players battle against another team in a 3v3 match over multiple rounds. A team wins when it earns at least 3 points and leads by 2 points.

Development of Apex Legends began around late 2016, but the project was kept secret until its release. The game's 2019 launch surprised many because it was announced suddenly without prior marketing or official news. Before this, it was believed Respawn Entertainment was working on a third Titanfall game, its previous major project. However, some Titanfall characters appear as minor characters or playable Legends in Apex Legends.

Critics generally praised Apex Legends for its gameplay, progression system, and combination of features from different game types. Some considered it a strong competitor to other battle royale games. Within the first week of its release, the game had over 25 million players, reaching 50 million within one month. By April 2021, it had about 100 million players, making it one of the most played video games in history by player count.

Gameplay

Apex Legends is an online multiplayer battle royale game where teams of three players use special characters called "Legends," each with unique abilities. The game also includes other modes that allow up to four players in a team. It is free to play, and players can buy items using real money or in-game currency through microtransactions and loot boxes. These purchases give players cosmetic items, such as outfits for the Legends and new weapon colors.

Each Legend has a unique design, personality, and abilities that help teams play differently. Starting with Season 16, Legends are grouped into five class styles: Assault, Skirmisher, Recon, Controller, and Support. There are 25 playable characters in the game, divided into these five classes. Many of the character designs are inspired by the Titanfall series. Two additional characters are only available in the mobile version of the game.

Apex Legends is divided into two main categories: core and freestyle. In each match, up to 60 players compete. The game includes a shrinking safe zone that forces players closer together, looting for weapons and armor, and winning by being the last team standing. Matches usually have 20 teams of three players. Players can join friends or be randomly matched with others. Before a match, each player chooses one of the 25 Legends, with no repeats in a team.

All teams begin on an aircraft that flies over the map. One player, called the jumpmaster, decides when the team jumps out of the plane and where to land. Players can choose to land elsewhere if they want. Once on the ground, teams search for weapons, armor, and other items. The game includes a "ping system" that lets players use their controller to signal directions, enemy locations, and strategies to their teammates. Movement and gameplay features, such as climbing walls, sliding down slopes, and using zip-lines, are borrowed from previous Titanfall games.

Over time, the safe zone on the map shrinks, forcing players into smaller areas. Players outside the safe zone take damage and may die if they don’t return in time. The last team with surviving members wins and is called "Apex Champions." Players who are knocked down can be revived by teammates. If a player is killed, their team can collect a respawn banner at the spot where they died and bring it to a beacon on the map to revive them within a time limit.

Mixtape is a mode that includes three different game types: Team Deathmatch, Control, and Gun Run. The game also includes limited-time events that offer special cosmetics and unique game modes. These events sometimes change the map with new themed areas called "Town Takeovers." Other events may only offer purchasable items or limited-time modes, such as the Battle Armor mode.

Season 9 introduced a new mode called "Arenas." In this mode, teams of three players compete in a 3v3 team deathmatch across multiple rounds. Teams win by earning at least three points and being two points ahead. If the score reaches 4-4 in the ninth round, a sudden death round is played. This system helps keep matches competitive and prevents long, unbalanced games. In Arenas, players start in a "shop" where they buy equipment and ability charges using materials earned in previous rounds. This mode uses mechanics from other games like Counter-Strike and Valorant. It was the first permanent change from the battle royale format and was later removed in Season 16. The Season 20 update, called "Breakout," introduces upgradeable skill trees for Legends, similar to MOBA games, and promises more intense battles.

Seasons

Each new season introduces a new playable character, weapons, or cosmetic items that can be purchased. The game's first season started on March 19, 2019. Each season includes a time-limited battle pass that gives players cosmetic items if they complete in-game challenges during the season. In addition, every season brings changes to the map and adds new gameplay features.

Development

Developer Respawn Entertainment previously created Titanfall (2014) and Titanfall 2 (2016), both published by Electronic Arts (EA). In 2017, EA acquired Respawn Entertainment.

Design director Mackey McCandlish said work on Apex Legends began before Titanfall 2 was released in 2016. By 2018, the entire Titanfall team at Respawn was working on the project. However, executive producer Drew McCoy stated that development officially started in spring 2017. He noted that about 115 developers worked on Apex Legends, making it the studio’s most complex project. Titanfall 2 had around 85 developers.

McCoy explained that after completing support for Titanfall 2, the studio was unsure what their next game would be, though they wanted to continue making Titanfall games. As with Titanfall 2, the team created small prototypes called "action blocks" to test gameplay ideas. One of these prototypes was inspired by the battle royale genre, popularized by PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. This prototype was successful, leading the studio to expand the idea into a full game.

Designers decided that the large, pilotable Titans from previous games would not work well in a battle royale format. Instead, they focused on creating strong character classes that fit the Titanfall franchise. They also found that features like wall-running, which allowed players to move quickly across walls, made gameplay too difficult in battle royale settings.

Respawn Entertainment CEO Vince Zampella told VentureBeat that Apex Legends, a free-to-play battle royale game, was a new challenge for the studio. The team focused on making the game fun through team-based play rather than solo play. Major design choices, such as team size and map size, were based on what felt most enjoyable to developers.

McCandlish said the studio aimed to add its unique style to the battle royale genre. They chose three-player teams and limited the number of teams to 20, believing this would give players a better chance to win and create a more personal gameplay experience. The studio also worked to create a "defensible space" in the game, using features like communication systems and smaller maps to help players feel more secure.

During development, the game was tested extensively to ensure it was fun and balanced. Developers spent 100 to 200 hours daily testing the game, a process McCoy called the most important part of development. To improve the non-verbal communication system, the studio tested the game for a month without voice chat and used fake names for testers to simulate real player experiences.

As the game neared completion, Respawn’s brand marketing director, Arturo Castro, worked on naming and marketing it. He noted that the game included elements from Titanfall but lacked core features like Titans and a single-player story. Since Respawn was also working on Titanfall 3, Castro believed marketing Apex Legends as part of the Titanfall series might confuse or disappoint fans. Instead, the studio treated Apex Legends as a new intellectual property (IP).

McCoy explained that Respawn had to convince EA to support the game, as EA was not initially expecting a battle royale title. Castro mentioned that the studio avoided a traditional six-month marketing campaign to prevent negative reactions from Titanfall fans. Instead, they took inspiration from musician Beyoncé’s surprise album release, arranging for influencers to tease the game during the Super Bowl.

Zampella found this approach "gross," comparing it to the Fyre Festival’s misleading hype. However, Castro believed it was effective, as the game’s success in player numbers and streaming viewership supported the decision. This marketing strategy was unusual for EA.

Apex Legends uses a modified version of the Source engine, which was also used for Titanfall 2. Adjustments were made to handle larger maps and longer distances. The game pushes the limits of its engine, leading to lower image quality and frame rates on consoles and lower-end PCs.

McCoy confirmed plans to add cross-platform play in the future, though progress and purchases cannot be transferred between systems due to hardware differences. He also expressed interest in bringing Apex Legends to iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch.

Anonymous reports suggest Tencent Games is working with EA to bring Apex Legends to China, as partnerships with local companies are required for Western games in the region. In 2020, EA confirmed it was working with a local partner to release the game on PC in China.

In May 2020, Respawn opened a new studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the EA Vancouver campus to support Apex Legends. During the June 2020 EA Play presentation, Respawn announced Apex Legends would be available on Steam for Windows players and on Nintendo Switch by late 2020. The game would also support cross-platform play across all platforms.

Reception

Apex Legends received "generally favorable" reviews on most platforms, according to the review site Metacritic. The version for the Nintendo Switch received "mixed or average" reviews. Some publications, including Destructoid, Game Informer, GamesRadar+, and PC Gamer, said it was one of the best battle royale games ever made and a strong competitor to Fortnite Battle Royale.

Critics praised the combat in Apex Legends. Destructoid said the gunplay was the best they had seen in a battle royale game, but they were disappointed that some features from earlier Titanfall games were not included. Javy Gwaltney of Game Informer said the absence of Titans and other elements from previous Respawn games was not a problem. He believed the combat was satisfying and the gunplay was strong. He also said the addition of heroes made the game more exciting than other battle royale games.

Reviewers liked the non-verbal communication system in the game, called the "ping system." Most said it was a creative idea. Polygon’s Khee Hoon Chan said it made talking with strangers unnecessary and showed how accessible and clever the game was. Destructoid also liked the system and predicted it would become common in battle royale games. Rock Paper Shotgun called it the best example of non-verbal communication in games and noted that Respawn had improved on an idea that was not new.

Electronic Arts had a patent for the ping system in 2021, but the company said it would let other developers use the system and four other patents related to game accessibility for free starting in August 2021. IGN gave the game a score of 9 out of 10, saying it was a well-made battle royale game with strong heroes, a good communication system, and smooth gameplay.

Apex Legends was praised for the diversity of its characters. Some characters are LGBTQ, including one non-binary character. However, some reviewers said the game’s format did not allow for a story that fully showed this diversity.

Eight hours after its launch, Apex Legends had one million unique players. It reached 2.5 million players in 24 hours, 25 million players in one week, and 50 million players in its first month.

Within the first month, Apex Legends made $92 million in revenue, the highest amount earned by any free-to-play game in its first month.

As Apex Legends became more popular, analysts said it could challenge Fortnite Battle Royale. Four days after its release, Electronic Arts saw its largest stock increase since 2014. In April, the game earned $24 million, which was 74% less than its first month.

In July 2019, Electronic Arts said the game had 8 to 10 million players weekly and credited it with helping the company’s live services earnings grow. After season 3 was released in October, Apex Legends had 70 million players globally and made $45 million that month.

In February 2021, Electronic Arts’ CFO said the game had earned over $1 billion. In April 2021, before season 9 was released, the game had over 100 million players and was expected to make $500 million that year.

In May 2022, Electronic Arts said the game had earned over $2 billion. In August 2024, the game had a record of 510,286 players online at the same time on Steam.

From February to December 2024, the game lost 70% of its Steam players, which may show interest in the game is decreasing. Electronic Arts said revenue dropped in 2024 and lowered its expectations.

In August 2019, the game introduced the "Iron Crown" event, which included in-game items that could only be bought through loot boxes. The most popular item, a cosmetic axe, cost about $170 to purchase after getting 24 other items. Players and media criticized this model, calling the price "hilariously out of touch" compared to other games.

This led to criticism from players and journalists, especially on Reddit, where some players and developers used harsh language. Respawn Entertainment later apologized for unfair monetization and said players could buy cosmetic items directly, though at a higher price. The company’s CEO also apologized for some developers’ comments but defended their response to online threats.

In July 2021, unknown people hacked EA and Respawn’s servers to change in-game messages to promote a website claiming to "Save Titanfall." The website and messages blamed weak security for making Titanfall and Titanfall 2 unplayable due to hacking. A community investigation found the website was involved in the attacks and used a trick to make it look like Respawn was responsible for bringing back Titanfall Online.

In October 2021, the "Monsters Within" event was released as the Halloween event. Players were upset because the Shadow Royale game mode was not available at launch and only came in the final week. There was also controversy over how the event skins were sold, as players could not buy them individually. Many players reported crashes and bugs during the event.

Spinoff media

In February 2023, it was announced that Apex Legends: The Board Game would begin a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter on May 17. The campaign started as planned and met its goal in seven hours. The game is being made by Glass Cannon Unplugged and includes team-based skirmish battles for up to four players.