Apex Legends

Apex Legends is a 2019 battle royale-hero shooter video game developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts, set in the same science fiction universe as Respawn's Titanfall series. It is offered free-to-play and is continuously updated under the games as a service model; the game was originally released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in February 2019 and was followed by versions for Nintendo Switch in 2021 and both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2022, and Nintendo Switch 2 in 2025. All versions support cross-platform multiplayer. A mobile version designed for touchscreens was briefly available until its discontinuation in 2023.
Before the match, players form into two- or three-player squads, and select from pre-designed characters with distinctive abilities, known as "Legends". The game has three gameplay modes - Trios, Duos and Solos. In "Battle Royale", up to 20 three-person squads or 30 two-person duos land on an island and search for weapons and supplies before attempting to defeat all other players in combat. The available play area on the island shrinks over time, forcing players to keep moving or else find themselves outside the play area which can be fatal. The final team alive wins the round. In "Arenas", players form into three-player squads and fight against another squad in a 3v3 team deathmatch over a series of rounds to determine the winner of the match. Teams win when their team has at least 3 points and is 2 points ahead.
Work on Apex Legends began around late 2016, though the project remained a secret right up until its launch. The game's release in 2019 came as a surprise, as the game released suddenly without any prior marketing or official announcement. Until that point, it had been assumed that Respawn Entertainment was working on a third installment to the Titanfall franchise, the studio's previous major game, although a number of Titanfall characters do appear as minor characters or playable Legends.
Apex Legends received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its gameplay, progression system, and fusion of elements from various genres. Some considered it a worthy competitor to other battle royale games. Apex Legends surpassed 25 million players by the end of its first week, and 50 million within its first month. By April 2021, it had approximately 100 million players, making it one of the most played video games of all time by player count.

Gameplay

Apex Legends is an online multiplayer battle royale game featuring squads of three players using pre-made characters with distinctive abilities, called "Legends", similar to those of hero shooters. Alternate modes have been introduced allowing for single and for two-player squads since the game's release. The game is free-to-play and monetized through microtransactions and loot boxes, which allow the player to spend both real money and in-game currency on cosmetic items, such as outfits for the Legends and new colors for weapons.
Each match generally features twenty teams of three-player squads. Players can join friends in a squad or can be matched randomly with other players. Before the match, each player on the squad selects one of the 25 playable characters, with the exception that no character may be selected more than once by a squad.
Each character in the squad has a unique design, personality, and abilities that provide different playstyles to the team. Starting with Season 16, each legend is assigned to one of the five unique class styles: Assault, Skirmisher, Recon, Controller and Support. All teams are then placed on an aircraft that passes over the game map. One player in each squad is the jumpmaster, selecting when the squad should skydive out of the aircraft and where to land with the concurrence of the other squad members. However, players are free to deviate from the squad's path.
Once on the ground, the squad can scavenge for weapons, armor, and other equipment that is scattered around buildings, or in crates randomly distributed around the map, while keeping an eye out for other squads. Apex Legends includes a nonverbal communication "ping system" which allows players to use their game controller to communicate to their squad certain directions, weapon locations, enemies, and suggested strategies. While the game offers movement options similar to other shooters, it includes some of the gameplay features of previous Titanfall games, such as the ability to climb over short walls, slide down inclined surfaces, and use zip-lines to traverse an area quickly.
Over time, the game's safe zone will reduce in size around a randomly-selected point on the map; players outside the safe zone take damage and may die if they do not reach the safe zone in time. This also confines squads to smaller spaces to force encounters. The last squad with any members left alive is crowned the "Apex Champions" of that match. Players who become knocked down in the course of a game can be revived by their squadmates. Should a player be killed completely, they can still be resurrected if their team member collect their respawn banner, which appears at the place where they died, and bring it to one of several beacons on the island. The banner, however, must be collected within a time limit, before expiring and eliminating the player.
Season 9 introduced a new permanent mode named "Arena". In this mode, players form into three-player squads and fight against another squad in a 3v3 team deathmatch over a series of rounds to determine the winner of the match. Teams win when their team has at least 3 points and is 2 points ahead. Additionally, if a game should drag on to round 9 a final sudden death round begins. Respawn stated this scoring system "prevents total blowout games from dragging on for too long" and also "lets more competitive games keep the heat going for longer".
Rather than skydiving onto the map and gathering equipment like in the battle royale mode, players spawn in a "shop" where they can purchase equipment and charges of their Legend's abilities using materials earned in the previous rounds to prepare for the next fight. This variation of the game borrows mechanics from other shooters such as Counter-Strike and Valorant. The mode is the first permanent deviation away from the battle royale format. It would later be removed in Season 16. Now Season 20 update, Breakout, introduces significant changes with upgradeable skill trees for playable Legends, offering MOBA-like progression and promising intense battles.

Seasons

Every new season is accompanied by the release of a new playable character, new weapons, and purchasable cosmetic items.
The game's first season began on March 19, 2019. Associated with seasons are time‑limited battle passes that reward players with new cosmetic items, provided that they complete in‑game challenges during the season. In addition to new cosmetic items, the release of a season adds changes to the map and additional gameplay elements.

Season	Title	Period	Description
1	Wild Frontier	March 19, 2019 – June 18, 2019	The first season of Apex Legends introduced the playable character Octane and implemented several bug fixes and quality‑of‑life improvements, including adjustments to so‑called hitboxes—each Legend's predefined damageable zone based on their size and shape—and enhancements to the characters' unique abilities. It also launched the game's inaugural battle pass and added numerous new cosmetic items.
2	Battle Charge	July 2, 2019 – October 1, 2019	With season 2, the developers introduced another playable character called Wattson and also re-designed the layout of the game's island. Following an explosion, roaming alien wildlife, known as leviathans and flyers, have been attracted to the island and destroyed large areas, rendering parts of the map unrecognizable from the previous season. Season 2 also released a new weapon and introduced a new ranked mode of play, allowing players of a similar skill to play against each other, and adjusting a player's ranking based on their game performance.
3	Meltdown	October 1, 2019 – February 4, 2020	A new Legend named Crypto was introduced, who had tried to rig the Apex Games. A new weapon known as the Charge Rifle was added and changes to Ranked were made. The season also came with a brand new battle pass. A brand new map, named "World's Edge," was also introduced, which had players fighting through volcanic and frozen landscapes. The map also included a train that traveled throughout World's Edge. The season also changed up the meta by removing certain attachments and introducing new ones whilst altering what existing items could do.
4	Assimilation	February 4, 2020 – May 12, 2020	A new Legend named Revenant was introduced, a Simulacrum with the memories of his human self. A new sniper weapon known as the Sentinel was added. World's Edge was devastated by a Harvester that appeared in the middle of the map, creating lava faults and changing the environment. Major changes to ranked were made, as a new tier known as "Master" tier was introduced, while the Apex Predator tier was designated for the top 500 players on each platform, meaning players could be pushed out of it.
5	Fortune's Favor	May 12, 2020 – August 18, 2020	A new Legend known as Loba was introduced, a thief with the ability to steal loot from nearby areas and teleport. Loba was out for revenge against Revenant, a simulacrum hitman who had killed her parents. Ranked Series 4 was largely identical to Series 3 and reconnect was added, allowing players to rejoin a session if they disconnected. A new "quest" system was also introduced, which allowed players to fight in PvE missions either solo or with a squad to earn unique rewards. A new battle pass was also introduced. Respawn Entertainment announced they would be expanding their Apex servers to the Middle East. Skull Town and Thunderdome were also destroyed.
6	Boosted	August 18, 2020 – November 4, 2020	A new Legend named Rampart was introduced, a gun modder who can could emplace a minigun which she called "Sheila", and provided amped cover for her team. World's Edge was updated with new points of interest built by Hammond Industries: Launch Site, Countdown, and Staging. A new battle pass was added, which included a new cosmetic reward of "Holo-Sprays", a new crafting mechanic allowed players to upgrade their gear with materials found around the map, and the fan-favorite weapon from Titanfall 2, the Volt SMG, also made its debut. Additionally, all normal armor was removed from the game.
7	Ascension	November 4, 2020 – February 2, 2021	A new Legend named Horizon was introduced, an astrophysicist who was trapped on the edge of a black hole for 87 real-time years. A brand new map, Olympus, was also introduced, known as a "city in the clouds". The new map also allowed players to traverse it using "Tridents", a form of vehicle for the whole squad. A new battle pass was added, community "clubs" were also added to allow players to meet other like-minded players, and the launch of Season 7 also brought Apex Legends to Steam. The season also introduced a map rotation to the game's normal mode, with Kings Canyon becoming unplayable for the season as a result.
8	Mayhem	February 2, 2021 – May 4, 2021	A new Legend named Fuse was introduced, a psychopath who joined the Apex Games after his planet, Salvo, joined forces with the Syndicate. A new gun called the 30-30 Repeater was introduced, a lever-action rifle. The ranked system received multiple changes, including increasing the number of people in the Apex Predator rank per platform from 500 to 750 players. A new battle pass was introduced, and Kings Canyon was also re-introduced into the map rotation, albeit changed from its previous appearance in the rotation. These changes included adding a previously unplayable area in the north. A golden rarity of an extended magazine was also introduced, which automatically reloaded the holstered weapon after a few seconds.
9	Legacy	May 4, 2021 – August 3, 2021	A new Legend named Valkyrie was introduced, the daughter of known Pilot Viper from Titanfall 2. A new gun called the Bocek Bow was introduced, which shot arrows instead of the usual bullet types. A new battle pass was introduced, and Olympus became infested with natural plant growths and roots. The new season also introduced a new mode called "Arenas".
10	Emergence	August 3, 2021 – November 2, 2021	A new Legend named Seer was introduced, who was shunned by his community as a result of a conceived bad omen. A new gun called the Rampage LMG was introduced. A new battle pass was introduced, and World's Edge was updated, with multiple locations destroyed as a result of the Harvester. The new season also introduced a Ranked version of Arenas.
11	Escape	November 2, 2021 – February 8, 2022	A new simulacrum Legend named Ash was introduced, a returning character who was previously one of the main antagonists from Titanfall 2. A new weapon, the CAR SMG was introduced, which was a gun originally from Titanfall 2. A new tropical Battle Royale map called Storm Point was introduced. A new battle pass was introduced, along with a new Ranked season with tweaks to how the Ranked system worked.
12	Defiance	February 8, 2022 – May 10, 2022	A new legend named Mad Maggie was introduced, an old friend of Fuse, responsible for Season 8's map destruction and who briefly took over the Apex games. The season began with a three-week period of a limited time mode named "Control", a 9v9 mode where players held control points. Olympus was the map that also got an update. The season also arrived during the third anniversary, where players could obtain special packs based on various legends.
13	Saviors	May 10, 2022 – August 9, 2022	A new legend named Newcastle was introduced, known to be Bangalore's missing brother Jackson. Storm Point was the map that received a map update, where a sea creature, killed by all the legends, was incorporated into the map alongside new IMC bunkers, which could provide high tier loot. Ranked also received a rework, where it focused more on team play; points were granted to team players even if they didn't get the assist. Players could also fall out of ranks.
14	Hunted	August 9, 2022 – November 1, 2022	A new legend named Vantage was introduced, who used abilities best suited for sniper players. King's Canyon was the map that received a "reforged" update, with Skull Town, now renamed to "Relic", making a return; various other locations around King's Canyon were aptly updated for better rotations. There was also a level cap increase, from level 500 to level 2000, where once a player reached 500, they could revert to level 1 and progress again.
15	Eclipse	November 1, 2022 – February 14, 2023	A new legend named Catalyst was introduced, who used ferrofluid to create structures at will. A new lunar map, Broken Moon, was released, which had a distinct feature of using zip rails to traverse across the map. Gifting was also added to allow players to purchase cosmetic items for their friends.
16	Revelry	February 14, 2023 – May 9, 2023	For the first time since the game launched, a new Legend was not introduced to the game this season, instead using this season to implement various changes with remastered classes and the introduction of an orientation match system. Whilst removing the Arena mode from the game, Team Deathmatch was made available as a new mode, which rotated out in a new permanent "Mixtape" playlist with Control and Gun Run. A brand new weapon called the Nemesis was added, and a rework was implemented of various legends and their classes.
17	Arsenal	May 9, 2023 – August 8, 2023	The seventeenth season of Apex Legends brought significant updates and changes to the game. World's Edge received a major map update, and Ballistic became a new legend that focused on weapon-based fighting. Players could also expect improvements to Ranked mode, as well as an overhaul of the Firing Range. A highly anticipated Weapon Progression system was added to the game that rewarded players with desirable items such as Legendary-rarity Banner Frames, weapon-based Stat Trackers and Badges, Loading Screens, and a Legendary weapon Apex Pack for completing special challenges. The weapon level remained the same even after seasons, as the progress did not reset. Another addition was the Evac Tower, which players could use to quickly escape danger.
18	Resurrection	August 8, 2023 – October 31, 2023	there was no introduction of a new Legend. Instead, Revenant, an existing Legend, underwent a complete rework of his abilities and appearance. Mixtape then offered Control, Team Deathmatch, and Gun Run maps on the Battle Royale map Broken Moon. The Control map was on Production Yard, while the TDM/Gun Run map was on Perpetual Core. The season commenced with the Death Dynasty Collection Event, where the collection reward was a recolored heirloom for Revenant. Additionally, the Charge Rifle underwent major adjustments, with the removal of its pre-fire laser and hitscan features, transforming it into a projectile weapon with significantly enhanced damage.
19	Ignite	October 31, 2023 – February 13, 2024	Season 19 ushered in a new legend, named Conduit. In the new season, the Storm Point map got a partial rework to bring players a new combat experience. In Season 19, promotion trials were added to the ranking matches. When players reached the top of a certain rank, they entered the promotion trial state. During the trial, LP did not decrease or increase, allowing players to focus on completing the trial, and the pre-set rank gap limit was removed. Players could also play with friends regardless of their rank.
20	Breakout	February 13, 2024 – May 6, 2024	In this season, no new legends were added. However, major gameplay changes related to "Evo Shields" were made. Evo Shields were removed from the ground loot entirely, and the option to upgrade your shield via "replicators" was removed. Now, the "Shield Core" is automatically attached to your character at the beginning of a match, and will level up as the player deals damage or completes other tasks. Every new level adds a unique "upgrade" to each legend, expanding how their abilities work.
21	Upheaval	May 6, 2024 – August 6, 2024	A new legend, Alter, was added as a "Skirmisher." Also, the Broken Moon map was updated and changed. "Apex Artifacts," also referred to as "heirlooms," were changed, and a universal heirloom, one that could be used by each legend, was added.
22	Shockwave	August 6, 2024 – October 22, 2024	This season was the first to be divided into 2 splits, with the second starting on September 17, 2024. There were no new legends added, although the "E-District" map was added. Also, the ability to dual wield both the "Mozambique" and the "P2020," which is called "akimbo" in-game. Also, changes to the Battle Pass were made, which added a "Premium" and "Premium+" tier, which cannot be bought with Apex Coins, and cost $9.99 and $19.99 respectively.
23	Into The Rift	October 22, 2024 – February 11, 2025	This season added no new legends, but "revived" Lifeline similarly to the Revenant "revival" in Season 18. This gave her new abilities and expanded her base abilities. It also added the "Rift Relics" to the normal modes, which brought back versions of weapons from the first season of Apex Legends, as well as adding "Boost Kits" and the "EPG-1" from Titanfall and Titanfall 2. This season also added the Launch Royale LTM, which brought back the Season One version of the King's Canyon map.
24	Takeover	February 11, 2025 – May 6, 2025	This season significantly reduced the time to kill on all guns with a flat damage increase to most weapons, a reduction in the maximum shield attainable through EVO points, and removed headshot damage reduction entirely. Arsenal Stations were added to POIs which contained every gun for a specific weapon class. This season reworked the legend Ash to have a dash ability and buffed Ballistic to be more powerful. The Assault class received a buff initially, with the Skirmisher class receiving a buff in Split 2.
25	Prodigy	May 6, 2025 – present