Apex Legends News

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][h2]WELCOME TO THE YEAR AHEAD IN APEX LEGENDS[/h2][p]With Apex Legends’ Anniversary in full-swing, it feels like an excellent opportunity to give you all a lay of the land for what the dev team is cooking up for the year ahead. We want to tell you all about the team’s design philosophy, the goals we’re setting for ourselves and, most excitingly, what content you have to look forward to.[/p][p]As you read on, please know: we are going to aim to be as thorough as possible, but we will be treating our roadmap like a living plan and we’ll have more surprises to share throughout the year. As an important disclaimer, game development timelines may shift throughout the year. When looking at “The Road Ahead” infographic, note that “Locked” content carries the most concrete timeline, “In Progress” denotes that the features are being actively worked on, and “Planned” content is in preproduction, with work to start soon. If we make changes to the projected timeline, we’ll do our best to communicate what’s changed and why.[/p][p][/p][h2]DESIGN PHILOSOPHY[/h2][p]Let’s dive right in with a bit of an overview about how we want to push Apex Legends in 2026. First and most important, we are pushing forward with our Community-Focused development process. This isn’t new for our team as we continue to ensure that we’re taking player feedback into consideration with every decision. This means using community sentiment, data driven processes, and years of Apex game design experience to balance our decision making processes.[/p][p]Another key component this year is a continued commitment to transparent and forthcoming communications. We’ll maintain and strive to strengthen an open dialogue with the broader community, proactively sharing what’s changing and why, so you’re always in the loop and part of what we’re making. For the latest in updates and dev insights, check out the newly formed ApexLiveComms X and Threads accounts. [/p][p][/p][h2]2026 ROADMAP[/h2][p]Our goal for 2026 is simple: continue to evolve Apex Legends, the best, most competitive Battle Royale out there. Competition for all that’s fast, fair, and always evolving with you.[/p][p]We are continuing our focus on competition and ensuring it has depth for mastery and, at the same time, remain inviting for everyone to join in. It doesn’t matter if you’re a day-one grinder or just getting started… If you want to be the best, Apex Legends is going to be the place to prove it.[/p][p]With that in mind, we’re excited to share our content roadmap to give you a look at what’s coming in 2026 and beyond. We'll keep updating this all year long.[/p][p][/p][p]ALWAYS ON UPDATES[/p][p]Throughout 2026 and beyond, our team will be focused on implementing quality of life improvements, Legend balance changes, and tweaks to our audio systems to improve the overall, day-to-day player experience. This means, you’ll consistently feel the impact of our team’s quick work in frequent tweaks, adjustments, and updates.[/p][p]We will also continue our commitment to competitive integrity, dedicated to maintaining and raising the bar on our anti-cheat, matchmaking and server performance.[/p][p]LEGENDS[/p][p]Legends are the lifeblood of Apex Legends (it’s right there in the game’s title) so we are introducing TWO new Legends - a Skirmisher Legend in Season 29 and another in Season 32. Both new Legends are designed to shake up how you approach building your squad by providing new ways to take on fights together. [/p][p]We will also continue to evolve our existing roster with Legend Reworks planned for Seasons 30 and 31. Currently planned in Season 32, along with the new Legend, we will be updating team comp by overhauling the Legend Class system.[/p][p]WILDCARD[/p][p]Wildcard was a groundbreaking addition to Apex Legends in 2025, creating an often-chaotic, heartpumping experience, and allowing for frequent experimentation (looking at you, hoverboards). In 2026 we are committing to events in Wildcard every season, with Season 30 and beyond boasting two Wildcard events each, one per split. Keep an eye on the near horizon as we’ll be featuring a pair of special events (we can’t say more now, but holy heck are we pumped for these!)[/p][p]MAPS[/p][p]In the first half of the year, we will be working on POI updates, balancing cover placement, and rotational flow focused on improving how they feel to play at all levels of competition. Later in the year, you can expect a competitive update for World’s Edge and a major map update that is sure to shake things up, and bring a little dose of nostalgia to our seasoned players.[/p][p]LOOT[/p][p]In Season 28 we shifted the loot pool to make finding desirable items in-match easier by removing Backpacks and Knockdown Shields and tying them into your base kit. Currently slated to land in Season 30, we are overhauling the in-match looting experience. We’re taking aim at making power progression more impactful and streamlined in every single match you play. Furthermore, we will be introducing a new way to wield an existing fan favourite weapon in Season 31![/p][p]GAME INTEGRITY[/p][p]We are shooting for best-in-class online integrity, continuing to crack down on cheaters and improve how we keep bad actors out of the Apex Games. We know we have our work cut out for us, but we’re dedicated to the task. [/p][p]RAPID RESPONSE TIMES[/p][p]Rapid responses and game changes from the dev team will be a key part of our playbook as we continue to pay close attention to your moment-to-moment experiences, feedback, and data. Quality of Life updates will continue to roll in during every season. From bug fixes to meta adjustments, you won’t need to wait for the next major update for what matters the most. [/p][p][/p][h2]REFLECTING ON 2025[/h2][p]While looking ahead to all that’s projected for 2026 and beyond, we wanted to take a moment to thank you and look at the most exciting things you helped us shape in 2025. [/p][p]In 2025, we:[/p]

• [p]added all-new content and meta changes all year long[/p]
• [p]released our newest Legend, Sparrow[/p]
• [p]launched Wildcard[/p]
• [p]revamped Olympus and E-District maps[/p]
• [p]made major changes across our weapons and Legends rosters[/p]
• [p]migrated the game to new servers for more stability and responsive online play[/p]
• [p]meaningfully added to our Audio systems, allowing for better threat detection and fairer games with less audio clutter[/p]

[p]Also in 2025, we took some big swings at tuning matchmaking and fighting cheaters. We know fighting cheating is a never-ending battle and even a small number of bad actors can impact match quality. These improvements are signals we’re heading in the right direction to keep more cheaters out of the game overall, and that we’re catching more of them earlier than before. We know there's more to do in this area in 2026, so expect ongoing updates. [/p][p][/p][p]Let’s take a quick look at some highlights that capture the hard work of the Anti-Cheat team:[/p]

• [p]~50,000 cheat preventions per day[/p]
  • [p]Our team strengthened EAC client-integrity checks to detect manipulated clients before cheaters enter matches[/p]
  • [p]As a result, players made fewer reports and encountered fewer cheaters as we stopped them earlier in the funnel[/p]
• [p]>86,600,000 RP removed from cheaters in 2025[/p]
  • [p]Resulting in honest players climbing higher on the leaderboards[/p]
• [p]Shipped gameplay driven cheat detection models[/p]
  • [p]Models are used to identify anomalous gameplay patterns without relying on client signatures[/p]
  • [p]Bot and Teaming detection fully automated and moved into production pipelines[/p]
  • [p]Aimbot detection models still in validation/testing stage[/p]

[p]The following are year-over-year comparisons from 2024 to 2025.[/p]

• [p]Ranked match infection rate on PC is down ~33% [/p]
• [p]Our new Teaming detection model resulted in a 300% increase in bans for Teaming[/p]
• [p]Bot bans are down 38%, implying there are fewer active bot accounts in the Apex games[/p]
• [p]Reports Per User (RPU) is down for Teaming and Botting, 62% and 58% respectively, meaning players are encountering these issues less than a year ago (Data is aggregated across PC and Console)[/p]
• [p]Overall RPU's are down 22% (Also, aggregated across PC and Console)[/p]

[h2]CONCLUSION[/h2][p]2025 was an incredibly exciting time for Apex Legends and we are delighted to carry that momentum into 2026. Thank you to everyone who has been along for the ride; whether you joined us in 2025, or you’ve been with us from the beginning (or somewhere in between), you are the reason we continue to strive to make Apex Legends the best, most competitive Battle Royale out there. We are thrilled for you all to experience what we have been working on and we’ll see you on the Dropship![/p][p]
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[p]Thank you for your continued feedback on the readdition of Dropships in Ranked. We hear you, and we are continuing to monitor conversations in community spaces and official channels.[/p][p][/p][p]We wanted to add context to - and elaborate further on - our decision to add Dropships back to Ranked matches. 
[/p][p]When making a decision of this magnitude, one we know will impact a substantial portion of the community, we consider input from a number of different sources. Chief among them are: playtests, surveys and feedback from our players globally, and live game data. With the initial implementation of Drop Zones for Ranked, early feedback sparked polarizing discussions that became more critical over time, especially in certain regions. 
[/p][p]In Season 26, our data indicated a noteworthy decline in Ranked population with the implementation of controlled Drop Zones. 
[/p][p]In Season 27, we addressed top player frustrations surrounding loot distribution across POIs and scoring, but did not see a meaningful impact on the declining Ranked population data. After the results of Seasons 26 and 27, we decided to revert the Drop Zones, aiming to keep Ranked populations healthy and strong to ensure faster and fairer matchmaking for all.[/p][p][/p][p]We know it’s early, but since the launch of Season 28 we have seen encouraging data to suggest more players on their Ranked journey and more matches being played, resulting in a more healthy game experience. We know stats don’t fully capture how matches feel and play out. We’re actively monitoring gameplay and testing potential adjustments based on what we’re seeing in the game and hearing from you. [/p][p][/p][p]One of the biggest challenges for our team is to balance conflicting needs in a substantial global player base. In some situations, the needs of one subset of players may directly contradict the desires of another. It is rare that one solution appeases the entire playerbase. While it’s a difficult feat, we are dedicated to making choices to ensure the long term health of the game and playerbase. [/p][p][/p][p]We will continue to monitor this topic, and we will return with another update next week.[/p]

[h2]Security Clarification: Competitive Integrity and Recent Incidents[/h2][p]We wanted to provide some additional details around two recent security-related situations that generated questions within the community. In both cases, our priority was to protect competitive integrity, ensure a secure environment, and act decisively to prevent abuse.
[/p][p]Controller Hardware at the ALGS Year 5 Championship
During routine inspection ahead of the ALGS Year 5 Championship, a third-party controller was identified that included functionality not permitted in professional play. Testing revealed the presence of programmable inputs and wireless configuration features that posed both a competitive fairness concern and a potential risk to the secure LAN environment. Because these features could be modified externally through a phone based app and during live gameplay, the device was immediately removed from competition prior to the start of the event.
[/p][p]Working directly with the League Operations team and following extensive testing, the device was later allowed back into use only after an unreleased firmware update fully removed all non-compliant functionality and disabled external connectivity. Even then, its use was permitted under strict monitoring for the remainder of the tournament. It’s important to note that consumer versions of this device remain non-compliant and should be used at users own risk at home. 
[/p][p]Server Stability Issues Caused by Player Name Format[/p][p][/p][p]Separately, we investigated reports suggesting that Ranked matches were being DDoSed by a set of users using an extremely long name. This characterization was inaccurate and not, in fact, a DDoS attack. The issue stemmed from a validation edge case where excessively long player names could trigger a scripting error, resulting in a match disconnect under specific circumstances. While disruptive, this was not a network attack and did not involve external traffic or infrastructure abuse.
[/p][p]The underlying issue has been addressed by tightening validation limits to ensure player names are safely handled in all gameplay scenarios. This fix prevents the behavior entirely and removes the ability for malicious actors to exploit name formatting to disrupt matches.
[/p][p]We take both security and competitive fairness extremely seriously. These incidents reinforced the importance of proactive testing, rapid response, and clear enforcement of our rules and standards. We’ll continue auditing systems, validating hardware, and addressing edge cases to ensure Apex Legends remains fair, stable, and secure for all players—from Ranked matches to the highest levels of competition.[/p][p]
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[p]Hey everyone. It's been a busy launch day. Here's a list of issues we've pushed fixes for and others we are working towards.


FIXED:
- We pushed a quick fix for an edge case crash impacting Trios and Duos. You should have a more consistently reliable experience in these game modes moving forward.
- We issued a fix that should lead to improved server stability
- Patched a hole players were able to fall through on Broken Moon in BR and Wildcard[/p][p][/p][p]INVESTIGATING:[/p][p]- Fuse's 28.0 kit changes aren't active in Firing Range
- We're investigating player reports of controllers experiencing a delay while using their Tactical abilities when playing as certain Legends
- Pre-28.0 kit changes for Horizon were erroneously reverted[/p]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]7 years in the Outlands, and we’re just getting started! We’re celebrating with a Community-Made Reward Tracker and the chance to unlock up to 4 Legends permanently. Time to PARTY, Legends![/p][p][/p][h2]COMMUNITY-MADE REWARDS TRACKER[/h2][p]Complete daily and weekly challenges to earn points in the Community-Made Reward Tracker and unlock Weapon Skins, Legend skins, Banner Frames, and Stat Trackers made for the Community by the Community.[/p][p]Thank you to all of the incredibly talented and hardworking artists and creators who teamed up to bring this Reward Tracker to life![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]UNLOCK LEGENDS PERMANENTLY[/h2][p]Ready to expand your roster? You’ve got 4 weeks to unlock 4 Legends. [/p][p]Each week during the 7th Anniversary drops a new set of challenges. Complete all 4 and permanently unlock that week’s Legend. Each challenge will also reward 5 Battle Pass stars.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]MILESTONE EVENT ITEMS[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p]Unlock a Reactive Weapon Pack as you progress through the Milestone Reward Track, guaranteed to contain a Reactive Weapon you don’t already own. Already collected all the Reactive Weapon Skins? No problem, you’ll get 50 Exotic Shards instead.[/p][p][/p][h2]STORE TAB[/h2][p]Head to the Store Tab and check out the 7th Anniversary Milestone Collection. These Legendary Skins aren't staying forever, so grab your favorites before they're gone.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]THANKS FOR EVERYTHING[/h2][p]7 years down, and many more to go! Thanks to all the Legends who made this possible.[/p][p][/p]