Apex Legends review: the best free-to-play battle royale in 2026
Apex is still the movement king of the battle royale genre five years in. Sliding, wall-running, and a deep legend roster keep it ahead of every F2P competitor.
The verdict
Apex Legends is the best free-to-play battle royale you can play in
- Respawn took the Titanfall movement system, the Overwatch
legend design, and the Fortnite drop-and-loot loop, and combined them into something that still feels distinct five years in. The matchmaking is better than it was, the legend balance is in a good place, and the cross-progression update finally delivers on the promise Apex shipped with in 2019.
What works
The movement is the headline. Sliding, wall-running, mantling, ziplines, and the various legend-specific mobility tools (Pathfinder grapple, Valkyrie jetpack, Horizon lift) make every fight a 3D problem. Most BRs have flat movement; Apex has vertical movement, and that's why gunfights feel different here. The skill ceiling for movement alone is enormous — the difference between a Gold player and a Predator player is mostly how they use the geometry.
The legend roster is deep. Twenty-five legends across four classes (Assault, Skirmisher, Recon, Support), each with three abilities and a passive. The community tier lists shift season-to-season, but every legend is at least viable in some meta. The newest legend, Vesper (Season 23), brought gravity-lift utility that filled a real niche. The oldest legends (Wraith, Pathfinder, Bangalore) are still strong because their kits were well-designed from day one.
Cross-progression landed in 2024. Your account, your cosmetics, your rank, and your heirloom shards now follow you across PC, PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch. The "Switch version is a different game" complaint is finally over — Switch 2 runs the same version as everyone else, just at a lower frame rate. Players who bounced off the original Switch version should try again.
What doesn't
Cheaters are still a real problem on PC, especially at Diamond and above. Respawn's Easy Anti-Cheat does most of the work, but high-rank lobbies still get hit. The community trust in PC competitive is fragile. Console lobbies are clean by comparison.
Hit reg has been the perennial complaint since launch. The server-side hit detection is solid in 95% of fights, but the 5% where your crosshair is on someone and the damage doesn't register feels bad. Respawn has improved this significantly in 2025-2026, but the ghost of the original Apex hit reg issues still colors community sentiment.
Some legends need buffs. Loba, Rampart, and a few others have been in the "tier D" bucket for two+ seasons. Respawn's balance team tends to over-nerf the S-tier (recently: Wraith, Pathfinder) rather than buff the F-tier. The asymmetry is noticeable.
Should you play it?
Yes. Apex is the most generous F2P shooter in the genre: a solid base roster, a fair battle pass, cosmetic-only monetization, and a skill ceiling that rewards hours. Bring a squad if you can; ranked solos is a different (and harder) game.
Score: 9/10 — Must-play.
Apex Legends is free on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch 2. See our Games Database for full coverage and Season 23 patch notes.
Pros
- ✓ Movement system is still the best in the BR genre
- ✓ 25+ legends with genuinely distinct kits
- ✓ Cross-progression finally works across PC, PS, Xbox, Switch
- ✓ Free battle pass is decent value
Cons
- ✗ Cheaters still surface on PC at high ranks
- ✗ Hit reg complaints have never fully gone away
- ✗ Loba, Rampart, and a few other legends are clearly under-tuned
About 2 minutes read.
