Something to look forward to: Apex Legends took the world by storm when it launched in 2019 to shake up the PC battle royale genre. It featured innovative new mechanics such as its unique “pinging” system, parkour-like movement, as well as the ability to revive squadmates mid-game — mechanics other battle royales have always lacked. Now, the shooter has set its sights on the mobile market, with the aim of beating out the likes of PUBG Mobile and Fortnite.
Apex Legends publisher EA and developer Respawn Entertainment announced their plans to bring Apex Legends to iOS and Android — and soon. The first regional beta tests for Apex Legends Mobile will take place later this month.
Initially, they’ll only be open to residents of India and the Philippines, which are two common first choices for game developers. Only a few thousand players will be invited to start, but Respawn hopes to expand the beta testing to additional countries and regions throughout the year. A full release is probably still a ways off, though.
Apex Legends Mobile will, of course, be optimized for touchscreen devices. Respawn promises “streamlined controls” and “thoughtful optimizations” that remain true to the original vision of the game without compromising on its core mechanics or features.
In other words, expect simpler controls and downgraded graphics (especially draw distances), but an otherwise identical experience to the PC and console versions of Apex. However, crossplay is pretty unlikely.
Apex Legends is completely free-to-play (supported primarily through cosmetic microtransactions), and you can play it now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, the Nintendo Switch, and PC via either Origin or Steam.