5 things Apex Legends could have done better in 2025

Although it is no longer in its peak phase, Apex Legends has remained a constant presence in the esports industry since its February 2019 release. As of December 2025, Apex averages around 87,000 players a day, and the year ended with a total prize pool of just under $6 million. It paints a healthy environment for the game, especially when taking into account the console player base.

Still, with Apex Legends enjoying its peak over two years ago, and prize money steadily declining since 2022, the future might not be as healthy. There are ways Respawn could have improved both in 2025 and could look into these improvements in 2026.

In 2025, there were no new weapons or maps for Apex, which is somewhat reasonable, considering the map options and gun pool in the game. Still, a new Legend was released, Sparrow, with a myriad of Apex Legends gameplay tweaks, limited-time modes, and collection modes. This year seemed to be about refinement, rather than padding with content.

From an esports perspective, while there was a drop in the total prize pool for 2025 compared to 2024, it wasn’t by much. It’s been another year of steady continuation, beginning with, ironically, the end of ALGS Year 4 with the ALGS Championship, won by GoNext Esports. We’re still waiting for the Year 5 edition of the ALGS Championship in Japan.

Therefore, with Apex Legends being done for the year, let’s take a look at what it could have done better in 2025. 

Currently, Apex Legends players with a rank difference of three can play together in the competitive game modes. For instance, Bronze players can play with anyone up to Platinum, which is a sizable difference, considering all the subranks. Some players can then be easily boosted by those in a much higher rank and skill level difference.

This problem can make ranked a difficult experience, since the variance of skill level with a rank can be massively skewed by those who have been boosted and those who are where they’re meant to be. Even a reduction from three ranks to two would probably be more than enough to make a positive difference. It would also mean players of a lower rank aren’t stuck against foes beyond their level.

There were probably enough Apex Legends game modes in 2025, and while there is nothing wrong with fostering a steady environment, Apex is meant to be a live-service game. The player numbers on Steam have largely plateaued now, but with only one new Legend and no new maps, there wasn’t a lot in the year to entice players to return.

Even one more map or one more Legend might have been enough to get a few ex-players to turn their heads and potentially return. From both a battle royale and hero shooter standpoint, Apex Legends has a lot of competition and adding a bit more service to the live-service model.

Rather strangely, Apex Legends has a tick rate of 20Hz. Tick rate is essentially how often a server updates the game’s state, and the higher the tick rate, the more often the server updates. A 20Hz tick rate is quite low and has been a common complaint of Apex for some time now. 

Most monitors tend to have a refresh rate of 60Hz, meaning that a similar tick rate should be standard. Apex Legends’ lower tick rate has often led to people landing shots on their screen, but the game not registering it, and with something as quick as a highly mobile FPS like Apex, a higher tick rate should have been on the to-do list for Respawn.

While not up there with CS2, LoL, Dota 2, and so on, Apex Legends is a strong name in the esports industry; however, EA and Respawn aren’t pushing the title as much as they could. With all the resources and connections that EA has, it could do much more to market Apex’s esports scene and increase its visibility in the broader industry.

This could also culminate in having more tournaments, incorporating more third-party elements, like more sponsorships or getting content creators involved to bridge the gap between professional and casual play. EA and Respawn have a good thing going here, and a bit more from them to strengthen the esports scene would benefit them. 

Having a stronger path for aspiring players to make it to the pro stages is something all esports need to develop. Many aren’t old enough to have gone through several generations of players, and this is something that Apex Legends, which is coming into its seventh year, could improve too.

While the Tier-1 events, like the ALGS Champions, are a great platform, an expansion on Tier-2 events could be a way for the future of Apex esports to find a better path into pro events. Either way, making sure the potential future athletes of the esport are looked after ensures that Apex Legends can endure.

With Apex Legends crossplay meaning that the game can be played on anything with practically everyone, it does feel like it can still be taken further. The esport is healthy, with plenty of money involved, but there are ways the ALGS, and the game as a whole, could have been improved in 2025.

Given Apex Legends’ status as a popular yet not quite top esports game like CS2, LoL, Dota 2, and so on, EA and Respawn have done well to get this far, but could also do better going into 2026. The tick rate has been an ongoing problem for a while, however, and there is a chance that 2026 will continue in the same vein as 2025.