Heads up, legends: an issue in Apex Legends recently caused some notifications to be sent in error as these are for items you've already received. There are no impacts to your inventory, so you'll still have all your collectibles in your account.

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It's time for another anti-cheat update. As Showdown begins, we wanted to share some insights into the previous season, talk about what we're doing, and take a quick look at the future. The team is hard at work behind the scenes, continuing to make progress in the fight against cheaters and unfair play. Here's a summary of what we're about to cover:

• A look at Prodigy : Total Bans (BT), Match Infection Rate (MIR), and Reports Per User (RPU) have fluctuated compared to the previous two seasons, as shown in the graph below. This is partly due to increased data flow, which has improved tracking and detection on consoles. Additionally, we've continued to work on tackling third-party macro devices.

• What we're working on : Analyze TB, MIR, and RPU in detail, three aspects of our usual objectives. To extract the data, we use several elements, which can lead to a variation in the values ​​(examples below). MIR focuses on Ranked, while TB and RPU include all modes.

• Recent Goals : The new tooling system has improved our ability to adapt, and will continue to evolve alongside cheats. This will help us address some of the biggest issues, including teaming and third-party bots. Since February, we've seen a 33% decrease in teaming reports, and we'll continue to monitor and refine the tool based on new findings. Targeting bots and anti-recoil systems are also key elements we're actively developing and testing.

As mentioned in the last development post, we will continue to share new details where possible as they become available.

Last season saw an overall increase in total bans. The percentage of cheaters in matches and reports per user also fluctuated slightly from the previous season, depending on the platform. Additionally, we've recently seen an increase in data flow, which has paved the way for additional bans on consoles. Therefore, the numbers listed here provide a better representation of our actions than in the past. Improved tracking has helped us make more strategic decisions about prioritizing and allocating resources, including assigning new team members to regions with the most cheaters. 

Previously, our data was primarily drawn from the PC version due to cheating programs that don't exist on consoles. We've started including console accounts in these statistics, as well as ramping up detection and enforcement for teaming and the use of third-party macro devices. In the chart below, the percentage of cheaters and reports per user reflect the first two weeks after the introduction of each early- and mid-season patch. Total bans reflect the entire half of the season.

As mentioned in previous updates , anti-cheat is a constant effort with a myriad of gears always in motion. Total bans, the percentage of matches with cheaters, and reports per user are just some of the pieces of the puzzle, but we'd like to explain in more detail what determines these values. 

• Total Bans: The total number of suspensions (temporary and permanent) applied to user accounts through both automated systems and manual reviews. To combat unfair play, bans are used in conjunction with other measures (e.g., resetting ranking points).

• Match Cheating Rate: The percentage of matches in which at least one user has been reported three or more times and suspended for cheating in the last 14 days. Apex Legends has a higher number of users per match compared to other similar games, which can contribute to a higher percentage of cheating matches. For a match to be counted as a "cheater match," even one user in 60 is cheating (though you may not encounter them directly or have any impact on your gameplay experience).

  • One of the most effective ways to reduce the percentage of cheaters in matches is to apply suspensions promptly. By detecting cheaters more quickly, we'll limit their impact on matches.

• Reports per user: The sum of all reports against users reported 3 or more times in the previous 28 days, divided by the number of active users in the same period. 

  • Three or more reports are not required to impose a suspension. These are just general guidelines we follow to determine if someone is negatively impacting the gaming experience, regardless of the actions taken as a result of reports. Including a threshold of three or more reports is crucial because it often helps us identify those who may have been playing fairly before resorting to cheating.

All measurements, including those mentioned, are taken into account by multiple factors (e.g., data centers, modes, match levels, and reporting categories). This means that values ​​can vary significantly by user, match, session, and even region depending on the data sample. Here are some examples of variables:

• The percentage of cheaters in matches is generally much higher in Ranked. This is where almost all cheaters congregate. 

  • Unranked modes have a much lower percentage of cheaters (between -50% and -80%) than Ranked.

• Furthermore, the percentage increases at the higher ranks of Ranked. In Diamond and Master matches, the chances of encountering cheaters are double the overall percentage, while at the lower ranks, they drop significantly below average.

We've put together some small updates on a couple of recent milestones to help us be even more transparent with the community.

In Season 23, we introduced a new system that helps us combat cheaters by analyzing different types of unfair play based on a series of gameplay indicators. The system is highly flexible and will evolve as new cheat variants are introduced. 

In the future, we hope to extend its scope to input manipulation and anti-recoil systems. 

Regarding detection, we've made progress in a number of areas and added the "Wallhacking/Impossible Game Logic" reporting option thanks to your feedback in the May Anti-Cheat AMA. Here's an update on some of our top priorities: 

• Teaming: Since our last teaming update , we've continued to refine our teaming model, seeing a further 33% decrease in reports compared to February. With the introduction of the new tool, we've been able to improve detection based on new gameplay indicators. 

• Third-party bots: After refining our gameplay indicators, we've been able to use our tools to combat and remove bot farms. We've also updated our add-on tool to improve future detection (with an automated bot detection model we're still working on). We'll continue to monitor the results, and you may see the impact on cheater rates and user reports in future updates.

• Target Bots and Anti-Knock Systems : Detecting these two items is still high on the priority list, so we are developing internal models that can locate Target Bots and Anti-Knock Systems in-game. 

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: the Apex Legends experience should be fun and competitive without sacrificing the integrity of the game. As our work continues, we'll continue to share development insights on anti-cheat and other news on the blog and on Reddit, Steam, and X/Twitter throughout the rest of the year.

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Hey, Legends. We've just released an update to fix an issue with ring movement in the final round. Those of you who make it to final rings will notice that they'll now pull towards the previous ring center more consistently.

Heads up, Legends. We pushed some tuning changes for the RE-45 and Evo Harvesters to make the following changes:

• RE-45 Elite

  • Reduced magazine size by 3 at all tiers, including the base tier

  • Increased horizontal and vertical recoil

  • Projectile size reduced to match other pistols

• Evo Harvesters on all maps

  • Increased the spawn rate of Evo Harvesters from ~7 to ~10 per map

  • Reduced the likelihood of multiple Harvesters spawning in a single POI

Hey, legends. Our intention with Accolades was to celebrate player accomplishments, but we can see that this missed the mark. We temporarily disabled them to work on an issue, but we've decided to keep Accolades out of Apex Legends for an indeterminate time while we revisit this feature to better align with our initial goals and your feedback.

Late last season, we gave you the heads up about a matchmaking test that would run until the end of Prodigy’s split 2. This was born from hearing community requests for hard-limiting who Masters players could matchmake against, so we executed on exactly that to see how it would impact our matchmaking quality and to gather additional feedback and data.

From July 28 to August 5, 2025, we created hard rules in our matchmaking configurations that only allowed Masters players to play against other Masters and Diamond I players. Diamond I players could match as normal. This test was needed not only to address some suggestions from the community, but also to gather data on this specific hard-limit to understand what type of impact it would have.

Now that the test has concluded, we’ve compiled everything and are sharing a breakdown on our efforts and the results we’ve found.

Here’s our results from our hard-limit test that ran July 28 to August 5, 2025:

Overall:

• Median matchmaking times remained consistent from before the change

• 7% increase in matchmaking queue abandonment across all regions for ≥ Diamond 1

• Increase in average hours played from Diamond I players, but a drop for Masters players as they had much more restricted play windows

• This is fairly common towards end of season, but the drop for Masters was larger than we typically see during this time period

• This test provided some great learnings that will help us with potential next steps on how to further modify our matchmaking configurations over the course of a season.

• This test was generally well received by you, our community, with appreciation for our testing and transparency—which we’ll look to continue with any additional updates

Our initial announcement led to some concern around longer queue times for Masters players, especially in regions and on platforms with lower populations of Masters and Diamond I players

• That combination did end up having a negative impact as some higher tiered players had to wait extended periods during lower population times; matches did connect, but the experience fell outside of the anticipated expectations. Other regions with higher populations had healthy matchmaking during peak concurrency, but struggled to create lobbies for Masters players during off-peak times.

Outside of the impact above, queue times for players that waited the longest had an average increase of 15 seconds for matchmaking. There was also a minute percentage where queues increased from ~4 minutes to 5-6 minutes.

Before we jump into potential plans for the future, here’s a rundown of our matchmaking goals for Ranked:

• Everyone should be able to find a match (even if they have to wait longer)

• Rank Tier width is prioritized over time spent waiting for a match (closer matches are more important than how long you wait)

• Increased transparency on why you’re getting matched the way you are

With those in mind, here’s what we’re working towards for our next Ranked matchmaking experiments:

• Expand the limit on who Masters can play against further into Diamond. We’ll be looking at a new set of timing rules for when Masters can expand matching into additional Diamond ranks after first waiting for other Masters and D1 matches.

• Maintain rules that prevent Masters from matching into Platinum and below (the skill gap between these is too wide to be fair).

• Looking at overall seasonal population growth curve to find the best time to enforce these rules, with considerations for players who hit Masters early in season before an optimal population for hard-limits and hitting our goals.

Look forward to additional updates from the team as we get closer to our next rollout in Showdown Split 2. As always, we appreciate your feedback and continued passion around matchmaking and all things Apex Legends.

Bring a bat to a gunfight! This event turns Wildcard into the Outlands' most brutal contact sport.

Loot the Grand Slam Bat from care packages and knock your enemies out of the ring. Need an edge? Hit up Replicators to craft Wild Cards and access powerful abilities like wall-running, extra melee knockback, or bonus melee damage. Activate them. Exploit them. Or die trying.

Earn Honor through daily challenges to unlock items including Event Packs and Epic Apex Packs.† Draft your all-star lineup, with opportunities for new Legendary skins for Loba, Sparrow, Bangalore, Wattson, Gibraltar, and Seer, plus Legendary Weapon Skins for the R-301, Flatline, and more. And the crowning glory: the new Grand Slam Universal Melee, usable by all Legends.

Step up, Legend. Your rivals are waiting.

†Not available in all territories.

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Want to see if our devs can correctly guess your rank? Whether you are an Apex Predator or stuck in Silver, we want your best clips for us to judge! Submit them here from now until Aug 26 ---> {LINK REMOVED}https://bit.ly/45pxDmU

We’ve seen your concerns regarding drop ship height for pre-determined drop zones in Ranked. We initially raised the height to make the drop less disorienting, give players a moment to take in their surroundings, and add flexibility in choosing where to land.

However, that flexibility also meant multiple teams could be funneled into the same POIs, leading then to a similar chaotic start as the regular drop method that we were trying to alleviate.

To address this, we’ll be testing a version that matches the ALGS drop ship height. Our goal is to ensure Ranked matches feel more competitive. Thanks as always for your continued feedback!