Note: This game is currently not compatible with BlueStacks

Remember that time when we wrote an April Fool’s prank about Apex Legends coming to mobile? Well, as it turns out, that joke wasn’t completely based on falsehoods, as, in 2019, just after the games launch, EA announced that they were exploring other options for Apex Legends, including crossplay(also confirmed) across different platforms, as well as a possible mobile version. However, at the time, it was just that, an announcement; almost like a throwaway comment.

Nevertheless, this piece of news came back to life not long ago after EA CEO Andrew Wilson mentioned in a video interview that they were looking at several soft launches for mobile games this year, including a quick mention of Apex Legends by the end of 2020. This little bit of news was shared in an interview with Touch Arcade, and was little more than a passing comment, but it definitely revealed EA’s intentions for their popular free-to-play battle royale game.

When is Apex Legends Mobile Releasing?

Now, even since Apex’s launch, the devs have toyed with the idea of porting it to mobile. But these intentions were just thoughts and nothing concrete at the time. However, Wilson’s comments in the aforementioned interview give the mobile version a possible soft launch date by the end of 2020, which means that we could be playing Apex Legends on mobile very, very soon. And for those who were wondering: Yes, we’ll try our best to make it playable on BlueStacks, though we must wait until further details are revealed before considering if it’s even possible.

However, Wilson was very specific about the mobile version release. He mentioned that they were working on a soft launch by the end of the year, which means that it’s very likely that we won’t get the finished product just yet. It’s common for these types of launches to feature very limited content compared to the final release, as well as being restricted to certain regions. The EA CEO also said that they were studying the potential of the mobile release, and mentioned that Asia was a very valuable market for these types of games. Our best bet is that the game will release in a few Asian countries, followed by a global release sometime in 2021.

Nevertheless, the dev team still has a few hurdles to overcome if they want to put Apex Legends on mobile, such as making the game fair for those who are playing on their phones with touchscreens. Since they mentioned the game will have crossplay between the different platforms, one of the main challenges is balancing it so that mobile users aren’t at an inherent disadvantage against those who are playing with a mouse and keyboard.

The second challenge (and the toughest one, in our opinion), is making the game run smoothly across all mobile devices. Those who play on PC will have a large advantage over their mobile counterparts, since they can run their games at a high and stable framerate, if Apex isn’t properly optimized for phones.

What is Apex Legends?

For those who aren’t familiar, Apex Legends was a sleeper hit battle royale game suddenly released by EA in February 2019. The game didn’t have any advertising or marketing associated with it; it was announced one day, and it launched on the very next to the surprise of countless gamers around the globe.

This title offers the exciting and engaging battle royale gameplay we’ve grown to love ever since the genre’s launch with PUBG, but with many new elements to make it stand out, such as a roster of characters with different skills and stats, many different weapons, accessories and consumables, and a variety of movement options such as ziplines, jump pads, and Wraith’s portals, among many others. Moreover, the game takes place in the Titanfall universe and shares similar movement options with the popular mech FPS game. In fact, one of its characters, Pathfinder, is modeled after a MRVN from Titanfall 2.

This combination of elements generates a truly unique experience that you simply don’t get in other battle royales. While games like PUBG and Warzone are a bit more strategic thanks to their many different types of loadout options, and Fortnite relies heavily on its building mechanics, Apex Legends is fast-paced, chaotic, and with much more action from the very second you land on the map. Furthermore, the ample roster of playable characters gives a lot of variety to the game with their different skills, passives, unique animations, and gameplay styles.

The playable characters at the moment of writing include the following:

• Wraith: She can temporarily turn invincible (Phase Shift) and place a portal that both her allies and enemies can use to relocate quickly on the map. Her passive ability also allows her to know when she is being aimed at.
• Bloodhound: They can pick up enemies’ footprints and other evidence to track their opponents. Their tactical ability highlights all enemies and traps for more than 70 meters. Their ultimate also highlights enemies and their footsteps while also making them traverse faster.
• Gibraltar: His arm shield gives him 50 more health he and can create a dome barrier to protect from all incoming projectiles. His defensive bombardment opens up the skies to reveal heavy artillery which can render opponents knocked in a matter of seconds.
• Bangalore: A nimble legend that ‘double times’ when a enemies shoot bullets at or around her. She also provides support with her smokescreens, and bombard the enemy with her ultimate, the Rolling Thunder.
• Pathfinder: A MRVN unit that can quickly traverse the map with his grappling hook. He can also place ziplines that others can use to travel to otherwise unreachable locations. His passive ability lets him scan beacons around the map which reveal the next safe circle on the map. And he would very much like to talk to you if you know where or who his creator is.
• Octane: The fastest legend in the game who uses STIM to run 40% faster for short periods of time, and then gain back that health. His ultimate, the jumppad allows for easy maneuverability around the map.
• Caustic: The most toxic legend whose gas cans can flood tight spaces with fumes that slowly chip away at the enemy’s health. He can also see highlighted enemies through that gas, more importantly enjoying the kill rather than the win.
• Lifeline: A combat medic that can heal her allies and revive them faster than normal. Her health drone D.O.C also provides HP to teammates and enemies alike. Her ultimate beings high tier defensive items like health and shields and attachments like the Skullpericer.
• Crypto: A specialist character that can use a drone to scout the area, mark items and highlight enemies, and does 50 shield damage, can disbale pylons and traps with an EMP. His drone can also pick up banners for downed teammates without needing to go into the thick of the fight.
• Loba: The newest legend in the game, Loba is a treasure hunter with skills for teleporting herself via her bracelet. She can also detect high-value loot through walls. Her ultimate, the Black Markets lets players loot 2 items each from the vicinity.
• Revenant: A very powerful hero that has enhanced climbing, mobility, and can even prevent death entirely with his ultimate. His passive lets him walk at the same speed as other legends while making no footstep sounds while crouching.
• Wattson: A defensive support specialist that can set extremely high voltage electric traps to block the enemy’s path and rattle them in their traps if they pass through them while taking damage. Her ultimate, the Pylon kills all artillery including grenades from its vicinity, making her very powerful against Bangalore and Gibraltar players.

It’s this crew of playable characters that, in our opinion, give Apex Legends its unique touch, and which helps it to stand out among all the other battle royale games. While the game has fallen a bit in popularity due to various reasons recently (most fans say it’s because of the relatively small content updates throughout the game’s lifetime), it’s still a strong contender among the other titles in the genre.

We’re anxious to see what EA has in store for us with Apex Legends Mobile. What are your thoughts on this upcoming mobile battle royale? Leave us your comments in the section below!