Is Apex Legends really free? The honest receipt

Where Apex Legends runs in the UK in late 2026

EA's FAQ lists Apex Legends as free on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, PC (EA app and Steam) and Nintendo Switch. That last one needs an update: EA announced that Apex became unplayable on the original Nintendo Switch on 4 August 2026, with Season 29 as its final update there. Future seasons continue on Nintendo Switch 2, where the game has been available since August 2025, and EA says progress, cosmetics and Apex Coins carry over through your EA account.

PEGI rates Apex Legends 16 for sustained violence towards human characters, and the PEGI entry now carries the in-game purchases and paid random items labels. Matches drop squads of up to three players into fights capped at 60 players.

Legend Tokens: the real price of a full roster

The most important free-player fact is how Legends are unlocked. EA's currency guide says you can unlock new Legends with Legend Tokens, with Apex Coins, or through a Legend Spotlight Pass bought with Apex Coins. Legend Tokens can't be bought; you only earn them by playing and levelling.

From player level 4, EA says you get 600 Legend Tokens per level, and a new Legend costs 12,000 Legend Tokens. That means roughly 20 levels of play per Legend. It's fair in the sense that no Legend is paywalled, but it is a genuine grind if you want a large roster quickly.

Apex Coins, Battle Pass tiers and what they cost

Apex Coins are the premium currency and, per EA, can only be bought with real money, apart from some coins on a season's Battle Pass. On the UK Xbox Store on 3 November 2026, 500 Apex Coins were listed at £4.49 and 1,000 at £8.99 (both showing temporary discounts at the time).

There are two Battle Passes per season, one per split, each with 60 levels. EA lists four tiers:

• Free: available to everyone.
• Premium: 950 Apex Coins.
• Ultimate: real-money purchase with extra rewards (listed at £8.99 for the current split on the UK Xbox Store).
• Ultimate+: adds 10 level skips, all Legends playable for the split and more rewards.

Random Apex Packs and the odds question

Apex Packs contain random cosmetics. You earn plenty for free by levelling (EA's FAQ counts 199 packs from levels 2 to 500), but they can also come through paid passes and bundles. Packs are also the only source of Crafting Metals, which let you craft a specific skin you want, and of Heirloom Shards, which EA says have a less-than-one-percent chance of dropping per pack.

Because of these paid random items, PEGI and the UK console stores list Apex with In-game Purchases (Includes Random Items). Under PEGI's 2026 rules, paid random items count towards a PEGI 16 rating by default, which Apex already has.

The free-player upside is that you get a steady supply of packs just for levelling, and crafting with Crafting Metals means you aren't entirely at the mercy of luck. The downside is that packs are the only source of those metals and of Heirloom Shards, which keeps random items at the centre of Apex's cosmetic economy.

Does buying anything make you a better Legend?

No paid item changes weapon damage, health or abilities. Skins, banners, finishers and trackers are cosmetic, and the same weapons spawn on the map for everyone.

The closest thing to an advantage is choice: a paying player can unlock a newly released Legend immediately, while a free player may need to save tokens first. Our editorial view is that this is a mild edge, because Legends are designed to be balanced against each other and every one is reachable for free.

It's also worth separating Apex's two kinds of "premium" content. Cosmetic items, including the rarest Heirlooms, never change a match. Time-savers, such as level skips on the Ultimate+ pass, speed up cosmetic rewards on that pass, not your skill or your loadout. Neither changes the core fight, which is why our pay-to-win score stays low even though the shop is busy.

Spending in Apex without regret: a short checklist

Apex Legends gives free players a real path to every Legend, so most spending decisions are about looks and speed. A few editorial pointers based on how EA documents the systems:

• Decide on Legends first. If you want a new Legend the day it arrives, Apex Coins are the shortcut; if you can wait about 20 levels, Legend Tokens get you there for free.
• Know what Ultimate+ is. "All Legends playable for the split" is temporary access, not a permanent unlock.
• Use Crafting Metals. They come only from Apex Packs, which you earn by levelling, and they let you pick a specific skin instead of gambling on more packs.
• Watch split deadlines. There are two passes per season, so a paid pass has half a season to complete.

Apex on Switch 2 versus PS5, Xbox and PC

For Nintendo players, Apex now means Switch 2 only. EA's notice says the last day to buy currency on the original Switch was 3 August 2026, servers there closed on 4 August, and future seasons continue on Switch 2. Nintendo's UK listing for the Switch 2 version shows PEGI 16 with in-game purchases including random items, and EA says progress and Apex Coins carry over through your EA account.

On PS5, Xbox and PC the free deal is the same: identical Legends, identical Battle Pass tiers and the same shop. Prices in pounds vary by platform store and discounts come and go, so the figures on this page are a snapshot from 3 November 2026 rather than fixed prices.

All versions need an EA account and an internet connection, and Apex has no offline mode.

Apex Legends subscription rules by console

• PS5: EA's FAQ says PS Plus is not needed, and Sony's PS Plus FAQ names Apex Legends among free-to-play games that don't require a membership.
• Xbox: EA says no Xbox subscription is needed; Microsoft makes free-to-play online multiplayer free.
• Switch 2: EA says Nintendo Switch Online is not needed to play Apex.

You do need an EA account and a permanent internet connection on every platform.