Will Apex Legends shut down in 2026?

The Apex Legends shutdown matter is trending after information that Nintendo Change help is ending, main many gamers to concern the sport itself is shutting down. In actuality, many of the panic is rooted in combined alerts and outdated data.

Right here’s what’s formally confirmed, why the rumors began, and what Apex’s future actually seems to be like in 2026.

No. There’s no official announcement that Apex Legends is shutting down in 2026.

Nonetheless, the sport writer EA launched an official assertion confirming that Apex Legends Season 29 could be the ultimate replace for Change 1. From August 4, 2026, you received’t have the ability to play Apex Legends on Change 1 anymore.

Many gamers misunderstood this data as that means the whole sport would shut down, which merely isn’t the case. Relatively, Apex will proceed on Home windows PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Change 2, with future seasons nonetheless supported.

EA and Respawn didn’t reveal a selected purpose for his or her choice, however their announcement signifies a transparent route.

As Apex Legends evolves, the staff needs to maintain delivering a “high-quality expertise.” Nonetheless, the truth is that the Change 1 can not sustain with the place the sport is heading in 2026.

Typically, publishing studios usually section out older platforms when the {hardware} can’t sustain anymore, particularly in cross-platform video games. It is because supporting one weaker model slows improvement, since options and efficiency need to be constructed across the lowest-performing system.

The excellent news for Apex Legends Change gamers is that EA confirmed that each one in-game progress, purchases, and earnings are linked to your EA account. Which means that all objects, together with Apex Cash, will carry over to Nintendo Change 2, even when the console is bought after August 4, 2026.

Apex Legends Cellular shut down in Could 2023, lower than a yr after its international launch. Regardless of sturdy preliminary downloads, long-term engagement and monetization failed to satisfy expectations.

The Apex Legends Cellular shutdown might be a significant purpose gamers fear about the primary sport’s future. Nonetheless, the 2 conditions aren’t actually comparable.

Digital Arts and Respawn Leisure discontinued Apex Legends Cellular after deciding it couldn’t be supported to the usual a live-service sport wants.

Regardless of a powerful launch, the staff stated the sport’s content material fell quick in “high quality, amount, and cadence.”

Sure. Based mostly on the present lively participant depend throughout main platforms, Apex may be very a lot “alive” in 2026.

In accordance with SteamCharts, Apex Legends averaged 93,484 concurrent gamers on Steam in 2025, peaking at 262,219 lively customers in Could of the identical yr. What’s extra, it’s nonetheless trending strongly into 2026.

In January 2026, SteamCharts reported a mean of 86,433 concurrent gamers, reflecting a 9.71% achieve from the earlier month.

In the long run, the speak about Apex Legends shutting down boils all the way down to confusion and misinformation—a basic case of “damaged phone.”

In August 2026, the unique Nintendo Change shall be discontinued as a result of it might’t sustain with new updates, however Apex will stay obtainable on its fundamental platforms with new seasons and updates. For many gamers, it’s merely a platform change, not the top of the sport.