Apex Legends Season 26 patch notes: New Wildcard mode, Legend reworks and more
Respawn has officially revealed the full patch details for Apex Legends Season 26, titled Showdown, releasing on August 5.
The headline addition is the new mode, Wildcard, which is being added permanently, as well as reworks to Bangalore and Caustic. There is no new Legend this season, but there is a new weapon – sort of – thanks to a reworked RE-45.
Here are the full Season 26 patch notes.
Apex Season 26 patch notes
LEGEND UPDATES
In addition to some Controller class updates, we’ve also taken a pass at two smokeshow Legends. Good to have you back in the meta, Gas Daddy and Bangydang.
Caustic’s gas should be deadly enough to live up to the fantasy, but lately it’s felt a little toothless. With the updates detailed below, Nox Gas has become something Caustics can trust to threaten or hold an area for a long time with windows that attackers can play around. Also, Caustic’s new Field Research perk allows him to gain additional Legend Updates—making him the first to be able to get all four upgrades at once!
With a whole new Legend Upgrade tree, Bangalore’s been given tons of new flexibility. Among these new options, are new breaching mechanics that allow you to clear out entrenched enemies.
GAMEPLAY ADDITIONS
We’ve got three powerful additions to the Outlands with Showdown. Read on for an overview or dive into specifics with Patch Notes sections further down:
Key adjustments have been made to better reflect your performance and risks. Entry costs, placement RP, and kill points have been tuned to create more room for performance-based variance and rewarding consistent well-rounded play. The updated Challenger Bonus gives more RP to players who take on and win fights against higher-tier opponents. And those aren’t the only Ranked updates in Showdown.
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NEW: DROP ZONES
Drop Zones will start Ranked matches faster and fairer with squads automatically spread out across POIs. Before the match starts, you’ll see a preview of your Drop Zone with a ping-able map for strategic co-ordination before locking in your Legends. Loot has been fairly distributed across POIs, so no Hot Zones here. Keep your head up, though. There’s always the chance a neighboring squad will contest by skydiving in.
Introducing a brand new cosmetic option: Auras. When equipped, your Aura will be visible in the lobby, Legend selection, and during podium moments. In matches: during dives, emoting in 3rd-person, and it’s visible for both of the engaged players when reviving or finishing. you’re able to toggle your clout on/off in the Legend Locker.
Every player with access to Ranked will get the “Ascension Crest” Aura after logging-in after Showdown’s launch and it will reactively reflect your Ranked Tier going forward. Those still working on their Road to Ranked will be granted this Aura once Ranked is unlocked.
Time to recognize players and their squadmates for all that they do during a match—not just winning. From pulling off tricky double kills to expertly blocking damage for your squad, Accolades highlight actions that often go unnoticed, uncelebrated, and untracked. They’re designed to celebrate varying playstyles and skill, and can be earned in Unranked, Ranked, Wildcard, and Mixtape with each tracking separately.
Each Accolade has up to four tiers for you to achieve as you progress and they’ll award XP too. Post-match, the summary will show your earned Accolades and your Gladiator Card the top three. you may earn and record multiple Accolades each day, but there’s a cap of 2200XP for these per day. Find the full list and your tracking under Account Progression, including descriptions, targets, and those you’ve earned this season, per mode, and how many times you’ve hit them.
CHALLENGE UPDATE
We’ve updated our challenge system to try and help you progress more consistently no matter which mode you choose. Most challenges that used to require specific modes or had dual targets now count across all modes, making it easier to play how you want and still finish your Battle Pass.
To keep time-to-completion balanced, some challenge targets have increased and we’ve added progression boosts to some modes. For example, “Deal 10K damage as a Skirmisher or Assault Legend” gets a 2x progress modifier in BR to match it to Mixtape’s completion time.
This is part of our long-term goal to create challenges that support a wider range of playstyles. Jump in, play your way, and get rewarded just like before.
NEW REWARD FLOW
Based on your feedback around reward confusion, we’ve created a new summary to showcase your hard work and rewards without the plethora of pop-ups. You’ll now be able to see each reward (including those occasionally granted silently), how it was earned, and additional details all at once—giving you more time to celebrate those Ws.
NINTENDO SWITCH 2
Apex Legends is now available to download on Nintendo Switch 2! Log into Apex Legends on your Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2 before July 30, 2025 to automatically receive the “P.A.T.H.” Pathfinder skin!**
**Requires EA account & all game updates. Applicable platform account &/or subscription may be required. Only available on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Must log in to Apex Legends (available separately) by July 04, 2025 to claim. Limit 1 per account.
PATCH NOTES
BALANCE UPDATES
Care Package
Gold Weapon Rotation
EVO Harvesters
Dev Note: EVO Harvesters haven’t seen many adjustments, so it’s time to shake things up. We’re removing spawns at the edges of playable space and preventing them from the center of POIs. This could lead to unfair starts where some levelled up quickly by chance, while others were left behind. Now intentional strategic moves will be needed to access Harvesters. With fewer of them, the chances of bumping into enemies is high, but the reward is too with nearly enough EVO to level up.
GAMEPLAY UPDATES
Dev Note: Amps are a new vector to explore when creating and optimizing your loadout. Your choice could be influenced by playstyle, team composition, weapons, and the bedlam each match provides. The Amp you want in one match may not be the one you need in the next.
NEW: Elite Weapons
NEW: Locked Hop-Ups
World’s Edge: Rampart’s Big Maude
Extended Supply Bins
Weapon Supply Bins
Legendary Supply Bins
Controller Class
Dev Note: Controllers should have priority when taking key spots and defending, so we’ve buffed their perks so they can get to zone early and fight with less loot.
Dev Note: Bangalore is always fun to play, which also makes her a prime candidate to buff into a flex pick. We’ve updated her upgrades to give her more choices and be a stronger balancing force overall. Similar to how other Controllers are set to answer highly mobile Legends, Bangalore can now be the one to tackle slower, more defensive metas.
Dev Note: At long last Nox Gas is powerful enough to be scary, even lethal again. To balance this out, we’ve made it reactive to explosions and player abilities. We hope this makes Caustic feel powerful and more relevant, while offering opponents a way to counterplay if they’re smart about using resources.
AMMO & ATTACHMENTS
NEW Hop-Up Booster
LOCKED HOP-UPS
Accelerator
Dev Note: Accelerator has been a very powerful Hop-Up since its addition. We want to keep its power high while incentivizing you to use these weapons more, rather than just shoving them in your secondary slot or sling (looking at you Ballistic mains).
Graffiti Mod
Gun Shield Generator
Selectfire Receiver
Skull Piercer
Devotion LMG
M600 Spitfire & Rampage LMG
Dev Note: LMGs were feeling especially oppressive in close quarters combat and reverse hipfire contributes to a lot of that. They’re a strong and relevant weapon class, but recognize that we need to tamp down on some of that spray gameplay.
Akimbo P2020 (Care Package)
RE-45 Burst
RE-45 Auto
EVA-8 Auto(Previous Hotfix)
Mozambique Shotgun
Peacekeeper (Floor Loot)
NEW: E-District Daytime
MAP ROTATIONS
Unranked & Ranked
Mixtape(August 5-August 17, 2025)
Trios & Duos(August 5-August 11, 2025)
Wildcard(August 5-18, 2025)
Wildcard(September 9-15, 2025)
Drop Zones Details
Dev Note: Ranked matches should allow you to get into the match before it’s over—bad drops can ruin that and lose you RP. Drop Zones means that all players will land at relatively the same time and have a shot at survival without waiting for the Dropship to unload. Contested drops are still possible, but limited and manageable: no more will half the lobby drop on the same POI. You’ll get the best chance at loot in your assigned Drop Zone, but efficient looting is still important in case enemies invade.
Heat Shields
Dev Note: Stalling near the Ring and doing long out-of-Ring rotations will now be even riskier. You’ll need to rely on good positioning in order to survive into the late game.
Challenger Bonus: reworked bonuses when eliminating higher-ranked opponents
Entry Cost Adjustment
Kill Points Adjustment
Placement Points Adjustment
Dev Note: Based on your feedback and the Reddit AMA, the Wallhack report option is back! If you encounter impossible game sense, let us know by reporting them.
