Apex Legends, now in its fifth year, remains one of the most popular titles on the gaming scene, and its 2024 player count continues to impress when compared to other titles.
When Apex Legends launched in February 2019, few anticipated that Respawn’s inaugural venture into the battle royale genre would achieve such monumental success. Released amid Fortnite’s dominance, Apex Legends distinguished itself with its unique three-man squad gameplay.
Over time, it has weathered the emergence of rivals like Warzone and new FPS challengers such as The FINALS and XDefiant, still standing strong as one of the most played battle royale games globally.
Despite initial skepticism, Apex Legends’ player count soared to 1 million within just 24 hours of its launch on February 4, 2019. By the end of the inaugural week, it had garnered 25 million players, ultimately reaching 50 million within the first month.
Even after more than five years, Apex Legends continues to draw in new participants.
Player Count in 2024
Apex Legends boasts 18 million active monthly players in 2024, as reported by EA during their FY2024 Q1 earnings call on August 1, 2023.
However, during the Q1 2025 earnings call on July 30, 2024, EA’s Chief Financial Officer Stuart Cranfield acknowledged that the game experienced a “year-on-year decline.” Fortunately, Cranfield noted that this decline improved sequentially and aligned with the company’s expectations, but no updated player count figures were provided during this briefing.
Decline in Apex Legends’ Average Player Count
This insight from Stuart Cranfield is evident when examining the average and peak player counts for Apex Legends. In September, there was a 10.65% decline in average players, averaging 107,227 according to SteamCharts. Over the past five months, three of those months recorded a net loss, with two witnessing a 16.5% decrease.
A similar trend is observed with the peak player count during the same five-month period, notably decreasing in September 2024. That month, the peak player count on Steam was 249,334, marking the lowest number since January 2022.
It’s important to consider the context surrounding these statistics and charts. These numbers only reflect data from Steam and do not account for performance on consoles such as PS5 or Xbox Series X/S.
Additionally, it’s noteworthy that September followed the start of Season 22 and preceded the launch of Season 23, which could explain the player drop-off. Nonetheless, reaching the lowest player count in over two years raises some concerns.
Apex Legends’ Player Count Compared to Other Games
Even as these figures decline, Apex Legends continues to thrive in the FPS landscape. When benchmarked against other first-person shooters on Steam, it consistently outperforms many competitors.
Using a 30-day rolling average, the table below illustrates that Apex remains a significant force in the FPS competition, surpassing several prominent titles on the platform.
| Game | 30-Day Average |
|---|---|
| Apex Legends | 114,478 |
| Call of Duty | 70,480 |
| Counter-Strike 2 | 887,623 |
| Overwatch 2 | 35,879 |
| Team Fortress 2 | 57,823 |
| Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege | 49,194 |
| The FINALS | 16,306 |
However, it’s crucial to remember that SteamCharts only includes data from Valve’s platform and does not factor in performance on consoles or alternative launchers. For instance, many Call of Duty and Overwatch players access the games via Battle.net instead of Steam, resulting in higher overall numbers.
Nonetheless, the statistics indicate that Apex remains competitive, though it is unlikely to dethrone Valve’s FPS king, Counter-Strike.
Total Player Count
Over 130 million players have engaged with Apex Legends throughout its history. This figure was last verified in 2022, so it is presumably much higher now.
On April 14, 2021, Respawn declared that Apex Legends had reached 100 million total players, a milestone largely driven by its debut on Steam and Nintendo Switch.
In EA’s earnings call in February 2022, the publisher announced that the monthly active player count had “increased by over 30% year-on-year in Q3.”
“With over 28 million new players joining in the previous year and the ongoing introduction of new seasons and in-game events, FY 2022 marked the most successful year for Apex to date.”
While the precise player count remains undisclosed, we can safely estimate that approximately 130 million players have experienced the game since then.
What is Apex Legends’ Peak Player Count?
Apex Legends launched on Steam in November 2020, achieving an all-time peak player count exceeding 620,000 during Season 16.
This article will be regularly updated with player data, so be sure to check back to see how many players are logging into Apex Legends each day.
For assistance in selecting the best Legends and weapons, check out our Legends and weapons tier lists to outmaneuver your opponents.
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