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Apex Legends
Apex Legends
Jun 24, 2026
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Solo-Queue Test Scheduled for June 30th

3/5 Moderate

TESTDiamond+ players will soon be restricted to solo-queue in Ranked, while global matchmaking now features 60-second search windows and 4.5-hour map rotations.

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Key Changes

  • 1Diamond and above players will be restricted to solo-queue only in Ranked for a Season 29 test
  • 2Matchmaking search window increased from 30s to 60s to improve lobby skill parity
  • 3Ranked map rotations permanently shortened from 24 hours to 4.5 hours
  • 4Ranked premade squads now limited to a 1-tier difference instead of 2
  • 5Bot-fill enabled for mid-tier Unranked lobbies to assist with off-hour matchmaking
  • 6New automatic safeguards implemented to prevent server database overloads

All Changes

🤝Matchmaking(3)

  • changeMatchmaker: Increased the initial search window from 30 seconds to 60 seconds before expanding skill-matching criteria.
  • newBots: Enabled bot-fill in mid-tier lobbies for Duos and Unranked Trios to improve match quality during off-hours.
  • nerfRanked: Limited Ranked premade squads to a 1-tier difference above or below, reduced from the previous 2-tier allowance.

🏆Ranked(1)

  • changeRanked: Shortened the Ranked map rotation from 24 hours to 4.5 hours globally.

🛠️Performance & Stability(2)

  • fixServers: Implemented automatic mechanisms to release queue pressure and recover from database overloads during outages.
  • fixInternal Systems: Enforced stricter adherence to internal change-management workflows to prevent future matchmaking failures.

📅Coming Soon(1)

  • changeDiamond+: Ranked will become solo-queue only for all players Diamond and above for a two-week test period in Season 29.

Summary

Matchmaking Overhaul

Respawn has detailed several major updates to the Apex Legends matchmaking system aimed at reducing skill disparity and improving teammate quality. Key changes include a global increase in the initial search window to 60 seconds, allowing the matchmaker more time to find fair opponents before widening its criteria. Additionally, bot-fill has been introduced to mid-tier unranked lobbies to facilitate faster, fairer matches during off-peak hours.

Ranked Updates

Ranked play sees significant structural changes with the permanent implementation of 4.5-hour map rotations, replacing the previous 24-hour cycle. A new restriction is also being tested that limits premade squads to a 1-tier rank difference. Most notably, an upcoming Season 29 test will temporarily restrict all players at Diamond rank and above to solo-queue only to address the coordination advantage of three-stack squads.

Stability & Process

Following recent service outages, the development team is implementing stricter change-management workflows and new technical safeguards. These include automatic mechanisms designed to release queue pressure and prevent database overloads during high-traffic failures.

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