Respawn has revealed a major Apex Legends Ranked overhaul, with Legend bans, new ranks, scoring changes, and a fresh league structure rolling out across two seasons. If you’ve struggled with uneven lobbies or hit a wall after reaching Diamond, several of these changes target those frustrations directly.
Season 31 arrives in November 2026, bringing Legend bans in Diamond+ matches, adjusted entry costs for uneven lobbies, and easier access to Ranked. Season 32 follows in early 2027, introducing Iron, Emerald, and Grandmaster ranks alongside the Open League and Pro-Am League structure.
In brief:
- Season 31 adds vote-weighted Legend bans to matches containing Diamond+ players.
- Challenger and Goliath matches adjust entry costs based on your squad’s rank compared with the lobby.
- Season 32 introduces three new ranks and divides Ranked into Open League and Pro-Am League.
- Team kill RP, revised rewards, and a scoring overhaul are also planned for Season 32.
Apex Legends Season 31 Adds Legend Banning
Legend banning is coming to Ranked matches with Diamond+ players, alongside Drop Zone deployment. Before choosing a character, every player will enter a dedicated banning phase and nominate one Legend.
Those votes determine each nominated Legend’s probability of being banned. More votes increase the chance, but the final selection is random, weighted by those percentages. Any Legends selected for a ban become unavailable to everyone in that match.
So, that means the most-voted Legend could still make it through. Respawn says automatically banning the most popular targets could establish a predictable banning meta, undermining its goal of shaking up team compositions.
Challenger and Goliath Matches Change Ranked Entry Costs
Season 31 will also adjust entry costs when squads face opponents significantly above or below their rank.
Each match receives a visible Lobby Tier, based on the median rank of its squads. Squads at least two rank tiers away from that designation receive an adjustment:
- Challenger match: Your squad is at least two tiers below the Lobby Tier, reducing your entry cost.
- Goliath match: Your squad is at least two tiers above the Lobby Tier, increasing your entry cost.
Respawn’s example uses a Gold lobby. Bronze squads qualify as Challengers, while a Diamond squad becomes a Goliath. Silver, Gold, and Platinum squads fall within the standard range.
These adjustments appear before the action starts, giving you a clearer idea of what you need to earn positive RP. Respawn will monitor progression and tune the adjustments as needed.
Ranked Access Returns to Account Level 20
Road to Ranked Challenges are being removed in Season 31. Access will return to requiring Account Level 20.
Respawn says the challenges were less effective than intended as a readiness check, while also taking some players too much time and effort to complete. The developer will continue reviewing the level requirement.
Demotion Protection Gets a Clearer Display
The existing demotion protection system will become easier to see in the UI.
When activated, it provides three Demotion Shields. A result that would otherwise cause a demotion consumes a shield, protecting players until those shields are exhausted. Protection also ends when a player gains enough RP to move safely beyond the risk of a single-match demotion.
Apex Legends Season 32 Introduces Iron, Emerald and Grandmaster
The expanded rank structure arrives in Season 32, with three additions changing the climb:
| Rank | What changes |
|---|---|
| Iron | Replaces Rookie and operates as a standard rank without Rookie’s special rules. |
| Emerald | Sits between Platinum and Diamond, with four divisions, a new badge, and Aura representation. |
| Grandmaster | Becomes the highest progression tier. Finishing in its top 750 at the end of the season earns a Predator badge. |
Emerald is intended to ease the bottleneck around Diamond. Respawn will also rebalance progression RP, so players may find that their usual finishing rank changes under the new structure.
Open League and Pro-Am League Explained
Season 32 divides the Ranked climb into two leagues with different priorities.
Open League covers Iron through Emerald. Matches begin from the Dropship, and scoring puts slightly more emphasis on kills. Placement will still provide a strong route to earning RP.
Pro-Am League covers Diamond, Masters, and Grandmaster. These matches use Drop Zone deployment and Legend banning. Masters also gains four divisions on the climb toward Grandmaster.
Pro-Am scoring will prioritize placement over kills, encouraging competitive endgames and bringing the points balance closer to ALGS competition.
The Pro-Am League is part of the in-game Ranked overhaul. Respawn’s announcement describes a new structure for high-ranked players, rather than a replacement for the ALGS Pro League.
Season 32 Ranked Scoring Gives Everyone Full Team Kill RP
One of the biggest changes is shared kill credit. Every player will receive full kill RP for every elimination their team earns, regardless of individual contribution.
Assists and participation scoring are being removed as part of that change. Players supporting their squad through healing or other utility will receive the same kill RP as the teammate securing the elimination.
Respawn is also simplifying the wider scoring system:
- Fixed kill RP: Kill value will no longer increase based on final placement.
- Fixed placement RP: Each finishing position will have a set RP value.
- Entry costs rise by division: Costs will increase more gradually throughout the climb, replacing jumps only at rank-tier boundaries.
Exact scoring values will be shared closer to launch.
Ranked Rewards Are Changing, and Weekly Ladders Are Leaving
Season 32’s reward plans include seasonal Auras, more ways to use them, Epic and Legendary Apex Packs, and rewards granted upon promotion.
Respawn is also revisiting Ranked Dive Trails, with further details coming closer to the season’s release.
Weekly Ladders will be removed in Season 32. The studio says it is rethinking limited-time competition and plans to explain more next year. Further Ranked updates are also planned beyond Season 32.
