Apex Legends could soon get Solo and Duos modes

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A dataminer discovered references to '2-man squads' and 'solo mode.'

Respawn's surprise hit battle royale Apex Legends only supports play in squads of three, which is a little unusual given that the other big-name games in the genre—Fortnite, PUBG, Blackout—offer solo and duo play as well as squads. But if the information dug up by Fortnite dataminer ShiinaBR (who is apparently now branching into Apex Legends) is correct, solo and duo modes are on the way to Apex, too. 

The fine print in the posted image makes a few relevant references, to "2-man Squads" and "#SOLO_MODE," which are fairly self-explanatory despite the absence of any further detail.

The year-one roadmap makes no mention of new modes in the works, but it makes sense that they'd be coming, if only because the other games support them and there's no reason for Respawn to leave that flank exposed. What is a little surprising is that there seems to be some resistance to the idea: Several threads on the Apex Legends subreddit take the position that the game was designed for three-person play, and that messing with that formula, particularly with solos, will take away from everything that makes it special.

Personally, I'm of the "build it and see if anyone comes" mindset: I love the strategic aspect of trios but sometimes I'd like to strike out on my own and see how long I can last as a renegade solo hunter (which is to say, hiding behind an out-of-the-way bush) without feeling bad about the other two schmoes I left in the lurch. I'm not saying I've done that, by the way, but I'm not not saying it, either.

In another not-terribly-surprising development, a leak from last week indicated that ranked play is also on the way. I've reached out to EA for more information and will update if I receive a reply.

Thanks, GamesRadar.

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.