Apex Legends is giving Titanfall 2 multiplayer a small burst of life

Now's not a bad time to give Titanfall 2's multiplayer a try. With the massive popularity of Respawn's free-to-play battle royale spin-off Apex Legends, some players are wondering what they might've missed out on when Titanfall 2 released back in October of 2016. People really came around on that campaign, but the multiplayer population began dwindling shortly after release. It's still one of my favorite multiplayer games of the last decade, something I was sure PC players would glom onto.

No such luck. The timing was terrible. Titanfall 2 released exactly one week after Battlefield 1, a classic series making a long-awaited return to a historical setting that apparently inspired a little too much FOMO. Titanfall 2's playerbase never quite recovered. Enough people played to reliably find matches, but queue times could take a while and once you were in, you were in with the sharks. Anyone still playing Titanfall 2 before Apex Legends released is very, very good at Titanfall 2.

So when Apex Legends took everyone by surprise, I couldn't help but think, I told you so. Even sans titans and wall-running, Apex's snappy shooting and smooth sliding made enough players curious to know more about Respawn's earlier work. Threads have since popped up on the Titanfall 2, Apex, and PC gaming subreddits from players giving it a go or encouraging others to, and the consensus is in: Titanfall 2 still kicks ass.

Read our glowing review for more on exactly how, but it's really simple: Parkour meets laser tag. Also, everyone gets to become a large robotic ape and wreck shit a few times a match. If you like how the guns of Call of Duty feel but want more freedom of movement, including wall-running, double-jumps, and crouch-slides that might never end, Titanfall 2 is for you.

Join us. Titanfall 2 is $20 on Origin right now, which is great deal for the campaign alone. You'll often find it available for less than $10 during sales, too. You can also give it a shot through Origin's basic subscription at $5 a month.

There are enough people playing on PC to get into an Attrition match within a minute on a weekday, so chances are it'll be even easier after work hours and on weekends. I'll be playing a match or two every lunch break while I decompress after playing a ton of Apex Legends for review, so maybe we'll run into each other soon.

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James is stuck in an endless loop, playing the Dark Souls games on repeat until Elden Ring and Silksong set him free. He's a truffle pig for indie horror and weird FPS games too, seeking out games that actively hurt to play. Otherwise he's wandering Austin, identifying mushrooms and doodling grackles.