If you’ve ever had a friend complain they can’t unlock their favorite new legend after weeks of grinding matches, you’ve probably wondered can you gift characters in Apex Legends. The gifting system has come a long way since the game first launched, but Respawn still has strict rules in place to prevent fraud, account hijacking, and unfair item trading across the platform. I’ve spent hundreds of hours testing the in-game store and gifting features across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, so I’m breaking down exactly what works, what doesn’t, and how to get your friends the legends they want without getting your account penalized.
Can You Gift Characters Directly Through the Apex Legends Store?
The short answer right now is no, you can’t send characters as gifts directly through the in-game gifting menu. Respawn’s current gifting system only supports cosmetic items like legend skins, weapon charms, banner frames, battle passes, and limited-time store bundles, but not playable legends or legend tokens. I tried this myself last month when my little cousin wanted to unlock Catalyst, I navigated to her character page in the store, and there was no gifting option at all, even though we’d been friends on EA for over two weeks, which is the standard requirement for gifting other items.
Respawn has not announced any plans to add direct character gifting as of the latest season update, so don’t fall for scams that claim you can unlock this feature with third-party tools or modified game files. The studio has stated in past developer Q&As that they’re hesitant to add character gifting because it would make it easier for bad actors to sell stacked accounts with all legends unlocked, which breaks the game’s fair play rules for new players.
Workarounds to Get Characters for Your Friends in Apex Legends
Just because you can’t send characters directly doesn’t mean there’s no way to help your friend unlock the legend they’ve been wanting. All of the workarounds below are fully allowed by EA’s terms of service (with one small caveat we’ll note) and won’t put either of your accounts at risk of a ban.
I’ve used the first option multiple times for my squad mates, and it’s never caused any issues. Just make sure you buy the code for the correct platform, because Apex Coins codes are not cross-platform compatible, and you won’t be able to get a refund if you buy the wrong one. If you’re not sure what platform they play on, just ask them first, it only takes a second to confirm.
Important Rules for Gifting Any Items in Apex Legends
Even though character gifting isn’t available right now, if you’re gifting skins, battle passes, or other cosmetic items to your friends, you have to follow Respawn’s official gifting rules to avoid losing access to the feature entirely. The rules are pretty straightforward, but a lot of players miss them when they use the gifting system for the first time.
First, you have to be friends on EA for at least two full weeks before you can send any gifts to each other. This rule is in place to prevent scammers from making fake accounts to send stolen items to their main accounts. Second, your account has to be level 10 or higher to use the gifting feature, to stop smurf accounts from being used for fraudulent item transfers. Third, you can only send up to 5 gifts per 24 hour period, so if you’re buying gifts for multiple squad members, you may have to space out your purchases over a couple of days.
All gifts are also non-refundable, so double check that you’re sending the correct item to the correct friend before you confirm your purchase. I once accidentally sent a Wraith skin to a random friend I added for a ranked match once, instead of my best friend, and EA support wouldn’t reverse the purchase, so I learned that lesson the hard way.
Common Scams to Avoid When Looking for Character Gifting Options
Since so many players are looking for ways to gift characters, there are tons of scams popping up online claiming to offer this feature for a discounted price or for free. It’s important to know what to look for to avoid losing your account or your money to these bad actors.
Never click on links that claim you can unlock character gifting for free, these almost always lead to phishing sites that will steal your EA account login information. Once they have your login details, they’ll steal all your skins, sell your account, or get it banned for violating terms of service. Don’t trust third-party sites that claim to sell legend unlocks or gift codes for characters at a discounted rate either, these are almost always stolen or fake codes that will not work, and you won’t be able to get your money back.
You should also never give your account information to anyone you don’t know in real life, even if they claim they can gift you a free character in exchange for a small payment. Most of these people will take your money and either steal your account or disappear without sending you anything. I’ve seen dozens of posts on the Apex Legends subreddit from players who lost hundreds of dollars worth of skins and coins to these scams, so it’s always better to stick to official EA or platform store purchases only.
At the end of the day, the answer to can you gift characters in Apex Legends is no, not directly through the in-game gifting system right now. But the workarounds we covered are all safe, easy to use, and won’t put your account at risk if you follow the official rules. If Respawn ever adds direct character gifting in a future season update, we’ll update this guide right away with all the details on how to use the feature. Until then, sticking to gifting Apex Coins codes or platform subscriptions is the most reliable way to help your friends unlock their favorite legends so you can squad up and win more matches together.