I’ve been grinding Apex Legends since its first season back in 2019, and one of the most common questions I get from new players who see me rocking rare legend skins is do you have to pay for apex legends to have a good time. It’s a fair question, too, with so many modern “free-to-play” games locking core content behind paywalls or pushing expensive battle passes so hard you feel like you’re missing out if you don’t buy in. I’ve played hundreds of hours without spending a single dollar, and I’ve also dropped cash on a few skins I really loved, so I’ve seen both sides of the coin. This guide breaks down exactly what’s free, what costs money, and whether spending actually improves your experience at all.
Do You Have to Pay for Apex Legends to Access Core Content?
The short answer here is no, you never have to spend real money to access any core part of Apex Legends. All core gameplay content is 100% free for every player, no strings attached. That includes every current and future map, all permanent and limited-time game modes, full access to ranked play, and the base roster of six powerful legends that are available from the moment you make an account. The starting legends (Wraith, Bangalore, Lifeline, Pathfinder, Gibraltar, and Bloodhound) are all viable at every rank, including the highest Predator tier, so you don’t need to unlock extra characters to compete.
Additional legends can be unlocked for free using Legend Tokens, a currency you earn automatically every time you level up your account. You get 600 Legend Tokens per level, and most legends cost 12,000 Tokens to unlock, which works out to roughly 20 levels of play, or 10 to 15 hours of casual gameplay. Cross-progression is also free for all players, so you can carry your progress, unlocks, and cosmetics across PC, console, and mobile devices without paying for any special access.
You don’t even need to pay to access ranked play, which is a huge difference from a lot of other competitive games that lock ranked modes behind a paid upgrade or one-time purchase. All you have to do to hit ranked is reach level 10, which takes most new players 4 to 5 hours of casual play. There are no hidden fees or paywalls for any part of the actual game experience.
What Optional Purchases Are Available in Apex Legends?
While core content is completely free, Respawn does offer optional in-game purchases for players who want to customize their experience or support the game. None of these purchases give any in-game advantage, and all are entirely optional. The main paid offerings include:
- Battle Passes: Each season has a paid battle pass that costs 950 Apex Coins (roughly $9.99) and unlocks exclusive skins, Apex Coins, charms, and other cosmetic rewards as you level it up. The free track of every battle pass still gives out limited cosmetics, Apex Packs, and Legend Tokens, so you don’t miss out on functional rewards if you skip the paid track.
- Apex Coins: The premium in-game currency that you can buy with real cash, used to purchase battle passes, skins, legend unlocks, and event-exclusive items. You can also earn up to 1000 Apex Coins per paid battle pass, which is enough to buy the next season’s pass for free if you level it fully.
- Legend Skins & Cosmetics: These include character skins, weapon skins, banner frames, finishers, and voice lines, all of which are purely cosmetic and do not give any in-game advantage. Rare skins are often sold in the in-game store for limited windows, or available through event passes.
- Legend Unlocks (Alternative Option): If you don’t want to wait to earn enough Legend Tokens to unlock a new character, you can buy them directly with Apex Coins. This is completely optional, though, and most regular players unlock every legend within a few months of regular play without spending.
I’ve only spent money on Apex twice in four years, both times for limited edition skins for legends I mained and played every single day. I never felt pressured to buy either, and I skipped dozens of other skins I thought looked cool but didn’t love enough to pay for. The store rotates items every week, and most popular skins eventually return, so you never have to rush a purchase if you don’t have extra cash to spare.
It’s also worth noting that you can earn enough Apex Coins from a single paid battle pass to buy every future battle pass for free, as long as you level each pass to level 90 before the season ends. Many long-time players buy one pass once and never have to pay for another again, which is a pretty fair deal if you play regularly.
Is Apex Legends Pay-to-Win in Any Way?
This is the question I get more than any other, and I can say with absolute certainty after thousands of hours of play that Apex Legends has zero pay-to-win mechanics. Every single paid item in the game is purely cosmetic, and there is no way to buy better weapons, better stats, or a competitive advantage of any kind. A player with a $20 legendary weapon skin deals exactly the same damage as a player using the default skin for the same gun.
Some new players worry that buying legends early gives an advantage, but that’s not the case either. All legends are balanced to be viable, and new legends are usually adjusted within a few weeks of release to fix any overpowered abilities. I’ve seen new players drop $20 on a legend they end up hating, just because they didn’t want to wait a week to earn enough Legend Tokens. That’s such a waste of cash, especially when most new legends get balanced within a month of release anyway.
Apex Packs only contain cosmetic items and Legend Tokens, so even loot boxes don’t give any competitive edge. I’ve seen zero-spend players hit Predator rank, and I’ve seen players who’ve spent thousands of dollars on cosmetics stuck in Bronze. Skill, game sense, and team play are the only things that matter in Apex, and no amount of money can buy you those.
Respawn has also publicly committed multiple times to never adding pay-to-win content to the game, which is a big part of why the community has remained so loyal over the years. You never have to worry about being at a disadvantage just because you don’t want to spend money.
Tips for Enjoying Apex Legends Without Spending Money
I’ve played most of my Apex career as a free-to-play player, and I’ve unlocked every legend, earned dozens of free skins, and even gotten a few battle passes for free without spending a cent. These are the tips I share with every new player who wants to enjoy the game without opening their wallet.
First, prioritize earning Legend Tokens to unlock legends before you spend them on anything else. You can also spend Tokens on recolor skins for weapons and legends, but it’s better to unlock all the characters you want to play first so you can experiment with different playstyles. Most players find their main within the first 10 legends they unlock, so you don’t need to rush to unlock every single one right away.
Second, always complete the free battle pass track every season. The free track gives out Apex Packs, Legend Tokens, and even small amounts of Apex Coins as you level up. If you save those Apex Coins, you can eventually buy a battle pass for free, and if you level that pass to 90, you’ll earn enough Coins to buy the next season’s pass for free too. I’ve had a chain of free battle passes going for three years now just from doing this.
Third, don’t sleep on limited-time event challenges. Most events have a free reward track with exclusive skins, charms, and other cosmetics that you can earn just by playing the game and completing simple challenges. Last year’s Halloween event gave out three free legendary skins for completing challenges, and I didn’t spend a single cent to get all of them.
Finally, don’t feel pressured to buy limited-time skins just because they say “rare” or “limited edition”. Almost every skin in the Apex store eventually cycles back around, so if you can’t afford a skin right now, you’ll almost certainly get another chance to buy it later, or even earn it for free in a future event.
So at the end of the day, do you have to pay for apex legends? The short answer is no, not at all, unless you want to buy specific cosmetic items to customize your play experience. Spending money in the game is entirely optional, and you can reach the highest ranks, unlock every legend, and play every game mode without ever pulling out your credit card. If you do decide to spend, stick to items you really love, and don’t feel pressured to buy anything just because it’s limited time. At the end of the day, Apex is meant to be fun, and fun doesn’t have to cost a thing.