If you’ve been scrolling TikTok or Twitch clips of insane Apex Legends clutch plays and are ready to jump into the fray yourself, the first thing you need to figure out is how do you download apex legends on pc. Unlike some other battle royales that are locked to a single storefront, Apex gives you multiple options to grab the game for free, no upfront cost required. I’ve helped dozens of my friends get set up over the last few years, so I’ve sorted out all the kinks and common mistakes that can slow down your first match.
First: Check If Your PC Meets Apex Legends Minimum Requirements
A lot of new players skip this step and end up frustrated when the game crashes mid-install or runs at unplayable 10fps once it’s installed. I’ve seen this happen to three of my roommates over the years, all of whom tried to download the game on 5-year-old laptops with only 4GB of RAM, thinking the “free to play” label meant it would run on anything. If you’re not sure how to check your PC specs, you can open your Windows settings, go to System > About, to see your CPU, RAM, and OS version, then check your graphics card specs in Device Manager under Display adapters.
Minimum specs are for 720p 30fps gameplay, so if you want smoother 1080p 60fps, go for the recommended requirements: an i5 3570K or Ryzen 5 CPU, 8GB RAM, and a GTX 970 or Radeon R9 290 graphics card. You’ll need an extra 10-15GB of free space for post-install updates, especially if you’re downloading around a new season drop, so don’t just clear exactly 22GB of space and assume that’s enough. You don’t need a high-end gaming PC to run Apex well, even mid-range laptops built in the last 5 years can hit 60fps on medium settings no problem.
Step-by-Step: How Do You Download Apex Legends on PC
The game is available for free on three major PC storefronts, so you can pick the one you already use most often to avoid installing extra launchers you don’t need. All three versions are exactly the same in terms of gameplay, cross-play support, and content, so there’s no advantage to picking one over the other besides convenience. Follow these simple steps for whichever platform you prefer:
- Option 1: EA App (Official Publisher Platform) First, download and install the EA App from the official site, create or log into your EA account, search for Apex Legends in the store bar, click "Download" on the game page, select your install folder, and wait for the base game and patches to install. You don’t need an EA Play subscription to play the base game, though it does give you bonus cosmetic drops and battle pass discounts if you choose to subscribe.
- Option 2: Steam (Most Popular for PC Players) Open your Steam client and log into your account, search for Apex Legends in the Steam Store, click "Play Game" on the store page, confirm your install location, and let Steam download and unpack the game files. Your Steam account will automatically link to your EA account the first time you launch the game, so make sure you have your EA login details handy if you already have an existing account with progress on console.
- Option 3: Epic Games Store If you prefer the Epic launcher, open the store and search for Apex Legends, click "Get" to add the game to your library for free, then go to your library tab and click install to start the download. Like Steam, you’ll need to link your Epic account to your EA account on first launch to sync any existing progress from console or other platforms.
No matter which platform you choose, the download size is roughly 22GB for the base game, but that can jump to 30GB or more if there’s a recent seasonal update available. I always recommend downloading the game over a wired Ethernet connection if you can, because Wi-Fi cuts out often enough to corrupt game files for 1 in 4 of my friends who tried to install it wirelessly. That means you’ll have to redownload the whole thing if files get corrupted, so it’s worth taking the extra 2 minutes to plug in an Ethernet cable if you have one.
If you already have the EA App installed for other EA games like FIFA or Battlefield, downloading Apex through the EA App is usually the fastest option, because it won’t require you to install a whole new launcher. If you play most of your games on Steam already, though, sticking to Steam makes more sense, since you’ll get all your Steam achievements and can easily see when your friends are online playing Apex. I personally use Steam for Apex, because I have most of my other games there and I like the automatic update feature that downloads patches while I’m at work.
Common Download Errors and How to Fix Them Fast
Even if you follow all the steps correctly, you might run into a few common issues, especially if you’re downloading right after a big season update drops. Most of these issues have super simple fixes that don’t require you to redownload the whole game, so don’t panic if you hit a snag.
The most common issue is slow download speeds that are way lower than what your internet plan usually gets. If this happens, pause all other downloads, close streaming apps or browser tabs that are using bandwidth, and make sure your launcher isn’t set to throttle download speeds in its settings menu. For Steam users, you can also change your download server to one closer to your location to get faster speeds, since overloaded distant servers often slow down downloads for popular games.
Another super common issue is the install getting stuck at 100% for 10 minutes or more. This isn’t a bug, it’s just the launcher unpacking and verifying game files, which can take a while depending on your hard drive speed. If it’s stuck for more than 30 minutes, restart the launcher and run a file verify scan to fix any corrupted files. One error I see all the time right after a new season drops is the “connection timed out” error when you first launch the game. This isn’t a problem with your install, it just means the servers are overloaded with thousands of players trying to log in at the same time. You don’t need to reinstall the game to fix this, just wait 30 minutes and try again, or log in outside of peak hours if you can.
If you get a “disk write error”, that usually means your hard drive is full, or your antivirus is blocking the launcher from writing files to your hard drive. Whitelist your launcher in your antivirus settings and make sure you have enough free space before trying again. If you get a “game not available” error, that usually means your account is set to a region where Apex is restricted, so update your account location settings to match your current physical location to fix it.
What to Do Right After You Finish Downloading
Once the download and install is complete, there are a few quick steps you can take to make your first play session go as smoothly as possible, instead of jumping straight into a match and running into avoidable issues. First, launch the game once to make sure it runs properly before you start customizing settings or linking accounts.
If you have an existing Apex account from PlayStation, Xbox or Switch, log in with the same EA account you used on your console to sync all your skins, battle pass progress, and rank, so you don’t have to start from scratch. Make sure you enable cross-play in settings if you want to play with friends on console or other PC platforms, it’s turned on by default for new accounts but sometimes gets disabled if you’re using an old EA account you haven’t used in a few years.
Next, run the in-game FPS benchmark to adjust your graphics settings to match your PC’s capabilities. You don’t need max settings to have fun, but turning down shadow quality and anti-aliasing can give you a huge FPS boost without making the game look bad. I always recommend new players go through the in-game firing range first to get used to the movement and guns before jumping into their first battle royale match, but that’s totally optional if you want to jump right into the action.
If you’re brand new to Apex, you don’t have to buy anything to play the full game. All legends are unlockable for free with in-game currency you earn from playing matches, so you don’t have to spend real money unless you want to buy cosmetic skins or the battle pass. I always tell new players to try out a few different legends in the firing range first to find one that fits their playstyle, before they spend their hard-earned in-game currency unlocking a new one. If you have friends who already play, ask them to join you for your first few matches, they can show you the best loot spots and how to use movement mechanics like sliding and wall bouncing to get an edge over other players.
At the end of the day, figuring out how do you download apex legends on pc is way simpler than a lot of new players expect, especially since the game is 100% free to play on all major PC storefronts. As long as you check your system requirements first, pick the storefront you already use most often, and follow the simple steps we laid out, you’ll be dropping into Kings Canyon in no time. If you run into any issues that aren’t covered here, most fixes are just a quick file verify away, so don’t panic if your first install hits a small snag. See you in the arena.