Apex Legends: Latest Update Patch Notes (14th April 2026)
Apex Legends' latest patch tidies up a handful of cosmetic bugs and makes some notable matchmaking changes for Ranked players.
A small but tidy patch landed for Apex Legends yesterday, and while it's light on headline-grabbing content, the matchmaking changes are the part most Ranked players will actually feel.
On the bug fix side, the April 14 update addresses visual issues across several Legends: Catalyst's Toxic Empress skin gets its glow effects back, Valkyrie's jetpack handles stop disappearing, and Fuse's Knuckle Cluster holder now displays correctly. Wattson players were also getting phantom audio from Hardlight barriers being built and destroyed near her tactical and ultimate placements in the ring, which sounds maddening in a tense late-game situation. Good to see that squashed.
The matchmaking adjustments are more interesting. Respawn is increasing maximum queue times slightly at the higher end of Ranked and pubs to tighten skill bands, which I think is the right call even if it means waiting longer. Longer queues are a fair trade for games that actually feel competitive. Drop Zone Ranked lobbies will also now show Ranked tier distribution by squad rather than individual player, bringing them in line with standard lobbies. There's also a 4-hour Ranked map rotation test running in East Asia for the rest of the split. Everything in the update is listed below.
Full Patch Notes
Hey all, we have made the following changes.
FIXED:
- Catalyst's Toxic Empress skin now has the appropriate glow visual effects, in-match
- Valkyrie's jetpack handles are no longer missing in specific scenarios
- Fuse's Knuckle Cluster holder is now properly displayed
- Wattson players will no longer hear Hardlight rebuilding and being destroyed as a result of her tactical/ultimate placement in the ring
- Game stability improvements on the Switch 2
We are also making the following changes to matchmaking in an effort to provide the best possible match quality for players:
ADJUSTED:
- We are increasing maximum queue times slightly for players at the higher end of Ranked and pubs. Our goal is tighter skill bands and more competitive games across the board.
- For Drop Zone Ranked matches, we will be displaying Ranked tier distribution charts of squads, not individual players consistent with non-Drop Zone lobbies.
TESTING:
- We are testing a 4 hour Ranked map rotation schedule in East Asia for the rest of the split. *We do not recommend changing servers as it will result in much higher pings.
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Written by
Nathan LeesGaming journalist and founder of XP Gained. Covering patch notes, breaking news, and updates across 160+ games.
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