Year 4 of The Apex Legends™ Global Series

Apex Legends esports is built upon our incredible community around the world. It’s the combined passion and effort of all of our viewers, players, teams, creators, press, and staff that makes the ALGS possible. On behalf of everyone behind the scenes: Thank you. You all make the ALGS what it is, and we couldn’t be prouder of how far we’ve come together! We are so excited to go into more detail on how we will continue to support both you and the ALGS in Year 4, but first, we want to take a moment to look back on this past year.

Year 3 of the ALGS saw continued growth across the board. Every open registration tournament, including the Preseason Qualifiers 1-4 and the Challenger Circuit tournaments 1-8, saw more participating teams than its counterpart in Year 2. Overall, this resulted in a participation increase of 19% year-on-year (YoY)!

When it comes to viewership, Year 3 was our most viewed yet. 

• The Total Watch Time (TWT) of the ALGS Year 3 was 47.9 million hours, up 22% YoY!
  • This was driven by a YoY increase of 3.8 million hours across the Playoffs and Championship, and another 3.8 million hour increase across the NA, EMEA, and APAC-N Pro Leagues.
• The Average Minute Audience (AMA) of Year 3, which is essentially the number of people watching the ALGS at any given time while live, was 130,383, an increase of 13% YoY.
• On YouTube, the TWT of ALGS videos grew to 2.6 million hours, up 18% YoY!

We also need to take a minute to congratulate our ALGS Year 3 Champions, TSM, on their miraculous finish at the Championship a few weeks ago. 

Heading into match six of the Finals, TSM had only twenty-two points, while DreamFire and OpTic Gaming had both already surpassed the Match Point threshold. But TSM went on to pull off three back-to-back wins to secure the title, and, in the process, cemented themselves as one of the most prolific teams in Apex Legends esports history.

TSM with their trophy, moments after winning the ALGS Year 3 Championship

1st Place ($600,000): TSM

Jordan "Reps" Wolfe, Evan "Verhulst" Verhulst, Phillip “ImperialHal“ Dosen, and Raven (Coach)

2nd Place ($320,000): OpTic Gaming

William "SkittleCake" August, Logan "knoqdgg" Layou, Mark "DROPPED" Thees, and Levi "llo_0py" Arnett (Coach)

3rd Place ($210,000): BLVKHVND

Muamar "EzFlashKIDZ" Abrar, Ethan "PlayerKay" Foo, Gen Ghi "StrafingFlame" Subroto, and Justin "Voltic" Maunz (Coach)

Three ALGS LAN Competitions

ALGS Year 4 will again feature three LAN events, the Split 1 Playoffs ($1M prize pool), the Split 2 Playoffs ($1M prize pool), and our year-end Championship ($2M prize pool), for a total prize pool of $4,000,000 USD across these three competitions.

We’re not quite ready to share the dates and locations of these events, but we will follow up as soon as possible with everything you need to know about how you can witness the magic of the ALGS in person.

Welcome China to the ALGS!

In Year 4, we are welcoming teams from the People’s Republic of China to the ALGS! Two teams from the region will now be invited to participate in the Split 1 Playoffs. Depending on the performance of these teams, the Split 2 Playoffs will have between two and four teams invited from the region. After both Playoffs have concluded, the team from China with the most Playoff Points will automatically qualify for the Championship. If any other teams that participated in either the Split 1 or Split 2 Playoffs find themselves in the Top 32 of the Playoff Points Leaderboard, they will also qualify to compete at the Championship. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome the People’s Republic of China to the ALGS and can’t wait to see how they perform on the global stage!

Revised ALGS Eligibility Requirements

We’ve updated the eligibility requirement for players to compete in the ALGS from a minimum rank to a minimum Account Level to align more closely with what’s required to participate in the Apex Legends Ranked Leagues mode and to broaden the opportunity for more players around the world to experience Apex Legends esports.

The minimum Account Level required to participate in the ALGS is now 50, and new players can increase their Account Level by participating in various Apex Legends game modes before registering for ALGS competition.

Year 4 Preseason Qualifier registration will open on Monday, October 23rd, at playapex.com/algs, so make sure you and each of your teammates are eligible to join the ALGS by then!

We’re thrilled to celebrate that Year 3 was our biggest ALGS year yet by viewership and participation, but we’re not stopping there - we’re just getting started. While players and fans might notice that our overarching Year 4 competition format is similar to last year, we’ve made some significant updates to help ensure that it’s our most competitive year yet.

As always, the Official Rules have all the details, but below, you’ll find what we feel are some of our most significant program updates heading into Year 4 of the ALGS.

South America Regional Finals & Prizing

For ALGS Year 4, South America will no longer be represented in the Pro League. However, South America’s participation is critical, which is why the region will still have the opportunity to qualify for all ALGS LAN events. All pro and amateur teams will now compete in the South America Challenger Circuit. At the conclusion of each Challenger Circuit split, the top 20 teams will compete in the SA Regional Finals, where at least the top two finishing teams will qualify for the Playoffs. The SA Regional Finals will also award $62,500 USD ($31,250 per split) in prizing. At the conclusion of the Split 2 Playoffs, the SA team with the most Playoff Points will qualify for the Championship.*

While this was a difficult decision, we believe that this change will enhance the competitive ecosystem in South America.

*As with all regions, whether or not more SA teams qualify for the Championship depends on their performance across both Playoffs events.

Year 4 LANs to Feature Representation from Six Regions

This year’s LAN events will be our most global yet, featuring representation from more regions than ever before.  We’ll see at least one team from NA, EMEA, APAC N, APAC S, SA, and China at each of our events in Year 4.

Split 1 Playoffs (40 Teams) - Regional Slot Distribution:

• Two invited teams from the People’s Republic of China;
• Two teams that qualify through the Split 1 Challenger Circuit in South America; and
• Thirty-six teams that qualify through the Split 1 Pro League Regular Season:
  • Twelve teams from North America
  • Eight teams each from the EMEA, APAC S, and APAC N regions 

Split 2 Playoffs (40 Teams) - Regional Slot Distribution:

• At least two invited teams from the People’s Republic of China;
• At least two teams that qualify through the Split 2 Challenger Circuit in South America; and 
• Up to thirty-six teams that qualify through their performance in the Split 2 Pro League Regular Season 
  • At least ten teams from North America
  • At least six teams from the EMEA, APAC S, and APAC N regions

Similar to ALGS Year 3, in Year 4, the exact number of Split 2 Playoffs slots per region will be determined based on each region’s performance in the Split 1 Playoffs and will be confirmed shortly after that event. 

Championship (40 Teams) - Regional Slot Distribution:

• The top team in each region (six teams total) by Playoff Points; and
• The next twenty-six teams with the highest total Playoff Points across both the Split 1 and Split 2 Playoffs; and
• The top two finishing teams in each region’s (NA, EMEA, APAC N, and APAC S) LCQ (8 teams total) will qualify

Pro League Regions & Prizing Reconfigured

We’ve slightly reconfigured the Pro League Regular Season’s $1M USD prize pool across four regions, broken down as follows:

• North America - $250,000 ($125,000 per split)
• EMEA - $250,000 ($125,000 per split)
• APAC North - $250,000 ($125,000 per split)
• APAC South - $250,000 ($125,000 per split)

For APAC South teams, this is a 2X increase in Regular Season prize money per split!

The complete breakdown of Pro League Regular Season prize distribution can be found in the Official Rules (APPENDIX E:2).

Split 1 Pro League Teams

We’ve had a lot of questions about how the ALGS determines which teams will start Year 4 in the Pro League, and while we aren’t ready to confirm the final team list just yet, we are happy to shed some light on how our Split 1 Pro League teams are determined:

The Split 1 Pro League Regular Season will consist of 30 teams per region:

• Eight teams that qualify through the Preseason Qualifiers
• At least twenty-two teams invited, in descending order of priority: 
  • Teams who competed in the Year 3 Championship, Split 1 Playoffs, or Split 2 Playoffs
  • Teams invited at the discretion of the ALGS
  • Teams with an average Split Ranking* of 15.00 or better across both Split 1 and Split 2 of the Year 3 Pro League Regular Season, invited in order of best to worst average split ranking
  • Teams with a Year 3 LCQ placement of 10th or better, invited in order of highest to lowest LCQ placement

As usual, we’ll share a complete list of confirmed Pro League teams in the weeks ahead of the Preseason Qualifiers.

* Split Ranking is determined by the average of a team’s end-of-Regular Season rankings across Splits 1 & 2 in Year 3. For example, if a team finished Split 1 in 12th and Split 2 in 17th, their average would be 14.5, and they would be eligible to be invited. For  clarity, teams must have participated in BOTH splits in Year 3 to be eligible for an invitation based on the average Split Ranking criteria.

Pro League Qualifier Format Improvements

We’re slightly modifying the format of the Split 2 Pro League Qualifier (PLQ). We’ll keep the PLQ at 30 teams but switch to a double-elimination competition format featuring 8-match series’ throughout, save for the Finals, which will use the Match Point format.

Following Split 1, the top two teams from the Challenger Circuit will join the bottom eight teams from the Pro League and start their PLQ journey in Winners Bracket Round 2, while all other teams will begin in Winners Bracket Round 1.

Inactive Pro League Players Permitted to Compete in the Challenger Circuit

New in Year 4, Pro League Players will now be permitted to participate in the Challenger Circuit provided they did not participate in their Pro League team's most recent series. This has a double benefit of allowing Pro League substitutes to keep their skills sharp in the Challenger Circuit while also allowing Pro League teams to carry substitutes who are among the best amateur players.

Minimum Number of Matches in Qualifying Match Point Series:

With the ALGS Year 3 Last Chance Qualifier Finals, we introduced a rule requiring that a minimum of six matches be played. This rule ensured that no teams could qualify for the Championship based on points earned across a small sample size of gameplay. 

For ALGS Year 4, this rule will again apply to Last Chance Qualifier Finals as well as Pro League Qualifier Finals, Pro League Regional Finals, and the South America Regional Finals.

PRESEASON QUALIFIERS

Year 4 of the ALGS will kick off with four online Preseason Qualifier tournaments in each of the four Pro League regions, beginning in late November. These competitions will determine the eight teams from each region that will qualify to begin Split 1 in the Pro League. These eight teams will join the twenty-two already invited squads to round out the field of 30 per region.

• Registration for the Preseason Qualifiers will open on Monday, October 23rd at playapex.com/algs
• The four online Preseason Qualifier tournaments will be powered by Battlefy and take place on November 25-27, December 2-4, December 9-11, and December 16-18, 2023
• The winning team from each regional Preseason Qualifier will automatically qualify for Split 1 of the Pro League
• Following all four Preseason Qualifier tournaments, the next top four teams in each region by cumulative points earned throughout the qualifiers will also qualify for Split 1 of the Pro League
• All other participating teams will begin Split 1 in the Challenger Circuit

PRO LEAGUE

• Split 1 of the Pro League will kick off on the weekend of January 20-21, 2024
• All four regions of the Pro League will be comprised of 30 teams:
  • Twenty-two invited teams
  • Eight teams from the Preseason Qualifiers (as detailed above)
• On the line for teams during each Split of the Regular Season is playoff qualification and a $500,000 USD prize pool
• The thirty teams in each region will be seeded into three groups of ten teams each, using performance across ALGS Year 3 and the Year 4 Preseason Qualifiers
• Each Split of the Pro League will consist of an online Regular Season in which teams will begin by competing in a triple round-robin format (each group plays each other group three times)
• Across this triple round-robin, each team will play thirty-six matches in six series of six matches each
• The top twenty teams by Regular Season Standings will then compete in an online Regional Finals utilizing the Match Point format
• Following the Split 1 Pro League Regular Season, forty  teams will qualify for the Split 1 Playoffs, according to the regional slot distribution outlined below:
  • Two invited teams from the People’s Republic of China;
  • Two teams who qualify through the Split 1 Challenger Circuit in South America; and
  • Thirty-six teams that qualify through the Split 1 Pro League Regular Season:
    • Twelve teams from North America.
    • Eight teams each of the EMEA, APAC S, and APAC N regions 
• For the Split 2 Playoffs, regional slot distribution will be determined by Split 1 Playoffs performance. The better a region’s teams perform in the Split 1 Playoffs, the more spots that region will gain for the Split 2 Playoffs 
  • The maximum number of teams representing a region in the Split 2 Playoffs is capped at 12, which means that as it stands, North America would not be capable of gaining additional spots
• At the end of the Split 1 Pro League Regular Season, the bottom eight teams in each region will be relegated to the Split 2 Pro League Qualifier, where they will battle against top-performing Challenger Circuit teams for a spot in the Split 2 Pro League
• Following the Split 2 Playoffs, any Pro League teams that have not qualified for the Championship will participate in the Last Chance Qualifier 

PLAYOFFS

• Each Split’s Playoffs will award $1,000,000 USD in prizing and feature forty of the best Apex Legends teams from six regions (NA, EMEA, APAC N, APAC S, SA, and China)
• Each Playoffs will utilize a group stage to double-elimination bracket format:
  • In the Group Stage, teams will be seeded into four groups of ten teams each based on their Regular Season performance, and each group will play a single 6-match series against every other group (eighteen matches total per team)
  • Following the Group Stage, teams will be assigned a starting position in the double-elimination Bracket Stage based on their Group Stage performance, and each round in the Bracket Stage will consist of a 6-match series
    • The top twenty Group Stage teams will begin in the Winners Bracket
    • The bottom twenty Group Stage teams will begin in the Elimination Bracket
  • Following the Bracket Stage, 20 teams will compete in the Match Point Finals
    • The top ten teams from the Winners Bracket series
    • The top ten teams from Elimination Bracket Round 2

CHALLENGER CIRCUIT

The ALGS Challenger Circuit will run parallel to each Split of the Pro League Regular Season, providing teams with an opportunity to compete in open-registration tournaments for the chance to qualify into the Split 2 Pro League Qualifier in Split 1 or the Last Chance Qualifier in Split 2.

• Split 1 of the Challenger Circuit will begin on Saturday, February 3rd
• Each Challenger Circuit split will feature four open registration weekend tournaments, powered by Battlefy, in the following regions:
  • North America
  • EMEA
  • APAC North
  • APAC South
  • South America
• Following the four Challenger Circuit tournaments in Split 1, each tournament winner, as well as the next eighteen teams by ALGS points earned throughout the Split in each Pro League region will qualify for the Split 2 Pro League Qualifier
• In South America, the winning teams from each Split 1 Challenger Circuit tournament (up to four teams total) and sixteen teams with the next highest total Challenger Circuit Points will qualify to compete in the SA Regional Finals, where the top two teams will qualify for the Split 1 Playoffs
• Following the four Challenger Circuit tournaments in Split 2, at least the top ten teams by ALGS points earned throughout the Split in each Pro League region will qualify for the Last Chance Qualifier. The exact number of qualifying Challenger Circuit teams participating in the LCQ will depend on the number of Championship-qualified teams from each region and will be confirmed after the Split 2 Playoffs conclude
• In South America, the winning teams from each Split 2 Challenger Circuit tournament (up to four teams total) and sixteen teams with the next highest total Challenger Circuit Points will qualify to compete in the SA Regional Finals, where the top two teams will qualify to the Split 2 Playoffs

SPLIT 2 PRO LEAGUE QUALIFIER

The ALGS Split 2 Pro League Qualifier will take place in April 2024, prior to the Split 1 Playoffs. This online tournament pits the bottom eight teams from each region’s Pro League Split 1 Regular Season against top teams in each region’s Split 1 Challenger Circuit to determine who will advance to the Pro League in Split 2.

LAST CHANCE QUALIFIER

The ALGS Last Chance Qualifier will take place after the Split 2 Playoffs. This online tournament pits all Pro League teams who haven’t qualified for the Championship against top squads in each region’s Split 2 Challenger Circuit to determine who will take the last available spots in the Championship.

YEAR 4 CHAMPIONSHIP

• The ALGS Championship will feature the forty best Apex Legends teams in the world, competing in person for $2,000,000 USD and the title of ALGS Year 4 Champions.
• The Championship will utilize a group stage to double-elimination bracket format:
  • In the Group Stage, teams will be seeded into four groups of ten teams each based on their Playoff Points or LCQ performance, and each group will play a single 6-match series against every other group (eighteen matches total per team)
  • Following the Group Stage, teams will be assigned a starting position in the double-elimination Bracket Stage based on their Group Stage performance, and each round in the Bracket Stage will consist of an 8-match series
    • The top twenty Group Stage teams will begin in the Winners Bracket
    • The bottom twenty Group Stage teams will begin in the Elimination Bracket
  • Following the Bracket Stage, twenty teams will compete in the Match Point Finals to determine the ALGS Year 4 Champions
    • The top ten teams from the Winners Bracket series
    • The top ten teams from Elimination Bracket Round 2

We’ll have plenty more Year 4 news for you in the near future. In the meantime, don’t forget that Preseason Qualifier registration opens on Monday, October 23rd at playapex.com/algs, and as always, you can keep up with the latest ALGS info at @PlayApexEsports on X (formerly Twitter). 

Enjoy the rest of the off-season, and we can’t wait to see you again soon for Year 4 of the Apex Legends Global Series!

For Apex Legends Global Series Year 4 Official Rules, see https://www.ea.com/en-us/games/apex-legends/compete/overview/rules.

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