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Two seasons, two different Ranked changes
Apex Legends is adding Legend bans to Diamond-and-above matches in Season 31, before a broader Ranked rebuild introduces a Pro-Am League in Season 32. Respawn’s 20 October roadmap puts Season 31 in November and Season 32 in early 2027; the new systems are upcoming, not features already available on 22 October.
The split matters. November’s changes tackle the match players are about to enter: which Legends are available and how much RP entry costs. The next season changes the ladder itself, including new ranks and how kills contribute to everyone’s score.
Legend bans will be weighted, not a straight majority vote
In Season 31, matches containing Diamond-or-higher players will get a pre-match banning phase alongside Drop Zone deployment. Each player can nominate one Legend. More votes increase that Legend’s chance of being banned, but the system then makes a weighted random selection rather than automatically removing the most popular choices.
Respawn says a simple most-votes-wins system could produce its own repetitive ban meta. Under the announced system, voting against a dominant pick makes its removal more likely without guaranteeing the same bans every match. Banned Legends cannot be selected by anyone in that match.
Challenger and Goliath matches change the entry cost
Ranked lobbies will display a Lobby Tier, described as essentially the median of the squads. A squad at least two rank tiers below that level enters a Challenger match with a reduced entry cost. A squad at least two tiers above it enters a Goliath match with an increased cost.
Respawn’s example uses a Gold lobby: Bronze squads are Challengers, Diamond squads are Goliaths, while Silver, Gold and Platinum remain within the normal band. The adjustment is shown at entry, so players can see the cost before committing to their approach to the match.
Season 31 will also remove Road to Ranked Challenges, returning access to an account-level-20 requirement. The existing demotion-protection system will get clearer UI, including the three shields that protect a player from demotion while that protection is active.
Season 32 adds Iron, Emerald and Grandmaster
The early-2027 overhaul divides Ranked into Open League and Pro-Am League. Iron replaces Rookie as a standard rank. Emerald, with four divisions, sits between Platinum and Diamond. Grandmaster goes at the top of the progression, with a Predator badge for players finishing the season in its top 750.
Pro-Am will contain Diamond, Masters and Grandmaster. Masters will have four divisions, and Pro-Am matches will use Drop Zone deployment and Legend banning. Open League matches will start in the Dropship.
This is the announced structure for Apex’s Ranked mode. It is not a new ALGS tournament or an announced qualification route into professional competition.
Team kills and placement get a new scoring relationship
Season 32 will remove the multiplier linking kill value to final placement. Each kill will have a set RP value, as will each placement. Every squad member will receive full kill RP for the team’s kills, replacing separate assist and participation scoring.
The two leagues will then emphasise different parts of that score. Open League will weight kills somewhat more heavily; Pro-Am will weight placement more heavily, with Respawn explicitly pointing to the importance of top-end placement in ALGS. Entry costs will increase by division rather than making their jumps only at tier boundaries.
The roadmap does not yet publish the final RP values or exact season-launch times. Respawn says more detail will follow nearer launch, alongside a rewards overhaul; Weekly Ladders are also due to end in Season 32. Follow our Apex Legends hub for competitive coverage and the event calendar for separately dated tournaments.