Maps in battle royale games are typically huge and play a large part in whether or not their game succeeds. Apex Legends is no different, and it has had three maps in the two years since its release. Each map typically undergoes some in-universe changes each season. For instance, the newest character added to the game crashed his ship onto the original Kings Canyon map, creating a new drop location. Season 8 of Apex Legends has the maps on a rotation that isn’t immediately obvious, and one of the three maps is currently unplayable entirely.
The newest map, Olympus, was added in Apex Legends Season 7 and is currently one of two maps in rotation, alongside Kings Canyon. When playing unranked duos or trios, the game tells players which map is currently being played in the corner where the game type is selected. It also comes with a timer, counting down until the map changes again. Unfortunately, there is no way in-game to see any sort of rotation schedule.
Luckily, fan-made tracker Apex Legends Map Rotation lets players know which map is currently being played, along with the current schedule of upcoming rotations. According to the tracker’s FAQ, upcoming maps can be found within the game files, and the creator (@kuromakes on Twitter) assures Apex players they’ll be able to keep the tracker going accurately, even if Respawn changes things up. As of now, unranked maps switch between Kings Canyon and Olympus every hour, hour and a half, or two hours. Ranked play is exclusively restricted to Kings Canyon until March 23, when Olympus will take over. Anyone perusing the tracker’s upcoming rotations will notice World’s Edge (Apex Legends‘ second map, added in Season 3) is missing entirely.
When World’s Edge Is Coming Back To Apex Legends
According to EA’s Apex Legends Ranked Season 8 announcement, “World’s Edge is taking a break from ranked play but will return in a later season.” For now, that’s all the information the Apex community has received about the map’s absence. There’s also no indication of whether it will return to the unranked rotation soon or if it will be unplayable for the remainder of Season 8. For now, Nintendo Switch players joining Apex Legends on March 9 won’t even have a chance to play World’s Edge.
New seasons typically bring either a new map or a major map update. World’s Edge could be getting an overhaul for Season 9, explaining its absence. Before the release of Olympus, leaks suggested the next Apex Legends map might be called Tropic Island. Either the name was a ruse to disguise Olympus, or there is still another map on the way. It’s hard to believe a fourth map is coming so soon after Olympus, especially when the current maps aren’t all being used, so a World’s Edge update is more likely. Still, it’s impossible to say for certain until Respawn or EA releases some sort of confirmation, but the most likely scenario is World’s Edge staying completely out of Apex Legends’ map rotation until it gets a rework next season.
Sources: Apex Legends Map Rotation, Electronic Arts