Apex Legends Mobile to start closed beta tests ‘later this month’ in Asia, will roll out to more regions throughout the year

Beta testing in Apex Legends’ mobile version is slated to start “later this month,” according to game director Chad Grenier. The first batch of limited regional tests will encompass India and the Philippines, but Respawn aims to expand it to more regions during the rest of the year.

The closed beta will start out small with “just a few thousand players in India and the Philippines” and exclusively on Android. Respawn has plans to expand testing over the course of the year, however, by increasing its player base and implementing iOS support.

“When we’re ready to go broader, we’ll launch a page that allows you to pre-register for the game and sign up for news about the betas,” Grenier wrote in a blog post.

The battle royale’s mobile version is “specially designed for touchscreens” and has “streamlined controls,” according to Grenier. “It’s a new version of Apex Legends, but it’s true to the original.”

Like the regular version, Apex Legends Mobile will be free to play with microtransactions and will have its own battle passes, cosmetics, and unlockables different from PC and console versions.

The regular Apex Legends staff will work on the mobile version alongside a dedicated mobile team. In addition, Respawn drafted the help of an undisclosed partner studio experienced with mobile releases, according to the blog post.

Since Apex Legends Mobile is built especially for mobile platforms, it won’t have any type of crossplay with the PC and console version of Apex. It seems to be a different version entirely, but it’s unclear what differences will arise between the two titles after the mobile release, such as different legends or weapon metas, or if it will have any groundbreaking story developments.