Apex Legends beats Fortnite and more on PlayStation in 2019

Respawn Entertainment have done the unexpected by dethroning Epic Games’ Fortnite with Apex Legends as the most downloaded free-to-play game on PS4.

After launching with next to no warning in February 2019, Apex Legends took the gaming world by storm. Players were flooding EA’s servers to try their hand at Respawn’s entry in the battle royale realm.

Ever since, Apex Legends has grown from strength-to-strength, having recently clocked in their most successful month post-launch. And after less than a year of mixing it with the best, the Apex Games has reached more people than any other free-to-play title on PlayStation in 2019.

The original roster of characters lay the foundation for Apex Legends to grow into what it has today.

Sporting a fluid, first-person movement system, a diverse roster of Legends and in-depth lore that ties perfectly into EA’s Titanfall universe, what’s not to love with the Apex Games?

Respawn has also been keen to provide a plethora of fresh content throughout the year, to ensure that players kept coming back for more… and they did so in their droves. 

• Read more: Major Level 500 bug is literally breaking Apex Legends

Season 3 was make-or-break for Apex Legends. Epic Games were on the brink of releasing Chapter 2 for Fortnite, so Respawn knew they had to deliver. After stripping away the game’s staple map and replacing it with World’s Edge, the devs took a risk that to pay-off. 

Considering Apex Legends then went on to have its highest-grossing month since launch, it’s fair to say that it paid off and then some. Not only that, but Apex Legends has now dethroned Fortnite as the top free-to-play title on the PlayStation store in North America.

Fortnite topped PlayStation’s 2018 download charts, with one the original battle royales in H1Z1 being their closest rival. 

• Read more: When is Kings Canyon, third person and duos mode coming in Apex Legends?

The story is the same on the European front, too, with Apex Legends besting Fortnite yet again to take the number one spot.

Here’s how North America’s 10 most downloaded free-to-play games on PlayStation for 2019 shaped up.

Apex Legends taking the top honors for 2019 is all the more impressive when you consider that Fortnite players far and wide would have all re-downloaded their game when Chapter 2 was announced. 

February 4 will make Apex Legends’ one-year anniversary, meaning that Respawn will likely have something in the pipeline that will usher in Season 4 with a bang.