Last updated October 2026, for Apex Legends Season 30: Marked. Written by the BoostingXP team, who run BoostingXP's Apex Legends services.
Key takeaways
- Apex Ranked has eight tiers: Rookie, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master and Apex Predator.
- Every match has an RP entry cost, from 0 RP in Rookie to 90 RP in Master and Predator.
- You earn RP through placement and eliminations, and placement makes every elimination worth more.
- Master is a threshold you reach. Predator is a leaderboard spot: the top 750 Master players per platform.
- Most players stall for the same reason: they take fights they can't finish and rotate too late.
This Apex Legends ranked guide is the starting point for everything we've written about Ranked: how the tiers work, what a match costs you, how RP comes back, and the few habits that decide whether you climb. Each section ends with a link to the guide that goes deeper, so read this first and branch out from here.
| Tier | Starts at | Entry cost per match |
|---|---|---|
| Rookie | 0 RP | 0 RP |
| Bronze | 1,000 RP | 10 RP |
| Silver | 3,000 RP | 20 RP |
| Gold | 5,500 RP | 38 RP |
| Platinum | 8,500 RP | 48 RP |
| Diamond | 12,000 RP | 65 RP |
| Master | 16,000 RP | 90 RP |
| Apex Predator | Top 750 Master players per platform | 90 RP |
Values from EA's Ranked documentation for the current season.
How does Apex Legends Ranked work?
You pay an entry cost in Ranked Points (RP) to start each match, and you earn RP back based on where your squad places and how many eliminations and assists you get. If you earn more than the entry cost, you gain RP; if you don't, you lose it.
Each tier from Bronze to Diamond is split into four divisions, IV to I. Rookie is a one-time starting tier with no rewards attached. Master has no divisions, and Apex Predator isn't a fixed RP number at all: it's the 750 highest-RP Master players on your platform, so the line moves all season.
What does the entry cost mean for your climb?
It means survival matters more the higher you go. In Rookie a bad game costs nothing; in Master an early exit costs 90 RP, which a single elimination won't cover. The same aggressive habits that carry Gold start losing RP in Diamond.
How placement, kills and bonuses add up, and how much RP each division step takes, is covered under How RP bonuses, the kill cap and division steps work below.
How do you gain RP consistently?
Place higher, and fight when the fight is worth it. Placement multiplies the value of your eliminations, so a squad that survives into the late rings with four kills usually out-earns a squad that drops eight kills and dies in fifth.
Three habits do most of the work:
- Pick fights you can finish. A fight you can't close invites a third party and costs the entry fee for nothing.
- Rotate early. Teams that move before the ring closes choose their position; teams that move late fight in the open.
- Reset after fights. Heal, swap shields and reposition before you push again.
The fight-or-leave call is its own skill, and our Apex Legends ranked decision-making guide walks through it situation by situation. Winning the fights you do take is covered in our Apex Legends fighting fundamentals.
How should you rotate and position in Ranked?
Move with a plan for the next ring, not the current one. Pick a landing spot that gives you a safe first rotation, avoid over-looting, and aim to reach strong terrain on the edge of the next zone before other squads do.
Our Apex Legends rotation and positioning guide covers early versus late rotations, mid-zone to edge play, third-party timing and final-ring positioning in detail.
Can you climb Apex Ranked in solo queue?
Yes, but you have to adapt to teammates you didn't choose. Pick a legend that helps any squad, call your plan early with pings, and follow a reasonable call even when you'd have made a different one. A squad that moves together with a mediocre plan beats three players with three good plans.
Our Apex Legends solo queue to Master guide is built for exactly that climb. Legend choice changes with the map rotation too, and our picks are in best Apex Legends for each ranked map. Two of the most-played Season 30 legends have their own guides: the Axle guide and the Pathfinder guide.
How is Apex Predator different from Master?
Master is a rank you reach at 16,000 RP. Apex Predator is a leaderboard position: you hold it only while you're among the top 750 Master players on your platform, and the cutoff rises as the split goes on.
That's why an old Predator RP number from a forum post is useless. Our Apex Predator RP cutoff guide explains why the line moves and how to track the live cutoff, and how to reach Apex Predator covers the practice routine, team roles and endgame habits it takes.
What changed in Ranked for Season 30?
Season 30: Marked rebalanced loot across the board, with an overall drop in loot quality, so good gear is harder to find and early fights over it are riskier. It also rotated the ranked map pool between splits. Our Season 30 patch notes breakdown lists every change, and the Season 30 tier list ranks the legends for ranked. Limited-time events such as the Apex Legends x Street Fighter 6 crossover sit outside ranked, so your ladder progress carries on as normal.
Split 2 began on 15 September 2026. The ranked rotation is World's Edge, Olympus and Broken Moon, ranked ladders run in six five-day windows with the last ending on 1 November, and Master and above restarted the split at Platinum I (11,000 RP). Season 30 ends on 3 November, and Respawn's roadmap lists ranked updates for Season 31, so check entry costs again when it launches.
Which mistakes cost the most RP?
- Hot-dropping in high tiers, where an early exit costs up to 90 RP.
- Starting a fight between two other squads, which usually ends with you as the third party's target.
- Rotating late through open ground.
- Chasing a knocked enemy away from your squad.
- Queuing on tilt after two bad games.
New to the game? Start with our Apex Legends beginner guide before your first Ranked match.
Ranked matches also count toward the legend badges on your banner. Our guide to the 20 Bomb and 4K badges covers what counts toward each, and why public matches are usually the better place to chase them.
Want help with the climb?
If you'd rather reach a rank without the grind, an Apex Legends rank boost is played by hand from your current rank. If you'd rather climb yourself alongside a high-ranked player, Pro Play puts one in your squad.
How RP bonuses, the kill cap and division steps work
How much RP do you need to rank up?
The amount of RP needed to move through divisions increases as you progress. EA’s current Ranked information lists the following progression requirements:
- Rookie: 250 RP
- Bronze divisions: 500 RP
- Silver divisions: 500 RP
- Silver I to Gold IV: 1,000 RP (EA's step list says 750 RP, but EA's own split-reset values put Silver IV at 3,000 RP and Gold IV at 5,500 RP, which makes the real gap 1,000 RP)
- Gold divisions: 750 RP
- Platinum IV to Platinum III: 750 RP
- Platinum III to Platinum II: 750 RP
- Platinum II to Platinum I: 1,000 RP
- Platinum I to Diamond IV: 1,000 RP
- Diamond divisions: 1,000 RP
Climbing becomes increasingly demanding because your entry cost rises while the amount of RP required to progress also increases. A player who can climb comfortably through Gold may discover that the same strategy stops working in Platinum. Likewise, a Platinum player who relies on aggressive fights may struggle when reaching Diamond because the cost of every mistake becomes much higher.
RP streak bonuses
The current Ranked system also rewards consecutive top-five finishes. EA’s official documentation explains that placement streak bonuses increase when you continue achieving top-five placements, reaching a maximum recurring bonus after maintaining the streak.
This creates another reason to value consistency. One huge game can feel incredible. But repeated strong finishes can produce a much more sustainable climb.
Higher-ranked opponent bonuses
Apex Ranked also includes bonuses for eliminating players who are ranked above you. EA currently documents additional bonuses based on the rank difference between you and the opponent. The greater the rank gap, the larger the potential percentage bonus applied to the elimination value.
This makes certain fights more valuable than others. However, this should not be interpreted as a reason to hunt higher-ranked players recklessly. The potential bonus is only useful if you survive the engagement. A fight that offers a theoretical bonus but has a poor probability of success can still be a bad ranked decision.
The 8-kill rule and diminishing elimination value
The current official Ranked system also includes diminishing value after more than eight kills. EA states that once you have more than eight kills, the value of each additional kill, assist, and participation is halved.
This creates an important strategic distinction. If you already have a large number of eliminations, taking a dangerous fight simply to increase your kill count may be less attractive than securing placement. The game therefore rewards players who understand when the value of another fight has decreased.
FAQ
How does Apex Legends Ranked work?
Each match costs an RP entry fee, and you earn RP back from placement, eliminations and assists. Your total RP decides your tier, from Rookie up to Master, and the top 750 Master players on each platform hold Apex Predator.
What are the ranks in Apex Legends?
Rookie, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master and Apex Predator. Bronze through Diamond each have four divisions, from IV up to I.
How much does a ranked match cost in Apex?
From 0 RP in Rookie to 90 RP in Master and Predator: 10 RP in Bronze, 20 in Silver, 38 in Gold, 48 in Platinum and 65 in Diamond.
How many RP do you need for Master in Apex?
Master starts at 16,000 RP. Apex Predator has no fixed RP requirement: it's the top 750 Master players on your platform, so the cutoff changes throughout the split.
What is the fastest way to climb ranked in Apex?
Place higher and take only the fights you can finish. Placement multiplies the value of eliminations, so surviving into the late rings earns more RP than a high kill count that ends early.
Can you reach Master in solo queue?
Yes. It takes good fight selection, early rotations and the ability to follow a teammate's reasonable call, which matter more in solo queue than raw aim.
