Apex Legends Private Matches: How to create & join custom games

Apex Legends Season 15’s Collection Event has arrived and it’s brought Seer’s Heirloom and opened Private Matches to everyone. Here’s everything you need to know about Apex Legends Private Matches and how to play them.
With Apex Legends Season 15 in full swing and the Wintertide Collection Event over, players now have the Spellbound Collection Event to jump into. Not only has Seer’s Showstoppers Heirloom arrived, but Control returns, and the devs have finally made Private Matches open to all players.
Here’s everything we know about Apex Legends Private Matches including how to play them, the minimum player count, and the maps and modes available.
- When do Private Matches arrive in Apex Legends?
- How to play Private Matches in Apex Legends
- Apex Legends Private Match player count: Is there a minimum?
- Apex Legends Private Matches maps & modes
When do Private Matches arrive in Apex Legends?
Private Matches arrived in Apex Legends on January 10 as part of the Spellbound Collection Event update.
Private Matches arrived alongside the return of Control and Seer’s Showstoppers Heirloom.
How to play Private Matches in Apex Legends

Apex Legends Private Matches can be accessed through the game mode select button, in the Private Match tab.
Once Private Matches arrive, there will be a menu that allows players to create or join an Apex Legends Private Match without having a Tournament Admin Code.
Here’s everything you have to do:
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- Launch Apex Legends.
- Press the game mode select box.
- Navigate to the Private Match tab with RB on Xbox and R1 on PlayStation.
- Press Create Match to create your own custom lobby.
- Enter someone’s Tournament Participant Code to join another Private Match.
Once a Private Match has been created, you can assign players to different teams and tweak the settings.
Apex Legends Private Match player count: Is there a minimum?

While you can “invite 60 players and 5 observers” to an Apex Legends Private Match, the devs confirmed in the FAQ that there must be at least 30 players to start the game.
This means you can’t jump into one of the maps and explore the maps at your leisure, you’ll have to get at least 29 other players involved.
Apex Legends Private Matches maps & modes
Apex Legends Private Matches can take place on every map in the game, but you won’t be able to play any LTMs.
So while you may want to play Armed and Dangerous or Flashpoint in a Private Match, you’ll be limited to the standard battle royale mode. The devs said they’ll “share info in the future should this change.”
For more on Apex Legends, be sure to check out some of our other guides:
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Image Credit: Respawn Entertainment