How to Add Friends in Apex Legends

Steve Larner August 26, 2021

Apex Legends is a team game, and while you can play solo, some things are better with friends. You can play with random teams or load up with two friends to hit the ground running. This tutorial will show you how to add friends to a match in Apex Legends and be a good teammate in the game.

The team aspect is one of the significant features of Apex Legends that makes it different from other battle royale games. PUBG and Fortnite both have single-player games, and while you can team up with others, there isn’t an integral team aspect like there is here. You load a game, and if you aren’t with two friends, you will be automatically teamed with two strangers to play.

In many games, teaming up with randoms never ends well, but it works fine in Apex Legends for some reason. The ping system helps a lot, but there is also a light level of responsibility for team play. You know you don’t have to play as a team, but you also know you will survive for much longer if you do. That means you often actively contribute to team play, even if that’s not usually your thing.

Adding Friends in Apex Legends

Adding friends in Apex Legends has two stages.

You first add your friends from Origin to the Origin launcher so you can see when they are online.

Next, you add your Origin friends and other users on different devices or services to Apex Legends so you can add them to your next match—includes Origin, Steam, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S and X, and Nintendo Switch. The only drawback with cross-platform friends and play is that your progress does not carry over from one device to the next—at least not yet.

How to Add Origin Friends to the Origin Launcher

Open the “Origin” launcher and select the “Friends” menu at the top.
Choose “Add a friend… “ from the drop-down menu.
Enter their Origin username, actual name, or email address in the box, then click on “Search” to receive results based on the criteria entered.
Locate the friend in the search results and click on “View Profile.”
Confirm you have the correct person, then click on “Send Friend Request” while in their profile.
The request confirmation gets displayed, showing “Friend Request Sent” on their profile page.

Friends successfully added using the steps above can play any game with you, not just Apex Legends.

How to Add Friends to Apex Legends Only

Adding Steam Friends to Apex Legends

Launch Apex Legends.
Click on the small “Friends” icon (3 people icon) in the bottom-right section of the screen.
Link your Steam Account to Apex Legends by clicking on “LINK STEAM ACCOUNT.” If you already linked Steam, skip to “Step 8.”
In the new window, click on the “Sign in through STEAM” button.
A Steam windows opens. Enter your Steam login credentials and click on “Sign In.”
A window appears, confirming your that Steam account is successfully linked to Apex Legends.
If you don’t see the above confirmation window or Apex Legends does not display your linked Steam account yet, retry “Steps 3-6.” The Steam login window appears once more, but it should show your account instead of a login screen.
In the Apex screen that appears, your Steam friends appear on the “Friends” list and your linked Steam account displays in the bottom-left section of the screen. Only Steam players who registered in Apex get displayed.

Adding PC and Console Friends (Cross-Platform Friends) to Apex Legends

Launch “Apex Legends.”
Click on the “Friends” icon in the bottom-right section.
Click on “Find Friend” in the bottom-left section.
In the search field, type the “profile name, real name, or email address” of the friend you want to add to Apex Legends, then select “SEARCH.” The profile name can be from Steam, Origin, Playstation, Xbox, or Nintendo.
The search results appear below the text you entered. The icon next to each profile represents the profile’s device (PC/Mac or Game Console).
Hover over the chosen profile and “left-click” it to send a friend request.
A confirmation screen appears, showing you that the friend request got sent.
Once a friend accepts your request, head to the main Apex page and click the “+” icon on the left or right of your character to add them to your party or to join theirs.

Presumably, the setup is primarily the same on all devices.

Playing with Friends in Apex Legends

Teamplay is a central part of Apex Legends, which is more important than in many other games. Yes, this is a shooter, but it’s also battle royale, and some of the players you will come up against are seriously good. If you can play as a team and coordinate your attacks, you’ll be champions in no time! This scenario is why adding friends to Epic Legends is essential. Gather your team, get out there, and have some “Royale” fun!