Can You Use the Same Apex Legends Account on Xbox and PC?
As a long-time Apex player and content creator focused on the game, this is an issue I‘ve done extensive research into. So let me clearly state it right away: no, Apex Legends currently does not allow using the same account or carrying over progression between Xbox and PC.
This lack of unified progression is one of the most common complaints I‘ve seen from members of the Apex community who play across multiple platforms. Players invest huge amounts of time unlocking skins, trackers, badges, and other rewards only to lose access when they switch between their gaming PC and Xbox console.
Apex Legends Platform Progression Limitations
Apex developer Respawn Entertainment has directly addressed this in their 2023 Crossplay FAQ:
Apex Legends doesn‘t support cross-progression or cross-platform play for different consoles. You won‘t be able to carry over your own achievements, progress, and more to other systems if you play on more than one platform.
This means that your level, battle pass tier, unlocked legends, and cosmetic collection do not transfer between platforms. I have over 300 hours logged on Xbox but when I fire up Apex on my new gaming PC, I‘m back to level 1 with default skins.
As both a gamer and content creator, this fragmentation is frustrating. I love producing weapon comparison videos and guides explaining the best team compositions. But it takes twice as long when I have to unlock everything separately on PC instead of accessing my full inventory.
Account Progression Systems Compared
To provide context around Apex‘s limitations, here‘s a comparison of how other major multiplayer titles handle account linking and progression:
| Game | Shared Progression | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Apex Legends | ❌ No | No account linkage or shared progression between platforms |
| Fortnite | ✅ Yes | Full cross-progression with shared battle pass, stats, purchases, etc. |
| Call of Duty | ✅ Yes | Activision account links platforms, shares battle pass, rank, but not all purchases |
| Destiny 2 | ✅ Yes | Cross save allows progress transfer but disables on original platform |
As you can see, almost all Apex competitors integrate full or partial cross-progression. This puts Apex at a disadvantage in terms of account flexibility and convenience.
Linking Accounts for Security
While you can‘t share progression, I still recommend Xbox players link their gamertag to an EA account. This allows you to play on PC while securing your Xbox progress in case anything happens to your gamertag.
Here are simplified steps to link accounts:
- Create or sign in to an EA account
- Under connected accounts, choose "Xbox"
- Enter your Xbox gamertag and password
Your Xbox persona will now be connected to your EA profile as a backup. Repeat to also link any Steam or Origin accounts.
Experiencing Crossplay in Apex Legends
The one bright spot around playing Apex Legends across platforms is that full crossplay is supported. This means I can squad up with my friends on Xbox even while I‘m playing on PC.
Over 60 million players have experienced Apex crossplay since it released in late 2020. I love practicing movement techs on PC then joining Xbox lobbies to surprise console squads who don‘t expect that level of mobility!
Here are a few tips to utilize crossplay:
- Add friends using the "EA Friend" system in-game
- Check for the controller icon to identify players by input device
- Take advantage of 120 FPS and advanced movement on PC against 30 FPS console foes
Crossplay has strengthened the Apex community by allowing anyone to play together. Now we just need cross progression to share our hard-earned rewards.
The Future Possibilities for Progression
While about 300 Apex species exist today, over 99% of life forms that have ever lived on Earth are now extinct. This drastic transition shows the power of…
Oops, wrong script – this is an Apex Legends cross progression article after all, not an animal documentary!
In terms of the future for Apex linking accounts and progress:
Respawn Entertainment Has Publicly Stated Cross Progression is "Definitely Coming"
This confirmation came directly from lead developer Chad Grenier in an August 2022 interview with GameSpot:
"We want to add cross progression for sure. Just a lot of complications…definitely coming."
This means work is actively underway to allow carrying over hard-earned skins, trackers, heirlooms, and stats between all platforms someday. We don‘t have an exact timeframe but based on Grenier calling it "complicated," I‘d estimate we‘ll see a cross progression launch within the next 1-2 seasons.
Until then, we‘ll have to maintain separate progress between PC and consoles. But the gaming horizon looks bright for the ability to show off our Apex achievements on any platform soon!
For updates when cross progression functionality goes live along with more guides on unlocking your best Apex loadouts, remember to subscribe and enable notifications. Now back to picking my jaw up off the floor after seeing that Pathfinder execute a "super glide" between platforms showing off the new cloud-piercing dive emote…I think playing against PC tryhards is getting out of hand!
