EA has revealed details of the upcoming closed beta tests for its mobile shooter Apex Legends Mobile. The full game is due to release on iOS and Android later this year.

The closed beta test for Apex Legends Mobile will begin small, with only a few thousand Android participants from India and the Philippines being selected for the time being. It’ll soon open up to more regions in the future, as well as being made available for iOS users.

EA has also revealed more details about the game to differentiate it from the PC and console versions. It’ll be specifically designed for mobile devices, meaning the controls are optimised for touch screens and the graphics will be simplified to run smoothly on phones.

This also means there’s no crossplay functionality between this version of Apex Legends and those that are available on PC and console, which is similar to how that works for other games such as PUBG and Fortnite.

Apex Legends Mobile also has its own Battle Pass, which contains cosmetic items and unlockables to obtain by playing through multiplayer matches and racking up wins, and these do not transfer over to the PC and console versions of the game.

Meanwhile, EA has also stated Respawn is handling the port itself rather than giving it to a different developer. This means the vibe for the mobile port should at least be very close to the console and PC versions, and content can be created for all three versions simultaneously.

“This is a huge moment for our team,” said Chad Grenier from Respawn. “Two years ago, we changed the landscape of the battle royale genre, and now we're aiming to do it again on mobile."
Apex Legends will be available to download from the iOS App Store and the Google Play for Android store later this year. It will be a free to play title containing in-app purchases.