Apex Legends matchmaking tests explained: longer queue windows, bots, and Diamond+ solo-queue incoming

Respawn has published a detailed breakdown of ongoing matchmaking work in Apex Legends, covering five core pain points, the results of several live tests, and concrete changes either already live or arriving later in Season 29. This isn't a roadmap of vague intentions — some of it is already in the game.

The first test extended the maximum queue search window from 30 to 60 seconds before the matchmaker starts loosening skill criteria. Results were positive: fewer skill mismatches, especially at the high end of competition, with no significant increase in wait times. Respawn rolled this out globally on May 7th, 2026 for both Ranked and Unranked Trios. The second test introduced bots into mid-tier Duos and Pub Trios lobbies. The studio says bots meaningfully improve matchmaking quality during off-hours and in lower-skill lobbies, but they can't keep up in higher-skill matches and hurt the experience there — so bot behavior is still being developed. Crucially, there are no plans to add bots to Ranked, and bots won't fill an empty slot on your squad. The third and most anticipated change: starting later in Season 29, Diamond and above will be solo-queue only in Ranked across all regions. No premade squads at Diamond+, no exceptions. Respawn acknowledges the trade-off — playing with friends is a core part of the game — but says the frustration among solo players facing coordinated three-stacks was too consistent to ignore. The studio also tested 4.5-hour Ranked map rotations and a 1-tier lock on Ranked premade composition, both aimed at reducing lobby skill disparity and the solo-versus-premade imbalance.

Respawn frames all of this around five named pain points: queue times, lobby skill disparity, solos vs. premade imbalance, teammate quality, and sweaty lobbies. The studio is upfront that tuning one variable shifts everything else — which is why tests run on specific regional servers and are compared against other regions playing simultaneously. The pace of testing has increased over the past year, and Respawn says it plans to keep that cadence going.

The Diamond+ solo-queue restriction is a direct response to one of the most consistently requested changes in the community. Exact Season 29 timing hasn't been pinned down beyond 'later in the season,' but Respawn says it will keep monitoring edge cases on the queue-time changes and continue improving bot behavior so bots can eventually participate meaningfully in a wider range of lobbies.