There’s no magic profile that will double your FPS (frames per second) in Apex Legends, but there is a solid starting point: the recommendations EA publishes in its own help pages. This guide puts them in one place, along with how to show and cap your FPS, how to enable 120 FPS on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, recommended mouse and controller sensitivity, and the default controls. Accurate as of 20 October 2026.
How to show FPS and ping
Before you change anything, turn on the numbers. In the game, go to Settings > Gameplay > Performance Display. Your FPS, ping and packet loss will appear in the top right corner. If you play through Steam, you can also use its own counter: Steam > Settings > In-Game > In-game FPS counter.
Ping in Apex typically sits between 50 and 150 ms. Below 100 ms the game runs well, below 50 ms especially well, and above 100 ms you may notice lag. How to switch data centres is covered further down.
Graphics: EA’s recommendations for maximum FPS
For the highest possible FPS, EA recommends the lowest graphics settings and advises changing only a few options at a time. That way, if something feels off, you know what to revert. Start in Settings > Video:
- Display Mode: Fullscreen, or Windowed if you use multiple monitors.
- Aspect Ratio and Resolution: match your monitor.
- Field of View: 90 to 110. FOV (field of view) is how wide your view is. The default is 70, and 110 is a common choice among competitive players.
Under Advanced Video, EA recommends the following:
| Setting | EA recommendation |
|---|---|
| V-Sync | off (unless you get screen tearing) |
| NVIDIA Reflex | on (with an NVIDIA card) |
| Adaptive Resolution FPS Target | off (unless your FPS drops often) |
| Anti-aliasing | None |
| Texture Streaming Budget | Low or Medium |
| Texture Filtering | Bilinear |
| Ambient Occlusion | off |
| Sun Shadow Coverage and Sun Shadow Detail | Low |
| Spot Shadow Detail | Low |
| Volumetric Lighting | off |
| Dynamic Spot Shadows | off |
| Model Detail | Low |
| Effects Detail | Low |
| Impact Marks | Low or off |
| Ragdolls | Low |
Whether your PC can run the game in the first place is covered in our guide to system requirements.
How to cap FPS with a launch option
On PC, you set a frame cap with the launch option +fps_max followed by a value, for example +fps_max 200. Where you enter it depends on how you launch the game.
In the EA app:
- Open your Library and find Apex Legends.
- Click the three dots and choose View properties.
- Enter, for example,
+fps_max 200in Advanced launch options and save.
On Steam:
- Right-click Apex Legends in your library and choose Properties.
- On the General tab, find Launch Options.
- Enter, for example,
+fps_max 200.
EA’s FPS guide warns that changing the frame cap can cause performance issues. If the game runs worse afterwards, delete the parameter.
120 FPS on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S
Current-gen consoles can run Apex at 120 FPS. You need a 120 Hz display and an HDMI cable that supports 120 Hz. Then:
- In the game, go to Settings > Video and set Graphics Mode to Performance.
- On PS5, in the console settings, set Game Presets to Performance Mode and 120 Hz Output to Automatic.
- On Xbox, set the console’s Refresh rate to 120 Hz.
Mouse and controller sensitivity
EA groups mouse sensitivity into three ranges: low 0.5 to 2.5, medium 2.5 to 3.5 and high 3.5 to 5. As a starting point it suggests 3.0 to 5.0, an ADS multiplier (sensitivity when aiming down sights) of 1.0, and mouse acceleration turned off. Fine-tune from there in the Firing Range until your aim feels right.
On controller, some competitive players use the “4-3” setup, meaning Look Sensitivity 4 and ADS 3, with the Linear response curve. For newcomers, EA recommends starting with the Classic curve. The game has full controller support, as listed on Steam.
Default controls
The default PC layout, according to EA’s help, looks like this:
| Action | Key (PC) |
|---|---|
| move | WASD |
| sprint | Shift |
| interact | E |
| jump | Space |
| crouch | C or Ctrl |
| melee | V |
| reload | R |
| grenade | G |
| tactical ability | Q |
| ultimate ability | Z |
| heal (hold for wheel) | 4 |
| character extra action | H |
| map | M |
| inventory | Tab |
| inspect weapon | N |
| holster weapon | 3 |
On consoles:
| Action | PlayStation | Xbox |
|---|---|---|
| tactical ability | L1 | LB |
| ultimate ability | L1 + R1 | LB + RB |
| ping (double tap = enemy) | R1 | RB |
| map | touchpad | View |
| inventory | Options | Menu |
How to use the ping system in a match is explained in our beginner guide.
Ping and data centre
If the game stutters even though your FPS looks fine, check your ping. You can change the data centre on the game’s start screen: Data Center sits in the bottom left, so pick it before you hit Continue. Our article on the Czech-Slovak community looks at servers and ping from Central Europe. If you’re getting an error message rather than lag, our list of error codes will help.
Apex Legends doesn’t run on Steam Deck or SteamOS. Steam lists it as Unsupported because of the anti-cheat.
Join our Discord to compare settings with other players or show off your frame rate: Discord GamersTogether.
FAQ
Go to Settings > Gameplay > Performance Display. Your FPS, ping and packet loss appear in the top right corner. Steam’s In-game FPS counter works too.
With the +fps_max launch option followed by a value, for example +fps_max 200. In the EA app, enter it in Advanced launch options; on Steam, in Launch Options under the game’s properties.
EA recommends 90 to 110. The default is 70, and competitive players often go for 110.
You need a 120 Hz display and an HDMI cable that supports 120 Hz. In the game, set Graphics Mode to Performance, and in the console settings set Game Presets to Performance Mode and 120 Hz Output to Automatic.
No. Steam lists the game as Unsupported because of the anti-cheat.
Information verified on 20 October 2026. These recommendations are based on EA’s help pages. You’ll find more guides in our Apex Legends section.