Apex Legends is the next game in line to take a shot at the title of king of the ever-rising Battle Royale style of game.

In just a week’s time, Apex Legends racked up 25 million active players since its release February 4. These numbers should scare the sitting king of all Battle Royale games, that being the infamous Fortnite.

Apex Legends is made by EA—and is free to play on all platforms . . . probably the biggest contributor to its explosive popularity.

Different from the rest, Apex Legends consists of only 60 players per match, and a maximum of three players per squad compared to Fortnite’s four.

Apex Legends values teamwork, for a solo traveler is at an extreme disadvantage when facing a full squad. That’s because each legend has large amounts of health thanks to medical equipment, shields, and equip-able armor. All of these items can be found randomly throughout the map whether they be hidden in loot crates or in plain sight, so even if you are the final survivor of your squad, you aren’t completely hopeless.

The best tip I can give is to stay close with your team, and if some of your teammates get eliminated be sure to pick up their “Banner”. You can cash in “Banners” at “Respawn Beacons” which are also spread out around the map. Properly retrieving banners will completely resurrect your fallen friends giving them a second chance.

Like other titles in the growing ranks of Battle Royale style games, Apex Legends has something new to offer—that being every player must choose a specialist, which includes unique player abilities such as calling in a team care package filled with defensive equipment or turning completely invisible to other players for a short period of time. When these special characters compliment one another in your squad, you and your friends will be champions of Apex Legends.

"The game is really fun, and I love the different specialists,” said senior gamer Justin Bell.

Apex Legends’ other advantage is its appeal to the casual gamer. There isn’t a major skill gap between new players and gaming veterans. In Fortnite, however, players who have played since season one truly outshine newer rivals through their building abilities. But the biggest struggle for new Apex players is learning the unique and a little confusing format of the new Battle Royale.

I can easily see Apex Legends sticking around in the gaming community, and I’m definitely excited to witness what future updates the game will receive. Maybe over time Apex Legends will pass Fortnite in players (currently over 200 million worldwide) but don’t expect this change to happen overnight.