As a dedicated Apex Legends player who has invested countless hours into ranked gameplay, I am writing this petition to call for the permanent removal of Kings Canyon from the ranked rotation, or at the very least a complete competitive redesign before it is ever considered for ranked play again.

While Kings Canyon may hold sentimental value as the original Apex Legends map, nostalgia should never take priority over competitive integrity. Ranked mode is supposed to represent the highest level of strategic and skill-based gameplay Apex Legends can offer. Unfortunately, Kings Canyon consistently fails to provide a fair, rewarding, or enjoyable ranked experience for a massive portion of the community.

For years now, players across Reddit, EA Forums, YouTube, Twitch, and professional Apex circles have repeatedly voiced the exact same concerns about Kings Canyon. Despite numerous updates and map adjustments over multiple seasons, the fundamental problems with the map remain unchanged.

The biggest issue is simple: Kings Canyon is too small for modern Apex Legends.

Apex Legends has evolved dramatically since Kings Canyon was first introduced. Legends now have far more mobility, movement tech has advanced significantly, rotations are faster than ever, and the pace of combat has increased massively. However, Kings Canyon still feels designed for an older version of Apex that no longer exists.

The result is a ranked experience dominated almost entirely by endless third parties, fourth parties, and even fifth parties. Community discussions consistently describe the map as “Third Party Canyon” because nearly every single fight immediately attracts multiple nearby squads. (Reddit)

Players are punished simply for engaging in combat.

In a proper ranked environment, winning a fight should feel rewarding. Teams should have enough time to recover, heal, reset, reposition, and prepare for the next engagement. On Kings Canyon, that rarely happens. Instead, gunshots echo across the tiny map and instantly attract half the lobby.

Competitive matches devolve into chaotic pileups where survival often depends more on luck than skill. Many players feel forced to avoid fights entirely because taking even one engagement can immediately destroy an otherwise well-played match. (Dexerto)

Even professional players and content creators have openly criticized Kings Canyon’s ranked design. Apex pro player ImperialHal explained that ranked on Kings Canyon forces players to avoid aggressive gameplay entirely if they want to climb effectively. (Dexerto)

That alone should be a major warning sign.

A competitive map should reward smart aggression, positioning, teamwork, and decision-making. Instead, Kings Canyon often rewards passive play, hiding, avoiding fights, or waiting to clean up weakened squads after multiple teams have already fought.

The map’s design actively discourages healthy competitive gameplay.

Many of the map’s Points of Interest feel outdated, cramped, and poorly designed compared to newer maps like Olympus or Storm Point. Rotations frequently funnel teams into narrow choke points where escaping danger becomes nearly impossible. Areas like Bunker, narrow canyons, bridges, and enclosed passages create frustrating bottlenecks that encourage camping, gatekeeping, and unavoidable ambushes.

Players regularly complain that they are forced into impossible situations with little counterplay available. (EA Forums)

Unlike larger and more modern maps, Kings Canyon gives teams very few safe opportunities to rotate strategically. Instead, squads are constantly forced into close-range engagements with limited cover and almost no room to reset after fights.

The map’s loot distribution is another serious problem.

One of the most frustrating aspects of ranked Apex is dying because of poor loot RNG rather than player skill. Unfortunately, Kings Canyon is notorious for inconsistent loot quality and poor loot spread. Players frequently report landing at POIs only to find minimal weapons, weak shields, limited ammo, or almost no healing resources. (Reddit)

This creates unfair early-game scenarios where teams can lose ranked points simply because another squad happened to find better gear first.

That is not competitive integrity.

Compared to maps like Olympus, World’s Edge, or Storm Point, Kings Canyon feels outdated in almost every major category:

• Poor loot distribution
• Excessive third partying
• Frustrating choke points
  Weak rotation options 
• 
  Limited strategic depth
  Constant gatekeeping
  Lack of recovery time after fights
  Overly punishing ranked pacing
  Olympus, in particular, demonstrates what a modern Apex ranked map should look like. It provides cleaner rotations, better spacing between engagements, healthier pacing, stronger POI diversity, and far more strategic decision-making opportunities. Teams can take fights without immediately being collapsed on by half the server. Players are rewarded for positioning and macro play rather than pure chaos.

Many players actively look forward to Olympus returning while dreading Kings Canyon entering rotation again.

This sentiment has existed for years and continues today across Reddit threads, EA Forums, competitive discussions, and social media. (Reddit)

Even Respawn themselves have attempted multiple redesigns of Kings Canyon over the years in an effort to reduce third partying and improve pacing. Jump towers have been removed, POIs have been reworked, and flow adjustments have been made. Yet despite all these efforts, the same complaints continue to dominate community discussions season after season. (Dignitas)

That strongly suggests the problem is not just individual POIs or minor balance issues.

The problem is the map itself.

Kings Canyon was designed during the earliest stages of Apex Legends before the game evolved into the highly competitive movement-based battle royale it is today. What may have worked in early seasons no longer works in the modern ranked environment.

Additionally, Kings Canyon has even experienced severe technical issues in the past, including server crashes significant enough for Respawn to temporarily disable the map entirely. (PCGamesN)

This petition is not meant to disrespect the history of Apex Legends or the players who still enjoy Kings Canyon casually. In public matches, the map can absolutely provide fast-paced, nostalgic fun. Casual playlists are the perfect place for chaotic gameplay and nonstop action.

But ranked is different.

Ranked is supposed to be the competitive core of Apex Legends. Players invest hundreds of hours grinding ranks, improving mechanically, learning rotations, refining communication, and developing teamwork. A ranked map should support those competitive fundamentals — not undermine them.

At the moment, Kings Canyon does the exact opposite.

Instead of rewarding skillful play, it frequently rewards randomness.
Instead of encouraging strategy, it encourages avoidance.
Instead of creating fair engagements, it creates endless third-party chaos.
Instead of feeling competitive, it often feels exhausting.

The Apex Legends community has voiced these frustrations for years. Players across all skill levels — from casual ranked grinders to professional competitors — continue to raise the same concerns every time Kings Canyon returns to ranked rotation.

Respawn Entertainment has shown before that they are willing to listen to community feedback and improve the game when enough players speak up.

This is one of those moments.

We are asking Respawn to prioritize competitive integrity, healthy ranked gameplay, and long-term player enjoyment by removing Kings Canyon from ranked rotation and replacing it with maps that better support balanced, skill-based competition.

If you believe ranked Apex should reward strategy, positioning, teamwork, and player skill rather than constant third-party chaos, please sign this petition and help push for meaningful change.

Apex Legends deserves better ranked maps.
The community deserves a better ranked experience.
And competitive Apex deserves better than Kings Canyon.