Wondering how to check your skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) in Apex Legends? We've got you covered.
Just like with most competitive shooters these days, Apex Legends does indeed use SBMM to try and pair players up of a similar skill in lobbies. As such, it's perhaps no surprise that many are wondering if there's a way to ensure that the system is putting them in the right lobbies as it should.
Here's a breakdown of how to check your SBMM in Apex Legends.
How to Check Your SBMM in Apex Legends
Unfortunately, it does not appear that there's a way to check what type of lobbies the game is putting you in.
Officially, the most that Respawn Entertainment has delved into its SBMM system publicly is that it mentions that Apex Legends Ranked League is a competitive mode that lets players player against others "at a similar skill level."
However, it seems to be clear amongst most that this is simply not the case.
In recent months, several players in the community have took it upon themselves to study Apex's SBMM system.
In April, a Redditor by the username u/istiri7 posted a thread on the r/apexlegends subreddit detailing their findings after solo queuing 500 unranked trios matches to study the game's SBMM system. With plenty of data in numbers, as well as box and violin plots to boot, Istiri shared their overall learnings.
The first note is that based on your relative skill level, you're generally never going to get teammates that can absolutely carry them to a win.
Next, SBMM will gift players a streak of easier lobbies after they've struggled for a bit. Lastly, Apex Legends will "absolutely will punish" players when they're on a good streak.
In June, Apex Legends content creator The Gaming Merchant explained in a YouTube video that, contrary to popular belief, the game's SBMM algorithm doesn't just run on a simple ELO/MMR system where players will be matched up against others in their exact rank tier. Instead, TheGamingMerchant argued that the game tries to guess your current skill at that very moment and gives you games of varying levels based on your current performance to give you a challenge. This is perhaps why there can be downright confusing instances where a gold player is put in a game with an all-Predator squad.
As such, TheGamingMerchant concluded that if you're experiencing a streak of sweaty games and bad teammates, the best thing to do is simply quit the game and come back later. By doing this, the theory is that the game will give you better teammates and less sweaty lobbies the next time you log in since it'll better understand the point at which it isn't fun for you anymore.
This article was originally published on dbltap as How to Check Your SBMM in Apex Legends.
