Apex Legends Season 31: Cipher Update Reworks Crypto

Score this one for the battle royale that refuses to coast, because Apex Legends is lining up a Season 31 shake-up called Cipher while plenty of other live-service shooters are still running the same map they launched with. Credit where it lands: this game ships on every console under the sun, so Xbox players get to enjoy the update too, lucky them.

According to Insider Gaming, the Cipher update centers on a rework of Crypto, one of Apex's original legends, whose surveillance drone kit has aged about as gracefully as a flip phone in a battle royale full of smartphones. Respawn hasn't published the specifics of what changes, but a legend rework this far into the game's life usually means a kit overhaul, not a numbers tweak.

What's Changing in Cipher

The report also points to two headline additions beyond the Crypto refresh:

• Akimbo Wingman revolvers, turning Apex's signature high-skill sidearm into a dual-wielded option for players who already treat the single Wingman like a sniper rifle with a chamber.
• A new Strongholds mode, adding a fresh objective-based twist to how squads fight over the map instead of just chasing the ring.

Neither addition has a confirmed mechanical breakdown yet, and Insider Gaming's report does not list an official release date for Season 31 or the Cipher update itself. Anyone telling you the exact day is guessing ahead of Respawn.

Why the Timing Matters

Apex Legends has leaned on legend reworks before to keep its roster from going stale, and bringing back Akimbo Wingmans suggests Respawn is willing to mess with weapons that have been untouchable for years. That's the kind of swing a game takes when it's trying to stay the main event of the battle royale genre rather than just defending turf.

The real test lands once Cipher actually ships. A Crypto rework that misses the mark could tank a legend nobody plays; one that lands could make him a pick-rate problem overnight. Strongholds will live or die on whether it actually changes how squads approach the map or just gives streamers a new place to die on stream.

Until Respawn locks a date, the only sure thing is that Apex Legends is still finding ways to reinvent a formula that's outlived several copycats, and that's a point I'll take happily, Xbox exclusives or not.