Apex Legends switched its PC protection from Easy Anti-Cheat to EA Javelin Anti-Cheat on September 29, 2026. PC players only need to download the game update and launch Apex normally. EA says Secure Boot is not required for this rollout.
The change is automatic, so there is no separate installer to hunt down and no BIOS setting to flip. Console players do not need to do anything.
What Apex PC players need to do
- Download the Apex Legends update dated September 29.
- Let Steam, the EA app or Epic finish the installation.
- Launch the game normally.
That launch completes the move to Javelin. If Apex opens and reaches the lobby, you are done. EA did not ask players to uninstall Easy Anti-Cheat by hand or download a standalone anti-cheat package.
If the update stalls, start with the boring fixes that usually work: restart the launcher, verify the game files and check that the launcher has permission to finish the update. Do not download a supposed Javelin installer from an unofficial site.
What changed under the hood
EA Javelin is EA’s in-house PC anti-cheat system. Apex had used Epic Games’ Easy Anti-Cheat, and EA thanked that team in its announcement rather than pointing to a dispute. EA says the in-house switch gives its anti-cheat developers better visibility into new threats and more room to change detections as cheat tools evolve.
Javelin runs at the kernel level, according to EA’s September security report. EA says it only runs while a protected game is running, shuts down with the game and removes itself when every Javelin-protected EA title is uninstalled.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| New system | EA Javelin Anti-Cheat |
| Old system | Easy Anti-Cheat |
| Separate download? | No. It arrives with the Apex update. |
| Secure Boot required? | No, not for Apex at this time. |
| Console action needed? | No. The Javelin switch covers PC. |
Does Apex require Secure Boot now?
No. EA’s Apex-specific instructions say Secure Boot is not required “at this time.” That matters because some other games protected by Javelin do use Secure Boot requirements.
There is no reason to enter your BIOS just because Apex changed anti-cheat systems. If EA adds a requirement later, it should come through an official Apex or EA support notice. The September 29 instructions are simply update, install and play.
What changes on PlayStation, Xbox and Switch 2?
The client switch is for PC. EA says console protection remains a separate effort built around specialized data models and server-side detection for console cheats. In plain terms, console players do not install Javelin as part of this announcement.
That does not mean EA is ignoring controller adapters or other console-specific problems. It means the September 29 download changes the main PC protection layer, while console detection continues on its own track.
Will Javelin reduce cheating in Apex?
We do not know yet. Moving the system in-house may help Respawn react faster, but launch-day promises are not match-quality results.
EA says Javelin now protects 20 titles and 57.1 million players. Its September 10 report claims 26.7 million blocked cheat attempts over the previous year, better than 99% detection accuracy and a stability error rate below 1%. Those are EA-wide figures supplied by EA, not Apex-specific numbers from the new rollout.
The useful test comes next: fewer infected matches, fewer false positives and no new stability problems. Respawn will need to publish Apex-specific enforcement and match-quality data before anyone can judge the switch properly.
Useful Apex settings while the update installs
Once the game is running, the Apex controller settings guide covers 4-3 Linear, ALC values and deadzones. Mouse players can compare the Apex sensitivity guide and the current pro mouse settings breakdown. For PC performance, use the video settings guide rather than changing several graphics options at random.
