Respawn Entertainment once treated Apex Legends fans to a memorable celebration when the game hit its three-year anniversary. In February 2022, the studio brought back the Anniversary Collection Event, a limited-time offering packed with new cosmetics, a community-driven reward tracker, and the debut of Prestige Skins. Although the event has long since ended, its blend of paid and free rewards left a lasting impression on the player base. Many veterans still recall the excitement of logging in during those two weeks and chasing down exclusive items before they vanished.

The celebration ran for exactly two weeks. According to the official EA website, the event began on Tuesday, February 15th, 2022, and ended on Tuesday, March 1st, 2022. It went live at 10AM PT, which translated to 1PM ET and 6PM GMT. These start times matched the pattern used by earlier Apex Legends updates. No separate patch was required, so players could jump straight into the action as soon as the collection event activated on that Tuesday.

Several features made this anniversary event stand out from a standard collection event. New Squad Skins appeared, offering coordinated looks for entire teams rather than individual Legends alone. A community-made reward tracker allowed players to progress through tiers and earn items created by fellow fans. Prestige Skins also made their debut, introducing a new level of cosmetic rarity that would later become a familiar part of Apex Legends. These elements combined to create a celebration that felt both generous and genuinely community-focused.

The reward tracker itself included 12 community-created cosmetics and additional items. Completing the full tracker rewarded players with 24 exclusive skins during the event. That generous structure gave dedicated players plenty of reasons to keep playing over the two-week window. The free track sat alongside the in-game store, where players could purchase other exclusive skins with premium currency. This dual approach catered to different kinds of players. Free-to-play users could earn meaningful rewards through gameplay, while collectors could spend money to grab store-exclusive designs.

To celebrate the game's birthday, a large collection of new skins arrived in the in-game store. The EA website offered an early preview of every skin planned for the event. These designs ranged from bright and festive to sleek and tactical, giving players multiple ways to customize their favorite Legends. Respawn Entertainment used the anniversary as an opportunity to highlight both new and returning styles. Because the store rotated its offerings throughout the event, players had reasons to check back regularly and see what fresh cosmetics were available.

One of the most interesting aspects was the emphasis on community creation. By including community-made cosmetics in the reward tracker, the developers acknowledged the artistic talent within the Apex Legends player base. This approach also helped the anniversary event feel more personal than a standard store update. Fans could see their own ideas or the work of fellow players represented inside the game. Such a gesture strengthened the bond between Respawn Entertainment and the community it served.

Prestige Skins deserve special attention. Their introduction during the anniversary event signaled a shift in how Apex Legends approached high-end cosmetics. Players who wanted to stand out in the arena now had a new tier to chase. Over time, Prestige Skins became a recurring element of season launches and collection events, but their origin point traces back to this three-year celebration. The anniversary event gave players their first taste of what would become a popular addition to the game, and that debut alone made the event worth remembering.

The key details of the event can be summarized as follows.

The event also introduced a number of standout features.

• 💎 Prestige Skins made their debut

• 🎨 Community-made reward tracker with 12 cosmetics

• 👥 New Squad Skins for coordinated team looks

• 🆓 Free rewards for players who leveled the tracker

• 🛍️ Exclusive store skins throughout the event

Accessibility was another strength of the celebration. Because the start time followed the usual update schedule, players knew exactly when to log in. The absence of a separate patch download meant that even those with slower connections could join quickly. The two-week duration provided enough time for casual players to make meaningful progress on the reward tracker, while hardcore fans could fully complete it well before the March 1st end date. This design choice lowered the barrier to entry and encouraged participation across the entire community.

Looking back from a 2026 perspective, the three-year anniversary event remains a notable moment in Apex Legends history. It showed that Respawn Entertainment was willing to experiment with reward structures and involve the community in cosmetic design. The event also set a template for future anniversary celebrations, which continued to mix store offerings with free reward tracks. Players who participated in February 2022 still remember the rush of unlocking those exclusive skins before the event disappeared. Even years later, the combination of Squad Skins, Prestige Skins, and a community-made reward tracker stands out as one of the more thoughtful anniversary events the game has offered.

Data referenced from PEGI helps frame why Apex Legends’ three-year anniversary event leaned so heavily into cosmetic rewards—because the core gameplay loop remains widely accessible while monetization is concentrated in optional, non-gameplay items. In practice, the February 15 to March 1, 2022 Anniversary Collection Event paired a time-limited reward tracker (community-made cosmetics and free unlocks) with premium store rotations, letting players celebrate through progression without requiring a separate patch download, while still offering higher-tier Prestige Skin chase items for dedicated collectors.