How to fix the Ranked Not Initialized error in Apex Legends

Welcome back to ranked... if it initializes of course.

Nine Legends posing in a line on World's Edge.
Photo via Respawn Entertainment

Apex Legends can sometimes experience technical hiccups. Server difficulties, from minor issues to full-fledged outages, can disrupt gameplay and trigger errors like Ranked Not Initialized

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When Apex experiences server troubles, you’ll immediately feel the impact on gameplay. The battle royale’s core functionalities, such as finding a ranked match, become inaccessible due to problems like the Ranked Not Initialized error. While this error is tied to Apex’s servers, there are a few potential solutions you can try.

What causes the Ranked Not Initialized error in Apex Legends?

Two characters fighting with swords in Apex Legends
Initialize the ranked queues right away. Image via Respawn Entertainment

The primary issues that cause the Ranked Not Initialized error in Apex include scheduled maintenance, overloaded servers, and unexpected outages that impact the battle royale’s digital library. However, on rare occasions, you might encounter the error due to temporary connection problems on your end or corrupted game files.

This error mainly prevents players from accessing any competitive matches while the error is ongoing since Apex‘s ranked won’t be working.

How do you fix the Ranked Not Initialized error in Apex Legends?

Wattson runs with a RE-45 while her Interception Pylon stops grenades from exploding.
Get back to the arena. Image via Respawn Entertainment

To fix the Ranked Not Initialized error in Apex, you should first check the game’s servers to see whether they’re down. When Apex’s servers aren’t operational, you’ll need to wait for Respawn to get them back online. However, if the servers are running fine, you may need to use the fixes below to solve the Ranked Not Initialized error:

  • Change your Apex game mode to unranked Trios or Duos in the main lobby.
  • Ready up as usual.
  • Ask your squad leader to switch to the Apex Ranked mode after you are readied up. This may allow you to access ranked matches.

This workaround has proven effective for many players in getting them back into ranked matches. However, if this method doesn’t work, don’t worry; there are other alternatives. Restarting your game, checking your internet connection, and repairing Apex’s game files may also fix the Ranked Not Initialized error.

Ultimately, you’ll have to wait until Respawn rolls out a permanent fix for this error, which often comes in the form of a hotfix update or a server-side adjustment.

In April 2024, this error also started showing alongside the Apex Legends lost progress bug, which was wiping players’ progression in the game. Luckily, Respawn shipped a quick update to stop more Apex account resets, but many who were impacted had to wait for an additional hotfix that would finally return their progression.

Author
Image of Gökhan Çakır
Gökhan Çakır
Gökhan is a Staff Writer and Fortnite Lead at Dot Esports. Gökhan graduated as an industrial engineer in 2020 and has since been with Dot Esports. As a natural-born gamer, he honed his skills to a professional level in Dota 2. Upon giving up on the Aegis of Champions in 2019, Gökhan started his writing career, covering all things gaming, while his heart remains a lifetime defender of the Ancients.