The very first event of the year is set to kick of for Apex Legends with the Winter Wipeout update set to hit servers this afternoon. Bringing a huge overhaul to three of its major characters, plus an incredible new wildcard that lets players carve up snow on a hoverboard, it’s set to kick off 2026 with a bang.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Winter Wipeout event in Apex Legends, including the event start time and everything to expect in the update.

All Apex Legends events tend to go live at the same time of 6pm GMT, meaning players can hop on the event from the evening of January 6, 2026. At the time of writing, that’s just eight hours away.

EA has confirmed that this limited time event will run for three weeks until January 27. This should give players plenty of opportunity to dive into the new modes as well as pick up the exclusive cosmetics they fancy.

For those who don’t manage to get what they like from the shop before the event finishes, EA is keeping event-related cosmetics in the shop until February 10.

The biggest addition in the first event of the year for Apex Legends is a brand new Hoverboard wildcard. In the trailer, we can see Octane carving it up down the snowy slopes of Olympus, using it to both evade danger and speed right towards it.

When players start the Wildcard match, they’ll start with the Hoverboard in their Survival item slot. When equipped, it can be used to perform a bunch of tricks and abilities, including a double jump, wall-ride and aerial tricks for EVO rewards.

Some of the legends have seen a few changes to their abilities in this patch too, most notably with Newcastle, Octane and Crypto. Octane has a reworked stim ability and improved passive healing, while Crypto is now more capable at stealth.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a new Apex Legends event without a few legendary skins thrown into the mix. Find winter sports aesthetics for Bloodhound, Alter, Fuse, Mad Maggie, Gibraltar and Newcastle in the Winter Wipeout packs, plus matching skins for an assortment of weapons.

Players can read the full patch notes for the Apex Legends Winter Wipeout event over on EA’s website.