Sore Losers Are Using Xbox Exploit To Crash Apex Legends Servers

In the days since the launch of Apex Legends Season 13: Saviors, fans have squabbled over various topics ranging from arguments about Newcastle being over- or under-powered to endless disagreements about the recent changes to Ranked mode. But there’s one thing almost everyone in /r/ApexLegends, the game’s official Reddit community, can agree on: Someone is crashing console lobbies on purpose.

Following Season 13’s update on May 10, a few bugs popped up, but none of them seemed particularly serious–that is, until several reports emerged claiming that freshly killed squads were using some sort of exploit to crash servers. But this is Apex, a game that is no stranger to server issues (especially right after a season launch), so these reports were initially met with skepticism. It could always be a coincidence, after all.

It certainly seemed that way until footage emerged of Twitch streamer “Awhlyssa” exploiting the glitch while livestreaming. In the clip, a teammate politely points out that crashing entire lobbies because you can’t aim is, in fact, cheating, although the streamer doesn’t seem to care.

Awhlyssa received a 10,000-hour Xbox ban for her trouble. While her Twitch and Instagram pages are still live, it appears she has deleted her Twitter account, likely in response to the backlash she’s received from fellow players. Unfortunately, the streamer in question isn’t the only one taking advantage of the bug, as more and more reports of “spite-crashing” incidents emerge each day.

While the exploit can only be executed on an Xbox Series X, it affects the gaming experience of all console players. There’s been no official word from Respawn Entertainment regarding the issue yet, but this exploit will likely be one of the first things addressed in the game’s next update, as it is significantly impacting the freshly-redesigned Ranked mode. In the meantime, PlayStation users can avoid experiencing the bug by simply disabling cross-play in the game’s settings. While this will cause matchmaking to run a bit slower, it’s a small price to pay to keep cheaters at bay.

Unfortunately, until Respawn addresses the issue, there is currently no end in sight for Xbox players.