A standard Apex Legends battle-royale match is designed for 20 squads. In the classic Trios format, that means a full lobby can contain up to 60 players, with three players on each squad.
The 20-squad structure is what gives Apex its familiar early-game spread and late-game pressure. Squads choose landing locations, gather weapons and armor, and rotate as the Ring closes. Eliminations reduce the number of surviving teams until one squad remains and becomes the Apex Champions.
The number can look different in practice. Players may disconnect, leave, or fail to fill a lobby, and some newer matchmaking systems can use bot squads in lower-skill unranked games. Duos and limited-time modes also use different team sizes or rules. Nevertheless, “20 squads” is the conventional answer for a standard full battle-royale match, not a claim that every live lobby always contains exactly 20 human squads.