Splitgate 2 is relaunching as Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, cutting down on hero abilities and factions

Developers at 1047 Games revealed that Splitgate 2 is being reborn as Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, a back-to-basics relaunch that brings the shooter closer to what made Splitgate 1 popular.

The studio announced that Arena Reloaded will launch free-to-play on December 17 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. The game is essentially replacing Splitgate 2, as it shares the same client and even the same marketplace ID. Something akin to what Valve did with CS:GO and CS2.

The original Splitgate earned its popularity by following its marketing to the word: it was an old-school arena shooter with Portal-like wormholes and fast movement. It launched in early access in 2019 and hit consoles later, blowing up as the “Halo with portals” game with fast TTK (time to kill), cool and thought-out maps, and devilish skill ceiling due to portal mechanics.

Splitgate 2, which officially released in June 2025, tried to pivot more into the full live-service package with the hero-shooter style abilities and factions, a battle royale mode, and a heavier emphasis on microtransactions.

This went as well as you’d imagine: server issues from the very start, “Mixed” Steam reviews, and players appalled at some of the microtransactions, especially the infamous $80 bundle. On top of that, CEO Ian Proulx found himself in hot water for shots he took at the other shooter games while presenting his project at Summer Game Fest.

Eventually, 1047 “unlaunched” Splitgate 2 by putting it into beta and admitted that they’d rushed the release and strayed too far from what made Splitgate so popular. The studio also shut down the original Splitgate’s dedicated servers in August (switching it to peer-to-peer to keep it playable) to focus fully on fixing the sequel.

1047’s own announcement calls this relaunch “This is Splitgate refocused on what made it special in the first place: classic arena combat without factions, abilities, or extra noise.”

This means no factions, no abilities, no extra systems layered on top of each other, and more focus on core gunplay and portals.

The studio lists the changes:

• Removed Splitgate 2’s factions, abilities, and select equipment so the focus is back on classic arena combat without the extra noise.
• Rebuilt progression from the ground up so your time in game feels rewarding, with weapon and character cosmetics you can earn simply by playing.
• We’ve added a true Classic Arena mode with even starts and new map pickups, recapturing the feel of the original.
• Fine tuned combat to better match expectations for a modern arena shooter, with more meaningful gunfights and fewer “what just happened” moments.
• Completely overhauled the ranked system so your rank reflects your actual skill for players who love to climb and compete.
• Added key systems you have been asking for: Mode Select, Player Stats, Ranked Leaderboards, and Account Levels.
• Introduced 5 brand new maps and 6 fully reworked arenas, bringing the total map pool to 20.
• Added 3 new LMG primary weapons and the iconic Power Weapon, the Railgun.

Only time will tell if this is enough to fix Splitgate 2’s and the company’s reputation. The good thing is that 1047 is clearly aware of what people actually wanted from the sequel and is acting on it before it’s too late.

Splitgate: Arena Reloaded hits PC and consoles on December 17, and we’ll witness together if this is a redemption story with a quick turnaround, or a squandered last chance.