Splitgate 2 Gets Surprise Battle Royale Mode

Summary

Splitgate 2 launched on PC and consoles on June 6.
The sequel to 1047 Games’ popular arena shooter comes with a surprise battle royale mode.
Splitgate 2 is already seeing decent traction on Steam, although its early player reviews have been mixed.

Splitgate 2 is now available on PC and consoles, arriving alongside a surprise battle royale mode. Some early indicators suggest that Splitgate 2 has already generated significant traction, although player reactions to the game’s day-one build appear to be mixed.

Splitgate: Arena Warfare is a free-to-play arena shooter with a teleportation portal mechanic that made waves in summer 2021, after it launched on consoles following two years’ worth of PC-only early access. Just a year later, Nevada-based studio 1047 Games announced that it had ended all future development on the game in favor of pursuing a more ambitious sequel.

Splitgate 2 Addresses Hero Shooter Concerns

The developers behind Splitgate 2 are quick to address hero shooter concerns from the community regarding their upcoming sequel.

The new title officially reached PC and consoles on Friday, June 6, with its arrival commemorated via a launch trailer that premiered during Summer Game Fest 2025. While the recent Splitgate 2 open beta showcased the majority of the free-to-play shooter, one feature that 1047 Games managed to keep hidden until the very last moment was its battle royale mode, simply called Splitgate: Battle Royale.

Splitgate 2’s Battle Royale Mode Offers 60-Player Matches

The new mode was designed as a fast-paced experience for 60 players organized across 15 teams of four. Every battle royale match unfolds in Split Worlds, a massive interconnected arena made up of five biomes linked by large World Portals. Four of these biomes are available as landing locations from the outset, with this group including Splitgate 2‘s icy Glacier, fiery Inferno, and the Drought desert. There’s also Fracture, designed as an asteroid cluster. Battle royale players who survive long enough will be able to access the fifth biome, which promises access to some immensely powerful loot.

Apart from a new mode, Splitgate 2 also offers several additional maps: Simulation Hectic, Sanctum, Grit, and Academy. A brand-new water-themed template for the map creator is also part of the package, together with a devastating shotgun called Gravitas, among other novelties.

Splitgate 2 Is Already Getting Decent Traction

According to SteamDB data, Splitgate 2 peaked at nearly 26,000 concurrent Steam players within hours of its early June launch. The original title recorded a peak nearly 70% higher on Valve’s platform, reaching close to 68,000 players at its height. However, interest in Splitgate declined sharply after developer 1047 Games announced it was shifting focus to a sequel one year after launch. In contrast, Splitgate 2 is meant to offer more content and receive longer-term support. The game currently holds “Mixed” reviews on Steam, based on over 9,000 user impressions. Many negative reviews cite dissatisfaction with its battle royale trend-chasing and cosmetic store pricing, though the core gameplay loop has received widespread praise.