The portal shooter SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded launched its newest version in December, but its impact appears to have been minimal.
The game’s history includes an initial release as Splitgate, followed by Splitgate 2, which shifted towards a hero-shooter style. This second launch faced significant player dissatisfaction, leading to its withdrawal and a return to beta. It has since relaunched as SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded. Despite this rebrand and relaunch, the game has struggled to establish a strong presence.
Data from SteamDB indicates a peak of only 2,297 players upon its December 17th, 2025 relaunch. Player numbers quickly declined thereafter, with a recent 24-hour peak of 1,070 and current player counts around 557 on Steam.
In response to the game’s performance, the official Splitgate account on X (formerly Twitter) released an image statement:
The statement asserted that Steam Charts do not fully represent the game’s experience or its community. It highlighted that these charts only display a single number for one platform at a specific moment, failing to capture the complete picture or the enjoyment derived from playing. The developers emphasized the active community contributing to Arena Reloaded’s evolution, including future content like Arena Royale. The statement also mentioned that Splitgate was rebuilt over six months due to the team’s belief in the game and its community, with 1047 Games remaining dedicated to delivering the best possible version. Gratitude was expressed to the community for their feedback and passion, which has improved Arena Reloaded daily. The statement concluded by inviting new players to try Arena Reloaded, noting it is free, offers improved gameplay, and was developed with significant effort.
While some players may find enjoyment, online-only games typically require a substantial and active community to ensure developer sustainability. Without a solid player base, securing funding for continued development becomes challenging.
The core concept of a portal-based shooter was innovative, but its execution has faced repeated difficulties. Modern arena shooters generally struggle to gain widespread popularity, as the gaming industry has largely shifted focus to other genres.
SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded was released on May 22nd, 2025, and is playable on Proton / Wine.
