The Steam hit Splitgate is getting a successor. Now the developers are showing first gameplay, and one thing stands out particularly.
What kind of game is this? Splitgate was a surprise hit on Steam in 2019. The arena shooter launched as a free-to-play title in Early Access and immediately resonated well with many genre fans. Shortly after, the servers were full, and there were even queues – before that, no one had known the shooter.
The gameplay of Splitgate strongly resembles Halo, but with a special feature: You can create portals through which you can travel, shoot, or look through. For example, it was possible to flank enemies using the portals or to open a portal behind them and shoot them in the back without leaving your position.
Thanks to the portals, Splitgate received a special tactical element that set the arena shooter apart from the competition. However, the success did not last long, and already in September 2022, the developers announced that they would no longer work on the shooter (via splitgate.com). Instead, they wanted to focus on a new project, whose name we now know: Splitgate 2.
What do we know about Splitgate 2? With Splitgate 2, the arena shooter from 2019 is getting a successor that is expected to logically develop the gameplay further. However, we do not yet know a release date at this point.
What is certain is that Splitgate 2 will be available for Steam, Epic, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
We also know that there will be different factions in Splitgate 2. These are classes that possess different abilities and each allow for a different play style.
Currently, we know of three different factions that Splitgate has introduced in a new gameplay video:
What do we know about the factions? In the new gameplay video, three factions were shown to us: Aeros, Meridian, and Sabresk. In addition to the gameplay of the factions, we see ex-professionals and content creators who have already been able to play the different classes and tell us about their abilities/gadgets.
Aeros is said to be a kind of fragger, according to the testers. This means your role with this faction is to play aggressively and go for kills. Therefore, the class is equipped with particularly fast movement and high damage. However, Aeros also has a stim that allows him to heal himself quickly.
Meridian, on the other hand, is a supporter. With this class, you can support your teammates through a healing grenade or by using a scan. The scan reveals nearby enemies and marks them through walls. Meridian also has an ability that speeds up all your actions in a specific radius: movement, fire rate, and reloading. However, everything in that area is slowed down for the opponent.
Sabresk, on the other hand, is more of an anchor, which allows you to defend a position well since he can set up a barrier that protects you from enemy fire. However, he is also a fragger because he has sticky grenades.
How do the developers describe the factions? The video also features brief descriptions from the developers about the three classes:
- Aeros: quick and agile, portal master
- Meridian: healer and supporter
- Sabresk: defender and fragger
What do testers say about Splitgate 2? At the end of the video, some of the testers share their first impressions of the shooter.
The “Rainbow Six: Siege” content creator “Macie Jay” says, for example: “I mean, the most important thing is that it feels like a real sequel. It still holds onto the core values of Splitgate. So it’s still Splitgate.”
The “Apex Legends” pro iiTzTimmy draws a similar conclusion: “It doesn’t stray too far from the original game, but it still has that fast-paced arena shooter feel that brings a lot of people back.”
Splitgate 2 definitely seems like a shooter that genre fans should keep an eye on – even if the release might still be a while away. If you want to start with a new shooter in the meantime, you might find something here: The 25 best shooters of 2024 – These PvP and PvE games impress with their gameplay
