Splitgate 2: A Bold Return to the Arena in the Shadow of Halo’s Legacy

Splitgate 2, the follow-up to the portal shooter that was previously overshadowed by the launch of Halo Infinite, is set to have an open alpha test for PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC from February 27 to March 2.

Oh, how things have changed. If I could travel back to 2021 when I was playing Splitgate extensively and tell my past self that in just a few years, Halo Infinite’s multiplayer would hardly matter and Splitgate 2 would be announcing an open alpha, I might think that was pretty ironic. I was certain Halo Infinite would be so remarkably popular that no one would ever mention Splitgate again. Yet, due to various factors that I won’t delve into at this late hour, that never happened.

Splitgate didn’t manage to reach the same heights it did when its beta was released on consoles in the summer of 2021, but it certainly wasn’t completely overshadowed by Halo. Now, nearly four years later, its creators are focusing on a sequel that sounds significantly more ambitious while Halo Infinite seems to be stagnating.

According to 1047 Video Games, Splitgate 2 “greatly expands on the series’ initial vision and scale,” and although it might take time before we see the results of such ambition, we know the closed alpha will showcase a map that is 20 times larger than anything in the original Splitgate. The alpha will also allow players to preview “new, never-before-seen game modes, maps, weapons, and more.”

While Team Deathmatch and Hotzone are making a comeback for the sequel, there will also be new three-team 8v8v8 matches, which will be “Splitgate’s largest battles yet.” Additionally, there’s Splitball, described as a two-team arena mode that “merges the classic fun of Capture the Flag with the fast-paced strategy of Halo’s Oddball, challenging teams to excel in both offense and defense at the same time. Players can portal-hop into enemy territory to seize Splitballs while defending their home base with strategy and precision.”

Firecracker is another exciting mode new to Splitgate 2. It’s a twist on the traditional two-team Search and Destroy mode that includes respawns. “Attacking teams deploy to set off a firecracker, and if they can keep opponents at bay, they fill the sky with fireworks while exciting the crowd,” mentions 1047.

The new maps are Glacier, a “frozen wasteland” that is 20 times larger than the biggest map in the original Splitgate; Bypass, Splitgate’s most vertical map yet, featuring a calm park with a centralized launch pad for aerial attacks; and Eden, a Venusian desert “filled with portal walls inside and out, providing players endless chances to flank, escape, and dominate.”

Splitgate 2 is set to launch on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One in 2025.

“We don’t want to just be the ‘Halo meets Portal’ team”: Splitgate 2 aims to evolve beyond its sources of inspiration.

After earning a degree in English from ASU, I took on a role as a copy editor while freelancing for publications like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, serving as GamesRadar’s west coast staff writer, I oversee the site’s western regional office, also known as my home, and write about games that I’m too scared to try.