Is Splitgate, Worth Playing?
Splitgate is “Halo” for platforms which do not have access to Halo, and as such, it is unlikely to do well on PC or Xbox once Halo Infinite finds its footing.

The Lowdown.

Product Details
Genre: Shooter
Developer: 1047 Games
Publisher: 1047 Games
Price: Free
Release Date: 24 May 2019
Supported Modes:
Disclosure: Review Copy This game was purchased with our own funds for review purposes, however this has no baring on our opinions.

Character Customisation.

Splitgate offers players a wide selection of both paid and free weapon skins and a much smaller but still worth mentioning amount of character skins; however, if you want to stand out from the crowd, paid skins are the way to go, as, unlike the free skins, they often have unique models, animations, textures and more.

RollerCoaster Growth & Decline.

Splitgate has continually surprised analysts with its rapid declines and rebounds; despite launching into early access (May 2019) to a respectable 11,901 concurrent users, Spligate rapidly entered a steep descent that resulted in losing 98% of its player base in only 60 days.

This period of stagnation would continue for two years (July 2019 > July 2021), which saw Splitgate attract a whopping 45,597 concurrent users in July 2021 and an astonishing 67,724 concurrent users in August 2021.

Unfortunately, this level of engagement would not last, and by year’s end, the Splitgate PC community had shrunk by almost 92%, averaging 2,069 online players during December.

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Knock Off Halo?

By now, everyone is familiar with the meme of a child asking their mother for a popular product only to be told they already have it at home when the item at home is a knockoff product of inferior quality.

Splitgate is “Halo at home”; however, just because it has positioned itself as a “Halo clone” doesn’t mean it’s bad or hasn’t innovated upon the formula to create something unique. Still, it does mean that it will forever live in the shadow of Halo unless the developers can do something that sets its part in the eyes of the gaming community.

No one can deny that Halo Infinite launched too soon and with too little content, yet it still overshadows Splitgate by huge margins on both the PC and Xbox platforms, and this gap will only grow larger as Halo Infinite finds its footing.

While Splitgate and its successor may be at risk on platforms where Halo Infinite will eventually claim the throne, the PlayStation network is wide open for the taking, and I would personally invest heavily in becoming the dominant PSN arena shooter if I were 1047 Games, to the point of seeking partnership or potentially acquisition by Sony.

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Portals.

While Splitgate copied Halo’s homework, it has also taken the time to copy the homework of another beloved first-person shooter, and that is Portal. I am very glad they did, to the point I feel the Splitgate developers have found a better use for the system than Value did, and while solving puzzles with portals is all well and good, using a portal to perform a flying shotgun attack on your enemy is somehow much more rewarding.

The ability to quickly traverse the map via portals makes Splitgate truly unique. It gives it a feeling of mobility that is virtually unsurpassed in the genre, with only titles such as Titanfall 2 doing it better  (grapple + wall running forever <3).

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Lots of Content.

At first glance, it appears Splitgate has gained a lot of content in a very short time; however, Splitgate first launched into (Steam) early access way back in 2019, and while the Beta launch is less than a year old, and in the eyes of many in the gaming community Splitgate was still a “new game,” much of this content had been in the works since before its launch into early access (2019) and certainly before its open beta release in 2021.

With over 20 maps and 15 casual and competitive modes, Splitgate is one of the most content-rich free-to-play titles on the market.

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Splitgate FAQ

Splitgate is a shooter video game developed and published by 1047 Games, it was released on 24 May 2019 and it is Free-2-Play.

Platform Availability.

Splitgate is available on the following platforms: PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

How Many People Play Splitgate?

While the developer does not release a detailed breakdown of player activity, it is believed that the Splitgate community hovers around 30k monthly active users across all platforms, which, while not comparable to titles such as Apex Legends and Fortnite, is still a considerable-sized community, and one that is in no immediate danger of fading away entirely.

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Is Splitgate Dead?

Splitgate is not dead, but at least as far as the PC community is concerned, its best days are now firmly behind it, having lost a whopping 96% of its community in just eight months, resulting in the average daily CCU dropping from a very impressive 36,262 to a rather less impressive 552 in January 2023.

Thankfully, the PC community is only part of the Splitgate family, and Splitgate is doing a little better on both Xbox and PlayStation consoles despite losing some ground to Halo Infinite on Xbox.

Is Cross-Platform Multiplayer Supported?

Splitgate supports:

  • Cross-Platform Multiplayer.
  • Cross-Platform Parties.
  • Cross-Generational Multiplayer.
  • Cross-Generational Parties.
  • Cross-Platform Progression.

Is There Group Finding/ Matchmaking Support?

Splitgate supports:

  • Region-Based Matchmaking.
  • Solo Matchmaking.
  • Group Matchmaking.

Are There In-Game Microtransactions?

The Splitgate in-game store sells:

  • Cosmetic Items.
  • Cosmetic Item Bundles.
  • Premium Currency Bundles.

What Peripherals Are Supported?

  • Console – Controller.
  • PC – Controller.
  • PC – Mouse and Keyboard.

Is There Any Mature Content?

Splitgate is rated PEGI 16 and contains:

  • Violence

Final Verdict.

Splitgate is an excellent arena shooter that heralds back to the golden age of the era; while it does have its flaws (most noticeably a lack of cross-progression), It is one of the better free-to-play shooters on the market, and for those on Playstation who do not have access to Halo Infinite, Splitgate is essentially unmissable and genre-defining.

That being said, the developers have announced that splitgate is no longer in active development; I wouldn’t recommend parting with your hard-earned money without considering that.


Richard Robins

Richard Robins

As a follower of Jesus Christ, Richard believes that the message taught by Jesus is radically different from what is taught in churches today, and that the influence of his message can be felt across all creative mediums, including video games.

Richard has been passionate about gaming since 1992, when he received his first console, a Sega Master System II which included a built in copy of Sonic the Hedgehog.

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