Just under two years after announcing it was ending feature development for Splitgate, developer 1047 Games has finally given players their very first look at its sequel, Splitgate 2. The announcement comes alongside the launch of a cinematic trailer for the upcoming portal-powered 4v4 FPS, providing a glimpse of what Splitgate 2 will be bringing to the table when it launches in 2025.
Aside from the upgraded graphics (courtesy of Unreal Engine 5), the most noticeable change by far is the addition of voiced characters who seem to have distinct backstories and personalities. The original Splitgate does, of course, include playable characters, but there’s not much lore to be found regarding who they actually are, or why they’re playing the game. The Splitgate 2 trailer makes it very clear that the upcoming game will be putting an emphasis on character-building.
But the biggest surprise revealed in the trailer is the multitude of new gameplay mechanics that will be featured in Splitgate 2. The original Splitgate (which is still available to play for free) sees players battling each other in various PvP game modes, using portals to outsmart their opponents. Each player is armed with several weapons, but they also come with a wrist-mounted “portal gun” of sorts. Players can place a portal in a wall in front of them, open another portal in a wall behind their enemy, then shoot said enemy in the back through the first portal–a mechanic that rewards quick thinking just as much as it rewards good aim.
This well-loved “now you’re thinking with portals” game mechanic looks to be alive and well in Splitgate 2, but it’s also received a huge upgrade: Players no longer need a wall to aim their portals at. The trailer depicts one character flinging out what seems to be a sort of “portal grenade,” opening up a portal right in the middle of the battlefield, in a manner similar to the way Wraith places portals wherever she pleases Apex Legends. It’s not clear if these portal grenades will be accessible to every playable character, or if each character will have an individual ability set, but the addition of the throwable portal devices will undoubtedly affect the game’s meta.
While we don’t know for sure if each playable character will have unique abilities, 1047 Games has confirmed that–much like Destiny 2–Splitgate 2 will feature three factions for players to choose from, allowing them the ability to “progress based on their preferred gameplay style or competitive strategies.” This suggests that these portal grenades (and the other useful gadgets seen in the trailer) may be accessible only to a specific faction rather than a specific character.
Unlike its predecessor, Splitgate 2 features a number of unique, voiced characters with serious personality.
Speaking of grenades, the original Splitgate features grenades that have only one purpose: destroying portals. When a player suddenly finds themselves getting shot in the back through an enemy’s portal (or one of their own), they can throw a grenade to instantly close one end of that portal. Splitgate 2 is changing things up with the addition of true grenades that appear to do actual damage, with one of the characters in the trailer throwing what looks like some sort of EMP grenade at an enemy. The trailer also depicts a number of other new tactical additions, like holographic shields and a strange device that, when thrown, produces a purple stasis field that appears to freeze enemies in place.
Although a specific release date has not yet been announced, the trailer confirms that just like its predecessor, Splitgate 2 will be free-to-play, and will arrive on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC at some point in 2025. Splitgate 2 is currently available to wishlist on Steam.
