Splitgate 2 finally gets Arena Royale, but gamers feel it’s too late

Splitgate: Arena Reloaded is getting a huge update on January 22nd, introducing a new mode and more. While some gamers think this is just what Splitgate needs to survive, others think it’s too late to save the game after a rocky launch.

Splitgate 2 initially un-launched itself after a very underwhelming release back in 2025. It promised it would come back better in 2026, then had a surprise launch in December 2025. Calling itself Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, it promised a ton of new content that actually looked extremely promising.

Unfortunately, the launch was pretty… Well, it was barely a launch. The game couldn’t even hit 1,000 concurrent players on Steam. While 1047 Games reassured fans that this didn’t mean the game was bad, it did confirm that the game was not a hit.

Now, Splitgate 2 is bringing a massive update in an attempt to save the game.

Will Arena Royale save Splitgate: Arena Reloaded?

On January 19th, Splitgate: Arena Reloaded shared details about its big Update 2.2 on X. Game Design Director Josh Watson spoke to the community in a three-minute video that outlined what they can expect.

The biggest change? Arena Royale. This mode is meant to improve on the concept of a battle royale by blending it with an arena shooter. Watson said that the team wanted to push Splitgate’s battle royale “further” by focusing more on shooting and less on looting.

He explained that traditional battle royales have long stretches where “you’re not playing.” Instead, gamers are “staring at chests, traversing empty space, and waiting for the next fight.” Meanwhile, arena shooters are a lot faster-paced and action-focused. The idea of an Arena Royale is to bring these two concepts together.

Instead of being dropped from a ship, teams are thrown into the Stadium (a warm-up space) where they will vote on a biome to fight in. The four biomes – Glacier, Drought, Fracture, and Outskirts – are tighter than a traditional battle royale map, making it “fast and focused.”

“We wanted looting in Arena Royale to feel fast and frictionless,” Watson stated. “Chests open automatically, loot drops instantly on death. You’re not spending the match in menus while somebody third parties you. Upgrade instantly while moving through the map.”

Gamers will earn cash by doing damage and getting kills. There will also be arena events where players can earn cash to upgrade their gear, getting the upper hand in the next fight. These events force teams to fight more often rather than camp.

Update 2.2 also has improvements to custom games, new Mythic cosmetics, and more. However, many gamers feel it’s too late.

In response to the Arena Royale update, X users noted that it was going to be “dead in two months,” noting that this is what the game needed at launch to be successful.

“It’s too late, guys. Hope this helps hardcore fans, though,” said one gamer.

While the gaming community loves to declare things as “dead” quite often (Apex Legends and Overwatch 2 are “dying” every month for the past few years), many supporters applauded the devs for giving the game something promising. Many said that it simply sounds fun and they can’t wait to try it.

We’ll have to see if Splitgate: Arena Reloaded gains some traction later this month when Update 2.2 goes live.