I’m very prepared to brush the likes of Apex Legends, Call of Duty, and The Finals aside for the time being once the Splitgate 2 alpha kicks off. The preceding offering from 1047 Games, described by many as ‘Halo with Portals,’ completely won my adoration. Standing apart from the landmark Bungie series despite that moniker, it struck a perfect balance of pace and precision, and I’m certainly looking forward to its grand return. If you’re just as excited as I am, there’s good news, as signups for the first public playtest are now live.
Splitgate 2, much like its predecessor, is a high-mobility arena shooter with a focus on 4-on-4 matches. The signature feature, of course, is the portal system, which allows you to open rifts that you can pass through or shoot through to gain an upper hand on your opponents. Beyond that, however, the original’s weapon balance and map design elevated it to a serious contender that I’d rank among the best multiplayer games in quite a few years, so I’m very eager to try out the sequel.
With the Splitgate 2 release date not due until 2025, these early tests are likely to be your only way to get hands-on for the time being. You’ll be able to try out the various factions – each acting like a slightly different class, allowing you to play into your love of mobility and high-skill fragging, take on a more supportive role, or lock down areas and defend them.
The Splitgate 2 alpha will run from Wednesday August 21 through Sunday August 25. Access is not guaranteed, but more players will be added throughout the course of the playtest. In order to have a chance at joining, you’ll need to request access via Steam. Your application will carry across future tests, and once you’ve been given access it will remain for all future alphas.
There are also no restrictions on streaming or capturing gameplay footage during the Splitgate 2 alpha test. So feel free to do that – and if you don’t get in this time, at least you should have plenty of opportunity to watch it in action while you wait for another chance.
We’ve rounded up all the best FPS games to play in 2024, so you’ll have plenty to keep you busy regardless. You can also browse the best free Steam games for lots of options that are worth your time and won’t require your money.
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