Splitgate: Arena Warfare

Splitgate: Arena Warfare lives on the portal trick: it turns an arena shooter into something that is half aim duel and half spatial puzzle. By our assessment, that is the part worth showing to anyone curious about the idea, because portals change sightlines, movement, and ambush angles in a way standard shooters do not. The trade-off is that the game can feel less surprising once the portal routes become familiar, and the player still needs to like fast arena shooting underneath the gimmick. In practice it plays like a familiar competitive shooter with a very specific mobility tool layered on top. Compared with classic arena shooters it is most interesting when the portals are used aggressively rather than as decoration. That makes it a decent pick for players who want a twist on old-school arena combat, but not a deep reinvention of the whole genre. The name tells the truth: the portal mechanic is the whole point.