'Steam Charts don't measure fun,' Splitgate: Arena Reloaded studio says in response to worries about declining player numbers: 'They don't show the full picture'

(Image credit: 1047 Games)

Splitgate: Arena Reloaded hasn't exactly set the world on fire since its re-launch in December 2025. Concurrent player counts on Steam hit a peak of just under 2,300 following the release, and the number hasn't broken 1,000 since Christmas; as I write this, there are just 785 people playing, not really a great place for a 'new' online shooter.

In response to online chatter about the game's flagging fortunes, developer 1047 Games has issued a statement saying those numbers "don't show the full picture," and recommitting itself to Splitgate's future.

Steam Charts don't measure fun. The show one number, on one platform, at one given moment. They don't show the full picture or what it feels like to actually play, and they definitely don't capture the community that's actively helping shape what Arena Reloaded is becoming {including upcoming content like Arena Royale). Over the past six months, we rebuilt Splitgate from the ground up because we believe in the game, our team, and our community. The 1047 Team remains committed to delivering the best version of Splitgate possible. — (Image credit: 1047 Games (Twitter))

The original Splitgate made a good impression when it debuted on PC in 2019, but it didn't become a hit until it "un-released" into an open beta state ahead of its console launch in 2021, which suddenly attracted more than 10 million players and $100 million in funding.

Splitgate numbers tailed off fairly quickly after that, but 1047 had high hopes for Splitgate 2, calling it "a revolutionary step forward for competitive shooters" in 2024. It turned out to be somewhat less than that, and 1047 CEO Ian Proulx did the game no favors when he spoiled the studio's surprise battle royale announcement by wearing a "Make FPS Great Again" cap at the 2025 Summer Game Fest; a subsequent $80 bundle on the Splitgate 2 store didn't improve anyone's mood.

Splitgate 2 tanked at launch, and shortly afterward was reverted to beta state; employees were laid off, and the game eventually came back in December 2025 under the revised name Splitgate: Arena Reloaded. But unlike the last time, this do-over was met with a yawn, at least on Steam.

That brings us back to today's update, which is absolutely correct: The Steam numbers indicate how the game is performing on Steam alone, with no accounting for PlayStation, Xbox, and Epic Games Store players. But there's also no getting around the fact that Steam is far and away the dominant PC gaming platform, and Splitgate, vibes-wise at least, feels like a PC-first game. So, are things as dire for Splitgate: Arena Reloaded as Steam Charts numbers make them out to be? No. But I suspect the situation is not a whole lot better than it appears, either.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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