Natural Selection 2 vs Splitgate: Arena Warfare
Natural Selection 2 is an action-adventure FPS game from Unknown Worlds Entertainment (2012) while Splitgate: Arena Warfare is an FPS strategy game from 1047 Games (2019).
What each one is
Steam files Natural Selection 2 under Action-Adventure and FPS. In contrast, it files Splitgate: Arena Warfare under FPS and Strategy.
A fast paced multiplayer shooter that pits aliens against humans in a strategic and action-packed struggle for survival!
Splitgate is a free-to-play, fast-paced multiplayer shooter that features player-controlled portals. This sci-fi shooter takes the FPS genre to a new dimension with its portal mechanics, delivering high-flying, multi-dimensional combat.
At a glance
| Natural Selection 2 | Splitgate: Arena Warfare | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.4/10 | 8.2/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (85%, 13,363) | Very Positive (91%, 110,493) |
| Critic aggregate | 80/100 | No aggregate |
| Price | $4.99 | Free |
| Install size | — | 15 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | unsupported |
| Released | 2012 | 2019 |
| Developer | Unknown Worlds Entertainment | 1047 Games |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Natural Selection 2 vs Splitgate: Arena Warfare, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Natural Selection 2Action-adventure FPS gameSplitgate: Arena WarfareFPS strategy gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Natural Selection 2Strategy, FPS, Team-BasedSplitgate: Arena WarfareFree to Play, FPS, Arena ShooterThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Natural Selection 2Score 7.4 · 85% on Steam · 80 criticSplitgate: Arena Warfare ✓Score 8.2 · 91% on SteamThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Natural Selection 213,363 reviews · 10 add-onsSplitgate: Arena Warfare110,493 reviews · 15 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Natural Selection 2$4.99Splitgate: Arena Warfare ✓FreeRead live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Natural Selection 2 ✓PlayableSplitgate: Arena WarfareUnsupportedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Splitgate: Arena Warfare takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueNatural Selection 2 and Splitgate: Arena Warfare on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Splitgate: Arena Warfare (GamingPickz Score 8.2)
- The cheaper right now: Splitgate: Arena Warfare (Free)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Natural Selection 2 (playable)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Splitgate: Arena Warfare (110,493 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
MultiplayerStrategyFPSTeam-BasedActionSci-fiIndieCompetitive
Where they differ
RTSAliensModdableSpaceFuturisticAtmospheric
Free to PlayArena ShooterFast-PacedPvPe-sportsPhysics
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Natural Selection 2 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Splitgate: Arena Warfare is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Natural Selection 2 | Splitgate: Arena Warfare | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 1GB |
| Minimum CPU | — | Any dual core CPU |
| Minimum RAM | — | 6 GB |
| Install size | — | 15 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Natural Selection 2 · Splitgate: Arena Warfare.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Natural Selection 2 and 1 for Splitgate: Arena Warfare. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Natural Selection 2 and Splitgate: Arena Warfare in scope?
Natural Selection 2 has drawn 13,363 Steam reviews and ships 10 add-ons. Splitgate: Arena Warfare has drawn 110,493 Steam reviews and installs in 15 GB.
Is Natural Selection 2 or Splitgate: Arena Warfare better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Splitgate: Arena Warfare rates higher (8.2 to 7.4). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Natural Selection 2 or Splitgate: Arena Warfare?
Splitgate: Arena Warfare is cheaper right now at Free, against $4.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.