Ethan Crossfield 
Live-service games are competing for a finite audience, and that pressure is increasingly visible when online communities disappear. In September 2026, PlayStation players will lose official online services for five titles: Hawked, GRID Legends, Sociable Soccer 25, Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, and EMPULSE. The closures affect more than PlayStation consoles, with services ending across every platform on which the games are available.
A Broad September Shutdown List
The affected games cover several genres and release histories. Hawked and Sociable Soccer 25 have already been removed from sale, while GRID Legends remains available for purchase. GRID Legends will retain its single-player features after its online services end, giving players a way to continue using part of the game offline.
The remaining titles are Splitgate: Arena Reloaded and EMPULSE, two fast-paced first-person shooters made by 1047 Games. Splitgate: Arena Reloaded launched in 2025, while EMPULSE followed in 2026. Their inclusion is especially notable because both releases arrived relatively recently, yet neither managed to sustain the online audience needed to continue operating dedicated infrastructure.
What Happens to Splitgate: Arena Reloaded and EMPULSE?
The 1047 Games closures come with an important distinction. Dedicated servers for Splitgate: Arena Reloaded and EMPULSE are being retired, but the developer has confirmed that both games will move to peer-to-peer hosting with a server browser.
That transition should allow players to keep organizing matches after the dedicated services disappear, although the experience may differ from the original setup. Peer-to-peer hosting can change how matches are created and played, and the difference may be more noticeable in shooters that depend on fast, consistent online action. Still, the server-browser plan gives both communities a route to continue playing rather than ending multiplayer access entirely.
Most Closures Were Announced in Advance
The shutdowns are not equally sudden. Sociable Soccer 25 players received 180 days of notice, MY.GAMES announced the end of Hawked's service in March, and GRID Legends players were informed in June. The 1047 Games announcements arrived on a shorter schedule, although the decision follows struggles surrounding Splitgate: Arena Reloaded after the controversy involving Splitgate 2's unlaunch and relaunch. EMPULSE also failed to build the momentum needed to become a lasting online success, despite comparisons with Titanfall.
These cases reflect a wider live-service reality. Games now compete in a crowded market where even a recent release can lose its audience quickly. Earlier shutdowns such as Concord, which went offline two weeks after launch in late 2024, and Highguard, which closed in March after 45 days, show how severe that risk can become.
The Impact on Players
Players who still enjoy these games should check which features depend on online services before the September closures. GRID Legends will remain playable through its single-player content, while Splitgate: Arena Reloaded and EMPULSE are expected to retain multiplayer through peer-to-peer hosting. The other titles may lose more of their original functionality once their services end.
The broader pattern extends beyond this group. Mario Kart Tour is scheduled to shut down on September 30, and Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls is being delisted on September 3. Together, these closures underline how quickly online games can move from active products to legacy communities.
Key points
- Hawked, GRID Legends, Sociable Soccer 25, Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, and EMPULSE are shutting down online services in September 2026.
- The closures affect all supported platforms, not only PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
- GRID Legends will keep its single-player features after its online services end.
- Splitgate: Arena Reloaded and EMPULSE will transition from dedicated servers to peer-to-peer hosting with a server browser.
Expert View
This group of shutdowns shows that release timing alone cannot protect a live-service game from a short lifespan. The most important development is 1047 Games' peer-to-peer transition, which preserves a possible path for community-led play instead of cutting off multiplayer completely. However, these games will still depend on players maintaining active communities, making the move a practical compromise rather than a full replacement for dedicated online support.
