Splatoon Raiders Is Out Now 🦑 Everything You Need to Know ⚡

Splatoon Raiders launched today, July 23, 2026, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo's first standalone PvE spin-off in 11 years of Splatoon history is available now digitally on the Nintendo eShop and at retail stores worldwide. Early critical reception is strong: Metacritic is averaging 81 and OpenCritic 80, matching mainline Splatoon titles. IGN and Nintendo Life awarded it 9/10.

This is not Splatoon 4. It is something the franchise has never attempted: a single-player-focused looter-shooter built around raids, loot drops, and a class-based progression system, with four-player co-op baked in from the start.

What is Splatoon Raiders?

Splatoon Raiders takes the series somewhere entirely new. This single-player-focused spin-off puts players at the helm of a mechanic sailing the mysterious Spirhalite Islands in search of treasure, alongside the fan-favourite trio Deep Cut. Raiders is a deliberate step sideways: a story-driven, single-player action shooter that draws inspiration from the beloved Salmon Run mode while building something much bigger around it.

Players choose to be either an Inkling or Octoling as their player character, who takes on the role of a mechanic. Accompanied by the members of Deep Cut, who appeared in Splatoon 3, they explore a region known as the Spirhalite Islands.

The gameplay blends ink-splattering combat against waves of Salmonid enemies with exploration, crafting at a Mechanic Shack aboard your hideout ship, and dungeon-style raids for increasingly rare treasure.

Price and Editions

Splatoon Raiders is priced at $49.99 digital and $59.99 physical, marking the franchise's first PvE spin-off in 11 years of Splatoon history.

There is no deluxe edition, no collector's edition, and no season pass tier, which is unusual enough in 2026 to be worth stating. The $49.99 digital price sits $10 below what most Nintendo Switch 2 first-party titles charge, a signal that Nintendo is treating this as a deliberate genre experiment rather than a numbered sequel.

Storage requirement: 13.1 GB of free space on your Switch 2 system or expanded storage card.

Gameplay: What Is Different From Mainline Splatoon

Every mainline Splatoon title, from the original 2015 Wii U game through Splatoon 3 in 2022, was built around competitive multiplayer with Turf War and ranked modes as the primary content. Solo campaigns existed but were secondary. Raiders inverts that entirely.

Core differences from Splatoon 1, 2, and 3:

• Single-player campaign is the primary experience, not a side feature
• PvE focus against Salmonid enemies instead of PvP Turf War
• Persistent loot drops and gear progression across runs
• Three ink tank classes with distinct playstyles
• Mechanic Shack crafting system aboard the hideout ship
• Spirhalite Islands as an explorable open archipelago
• No difficulty penalty system: all players can access all content regardless of skill level

Three ink tank classes, persistent loot drops, and a no-difficulty-penalty system define the game, with Nintendo Switch Online required for online co-op.

Four-Player Co-Op

The full campaign supports four-player online co-op with dynamic level scaling. High-level players joining lower-level friends will fight enemies adjusted to their own power tier, ensuring fair loot drops and balanced challenge across the squad.

The co-op mode allows up to four players, either locally or online, to play alongside. In co-op mode, the game's difficulty is adjusted depending on how many players are present.

Nintendo Switch Online is required for online co-op sessions. Local co-op is available without a subscription.

Amiibo and Joy-Con 2 Accessories

Three new Deep Cut amiibo launch alongside the game today:

• Shiver (Splatoon Raiders design)
• Frye (Splatoon Raiders design)
• Big Man (Splatoon Raiders design)

Each amiibo unlocks outfit options for the Mechanic character. These are updated versions of the original Deep Cut amiibo from Splatoon 3, featuring the character looks from Raiders. Pre-orders are available on My Nintendo Store.

Nintendo has not fully disclosed all amiibo in-game functionality beyond the outfit unlocks.

A special Joy-Con 2 pair also launches today: a blue and light-yellow Joy-Con 2 pair built around Shiver and Frye's color schemes, priced at $99.99.

Critical Reception

Early critical reception is overwhelmingly positive. Critics praise the new direction.

Developer Interview and Announcement History

Both major Splatoon Raiders reveals, the June 2025 first announcement and the release date trailer, came through the Nintendo Today app, not a Nintendo Direct. Nintendo has increasingly used Nintendo Today for major franchise announcements.

Nintendo published a developer interview alongside the launch announcement today. The interview is available on the Nintendo Hong Kong topics page and covers the team's reasoning for building a PvE spin-off before Splatoon 4. Speaking in a behind-the-scenes interview, the series' developers explained why they wanted to launch a co-operative spinoff first.

Switch 2 Price Reminder

The Switch 2 console is currently $449.99. Nintendo has confirmed a U.S. price increase to $499.99 on September 1, 2026. That gives anyone on the fence about a Switch 2 purchase roughly six weeks to buy at the current price.

Play Splatoon Raiders with a Stable Connection Using ExitLag

Splatoon Raiders' four-player co-op and online raid content depend on your connection to Nintendo's servers. In a looter-shooter where co-op coordination, loot drop timing, and enemy wave registration all happen in real time, packet loss and unstable routing create the same problems they do in any online action game: inputs that do not register, desync between players, and disconnections from sessions mid-raid.

ExitLag is a connection optimizer used by over 30 million players across 4,000+ game titles. It analyzes multiple network routes in real time and selects the fastest, most stable path between your device and Nintendo's servers, replacing your ISP's default routing with one built for gaming latency.

Features that directly benefit Splatoon Raiders players:

• Real-Time Optimization: Continuously selects the lowest-latency route to Nintendo's servers, keeping co-op sessions smooth and responsive across all four players.
• Multipath Technology: Routes game data through multiple simultaneous paths. If one path drops a packet during a raid, the others carry that data without the loss affecting what the server registers.
• Traffic Shaper: Prioritizes Splatoon Raiders traffic above background applications so nothing on your system spikes your connection during a co-op session.
• Multi-Internet: Supports up to four simultaneous connections, eliminating disconnections from online raid sessions at critical moments.

Download ExitLag and try it free.

Pro Tips: Getting Started in Splatoon Raiders

• Pick your class before jumping into co-op: The three ink tank classes play differently and co-op squads benefit from having a mix. Spend time in the single-player campaign learning your class's strengths before bringing it into a four-player raid.
• Buy at $449.99 before September 1 if you are still on the fence about Switch 2: Nintendo confirmed the U.S. price rises to $499.99 on September 1. Splatoon Raiders is $49.99 digital today. The combined total at current prices is still below the post-September console price alone.
• Check amiibo functionality in the developer interview: Nintendo published a full developer interview today alongside the launch. It covers design decisions and likely addresses amiibo integration in more detail than the promotional materials have.
• Use local co-op for your first raid session: Playing with friends locally before going into online co-op helps you get a feel for the class dynamics without the added variable of connection quality across four remote players.

Common Questions About Splatoon Raiders

1. Is this Splatoon 4? No. Nintendo and the developers have been explicit that Splatoon Raiders is a spin-off, not a numbered sequel. It does not replace or continue the competitive multiplayer formula of the mainline series. Splatoon 4 has not been announced.

1. Do I need Nintendo Switch Online for co-op? Online co-op requires a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Local co-op for up to four players does not require a subscription.

1. Does the single-player campaign carry over progress to co-op? Loot and progression from single-player and co-op sessions both contribute to the same character loadout. The Mechanic Shack crafting system and gear drops are shared across modes.

Splatoon Raiders Quick Reference

Play Splatoon Raiders co-op with ExitLag for the most stable online connection.

Splatoon Raiders, Nintendo Switch 2, and related marks are trademarks of Nintendo. Used for informational and educational purposes only.