The short version
- Launches July 23, 2026, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2
- $49.99 digital / $59.99 physical
- A single-player-focused spin-off — the first mainline Splatoon entry built around story rather than competitive multiplayer
- Players take on a Mechanic raiding the Spirhalite Islands for treasure, fighting waves of Salmonid enemies
- 100+ weapons, sometimes dropped at random by defeated Salmonids, each with its own level of power
- Three Ink Tank types (Speed, Power, Tactical), each supporting up to two attachable Gadgets for unique abilities
- Supports 4-player co-op, online or local wireless, on top of the single-player campaign
Splatoon Raiders launches July 23, 2026 exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 — a spin-off that breaks from the series’ competitive multiplayer roots to build a single-player-focused campaign around raiding for loot instead.
A different kind of Splatoon
Where the mainline series lives and dies on 4v4 turf wars, Raiders puts players in the boots of a Mechanic exploring the mysterious Spirhalite Islands, raiding them for treasure and fighting off waves of Salmonid enemies with a mix of ink-splattering weapons and mechanical gadgets. It’s still built around the series’ signature ink-based combat, just reframed around a story-driven raid loop instead of ranked queues.
Loadouts: tanks, gadgets, and 100+ weapons
Combat gear centers on an Ink Tank strapped to the Mechanic’s back, available in three varieties — Speed, Power, and Tactical — each of which supports up to two attachable Gadgets that grant unique abilities, with the specific Gadgets available depending on which Tank is equipped. Beyond that, there are over 100 weapons to find, some dropped at random by defeated Salmonids, each carrying its own power level that scales as players progress.
Solo by design, but co-op is there too
Despite the single-player focus, Raiders isn’t solo-only: it supports 4-player co-op, both online and via local wireless, for players who want to tackle raids together rather than alone.
Why it matters
Splatoon has built a decade of goodwill almost entirely on its competitive multiplayer, so a spin-off built specifically around a single-player raid campaign is a genuinely different pitch for the franchise — and launching it as a Switch 2 exclusive makes it one of the console’s more notable original titles this summer, arriving less than three weeks after its release date was even confirmed.
Sources: Nintendo Wire — Splatoon Raiders Direct roundup, TheGamer — Splatoon Raiders Releases Exclusively On Switch 2 July 23, 2026, JEU.VIDEO — Splatoon Raiders price: $49.99, date and best edition, Nintendo — Splatoon Raiders official product page
