It’s a random Tuesday morning in late April, so it’s obviously the best time to announce when Splatoon Raiders will be hitting store shelves. Absolutely perfect, Nintendo. No notes. As part of an update on Nintendo News this morning, the Big N revealed that Splatoon’s first spinoff will be hitting Switch 2 on July 23rd, 2026. Following in the footsteps of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Raiders will be priced at $49.99 digitally and $59.99 physically. It’s not a Game-Key Card release, either, as noted by the new box art highlighted for the game. Look how colorful and cheerful it looks! Also, Shiver is hot now.
What is Splatoon Raiders, exactly? Announced last year as a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, we now know that it is a single-player exclusive adventure that will see the player working as a mechanic alongside Deep Cut, the trio of musicians and hosts from Splatoon 3. You’ll travel to various landmasses in the Spirhalite Islands to acquire loot while also leveling up your gear, battling Salmonids, and generally being a Squid. This looks like a combination of the more free-form hubs from Splatoon 3 with the roguelike nature of the Side Order DLC, which is fun. You can also tag along with two other friends to amass even more loot.
Splatoon Raiders amiibo
If you thought that was the only bit of money you’d be spending with Raiders releases, think again! Three new amiibo are releasing for the game based on Deep Cut’s new designs. Pricing isn’t available just yet, but you can get new versions of Shiver, Frye, and Big Man that are all jumbo sized. The trailer doesn’t reveal what they unlock in Splatoon Raiders, but I imagine it’s just some fun cosmetic stuff or maybe some weapons.
All told, Splatoon Raiders looks neat. I’m surprised to see that Nintendo is not utilizing DLSS in the trailer, but then Splatoon 3 runs at 4K on Switch 2 without the technology. The clean and minimalist art style of Splatoon works well without upscalers, so there’s likely no need to integrate it.
Check out more Splatoon content
Splatoon 3: Side Order soundtrack added to Nintendo Music app in latest update
Guide – How to unlock the Splatoon items in the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition
PEGI listing might indicate Splatoon 3 is headed to Switch 2 soon
Leave a Comment
Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
