The squid kids will be back this summer. Nintendo announced this morning that Splatoon Raiders, a single-player spinoff of its competitive shooter series, will launch on the Nintendo Switch 2 on July 23rd. It’ll be the first new entry in the series since Splatoon 3 in 2022.
Splatoon Raiders hits the Switch 2 in July
Splatoon Raiders hits the Switch 2 in July
Nintendo is steadily fleshing out its lineup for the rest of the year.
Nintendo is steadily fleshing out its lineup for the rest of the year.
In addition to the date, Nintendo also released a new trailer that gives a better idea of what Raiders will actually play like. Essentially, it looks like it retains the same ink-focused shooter gameplay — and killer soundtrack — from the main series, but translates it to a new campaign. That said, while Nintendo describes the game as “single-player-focused,“ Raiders does include some co-op elements, as you can team up with up to three other players, both online and locally.
Here’s the set-up, according to Nintendo:
Play as a mechanic working with Deep Cut, a trio of swashbuckling musicians, and venture out into the mysterious Spirhalite Islands! Customize your appearance, equip mechanical gadgets and ink-splattering weapons, and take on hordes of aggressive sea creatures called Salmonids in search of treasure.
The announcement of Raiders’ release date helps fill out what is currently a very light lineup for the Switch 2 for the rest of the year. Nintendo just released the life sim Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream (which is also available on the original Switch) and a big expansion for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but the rest of 2026 currently consists of just Yoshi and the Mysterious Book (May), Rhythm Heaven Grove (July), Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave (release date TBD), and now Splatoon.
Which means we’re probably in for some big announcements after this summer to see what Nintendo has in store for the holidays.
Source: theverge