On June 30, Nintendo aired a 15-minute dedicated Direct for Splatoon Raiders, its upcoming Switch 2-exclusive spin-off, followed by 30 minutes of Nintendo Treehouse: Live gameplay. After weeks of drip-fed trailers, the showcase filled in nearly every remaining blank about the game — which now has a locked release date of July 23, 2026.
A Different Kind of Splatoon
Splatoon Raiders is not a numbered sequel. Instead of ranked turf wars, you play as a freelance mechanic recruited by Deep Cut — the idol trio of Shiver, Frye, and Big Man — to plunder the mysterious Spirhalite Islands for buried treasure. The Splatoon formula is still here: ink-splattering weapons, squid-kid movement, and the series's signature color-drenched visual language. But the loop is built around raiding dens and facilities rather than competitive multiplayer.
Enemy variety draws from the established Splatoon bestiary. Lesser Salmonids fill the grunt role across the islands' crystal mines and open terrain. Boss Salmonids escalate the difficulty mid-raid, and a new enemy class — Seasoned Salmonids — acts as elite encounters in the game's deeper underground facilities.
Difficulty, Co-op, and Amiibo
Three difficulty modes span the experience: Tourist for newcomers and young players, Raider for the standard adventure, and Survivalist for veterans who want the kind of pressure the Salmon Run mode dishes out. The Direct confirmed that all three modes cover the full story.
Co-op lets up to four players tackle the game together online or over local wireless. Nintendo was clear that solo is fully supported throughout — you're never required to bring friends. That said, the Direct\s Treehouse segment spent considerable time on group raiding, suggesting the co-op side is well-developed.
On the amiibo front: tapping any existing Splatoon series amiibo unlocks outfits from across the franchise history. The three new Raiders-specific amiibo — Shiver, Frye, and Big Man in their Raider-themed designs — unlock exclusive new outfits for each character. The Deep Cut triple pack ships the same day as the game.
What Ships July 23
Alongside the game, Nintendo is releasing a pair of blue and light-yellow Joy-Con 2 controllers colour-matched to the Splatoon Raiders aesthetic. The game itself is priced at $50 digital, $60 physical, putting it slightly below Nintendo's standard $70 flagship price point — consistent with its spin-off positioning.
Splatoon Raiders is a Switch 2 exclusive with no announced plans for a Switch 1 version.