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.
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 Groove (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.
