Splatoon Raiders landed on Nintendo Switch 2 today, July 23, 2026. If you have been typing questions like "is Splatoon Raiders good" into search bars for the last few weeks, you are not alone. This game came out of nowhere last year, then spent months building hype through trailers, a Treehouse stream, and a full Nintendo Direct.
Here is the short version before we get into everything else: Splatoon Raiders is not Splatoon 4. It is a spin-off, and a pretty ambitious one. Grab a coffee, because we are going to answer every question you have typed into Google about this game, one by one, with real numbers and real sources.
Photograph:Nintendo What Is Splatoon Raiders?
Splatoon Raiders is a single-player-focused spin-off in Nintendo's Splatoon series, built only for Nintendo Switch 2. You play as an Inkling or Octoling working as "the Mechanic," and you team up with Deep Cut, the band from Splatoon 3, to explore the Spirhalite Islands.
The goal is treasure. You raid islands, fight Salmonids, and haul loot back to your floating base, the Hideout Ship. Then you upgrade your gear, your weapons, and the ship itself, and head back out for a bigger score.
Each member of Deep Cut, Shiver, Frye, and Big Man, rides along in a machine called the Exploration Bot and helps you fight and dig for goodies during raids. It is part combat, part treasure hunt, and it plays a lot closer to a loot-driven adventure than a competitive arena shooter.
Is Splatoon Raiders Just Splatoon 4?
No, and Nintendo has been fairly direct about that distinction. Splatoon Raiders is a spin-off title, not the next mainline entry in the series. Nintendo Life's coverage of the launch even notes that a developer interview touched on the future of a proper mainline Splatoon 4, separate from this release.
Think of it this way: Splatoon 3 is still the reigning mainline game, and it just picked up a free Switch 2 update with 30 new weapons and a returning map from the original Wii U title. Raiders sits next to that game rather than replacing it.
How Is Splatoon Raiders Different From Past Splatoon Games?
Every mainline Splatoon game built its identity around Turf War, the 4-vs-4 competitive mode where two teams cover the map in ink. Raiders flips that completely. The core loop here is exploration and loot, closer in spirit to Salmon Run than to Ranked Battle.
You are not fighting other players for territory. You are fighting waves of Salmonids across island raids, picking difficulty on your own terms, and building a bigger loadout after every trip out.
Splatoon 3's story mode took roughly 8 hours to finish, according to GameTyrant's breakdown of past entries. Raiders runs far longer than that, which we will get into below.
Is Splatoon Raiders Coming Out? Will It Release in 2026?
Yes, and it already has. Splatoon Raiders released on July 23, 2026, exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2. Digital access in the US actually opened the night before, at 9 PM Pacific on July 22, which is standard for Nintendo's midnight-launch schedule across time zones.
So if you were wondering how many days until Splatoon Raiders, or counting down until launch, the countdown is over. It is out now.
Is Splatoon Raiders Good? Here Are the Actual Review Scores
Early reviews landed right around the mid-80s range, which puts Raiders in solid territory for a first-time spin-off. Metacritic's average sits at 81, and OpenCritic tracks it at 80. IGN and Nintendo Life both gave the game 9 out of 10.
For comparison, Star Fox, the previous Switch 2 exclusive from Nintendo, sits at a Metacritic score of 81 too, just one point ahead of Raiders. That is a strong showing for a brand-new concept rather than a remake.
Critics seem to like the shift away from competitive pressure. A slower, loot-focused adventure gives players room to breathe, and reviewers have pointed to that as the game's biggest strength.
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| Photograph: Nintendo |
Can I Play Splatoon Raiders on Switch 1? Will It Be on the Original Switch?
No. Splatoon Raiders is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, full stop. It will not run on the original Switch, and Nintendo has not announced any plan to bring it there.
This puts Raiders in the same bucket as other Switch 2 exclusives like Star Fox and Mario Kart World, games built specifically to use the newer hardware rather than stretch across two console generations.
If you are still on Switch 1 and want in on this one, a Switch 2 purchase is the only path. Worth noting: Nintendo has confirmed the console's US price rises from $449.99 to $499.99 starting September 1, 2026, so buying sooner rather than later saves you $50 on the hardware alone.
Can I Pre-Order Splatoon Raiders?
Pre-orders were open ahead of launch through the Nintendo eShop, Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and GameStop, covering both digital and physical editions. Since the game released today, "pre-order" now really means "buy," but all of those retailers carry it.
Interestingly, Amazon and Walmart briefly discounted the game by $10 before launch, temporarily matching the physical edition's price to the digital one. That deal was a retailer promotion, not an official Nintendo price cut.
How Much Does Splatoon Raiders Cost? Why Is It $50?
Splatoon Raiders costs $49.99 for the digital edition and $59.99 for a physical cartridge. That $10 gap comes from Nintendo's newer pricing policy, which adds a premium to physical copies across its Switch 2 lineup.
Fifty dollars is actually a friendly number next to some of Nintendo's other Switch 2 output. Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave and Mario Kart World both launched at $80. Screen Rant's coverage of the pre-launch Direct pointed out that Nintendo barely acknowledged how reasonable this price is, even though it undercuts the company's own flagship pricing by a wide margin.
Why Is Splatoon Raiders Only on Switch 2? Why Is It So Cheap?
The Switch 2 exclusivity comes down to hardware. Raiders needs the newer console's power for its bigger islands, dynamic co-op scaling, and expanded customization system, none of which Nintendo has tried to squeeze onto the original Switch.
As for the price, $50 lines up with how Nintendo tends to treat spin-offs and mid-size releases rather than full numbered entries. Star Fox launched at the same $50 price point in July, and that pattern suggests Nintendo reserves its $80 tag for the biggest flagship titles only.
Does Splatoon Raiders Have Multiplayer? Will It Have Online and Co-op?
Yes, Splatoon Raiders supports up to four players in co-op, through either online play or local wireless. One player hosts a session, and the group works through that host's story missions and island raids together.
You unlock this mode early, right after finishing the Tumettor Rocks raid, by checking a TV near the Exploration Bot back at the Hideout Ship.
A neat touch: a "Call for Help" system lets solo players connect online and pull in a helper for a tough raid, without needing a full pre-made group. Enemy difficulty and player power both scale based on the team, so a strong player and a newcomer can play together without either side getting steamrolled or bored.
Will Splatoon Raiders Have PvP or Turf War?
Nintendo has not confirmed any competitive PvP mode for Splatoon Raiders, and there is no Turf War here. This is a cooperative, PvE-focused game through and through, built around raiding islands with friends or the AI-assisted Exploration Bot, not fighting other players for ink territory.
If you came in expecting the classic 4-vs-4 formula, temper that expectation. Raiders trades competitive ink battles for a shared loot chase, and that is the entire point of the spin-off.
Will Splatoon Raiders Have Co-Op? How Many Players Can Join?
Co-op supports 2 to 4 players total. Local wireless play needs each participant to bring their own Nintendo Switch 2 console and their own copy of the game, since GameShare is not supported here. Couch co-op on a single console and screen is not available either.
Online co-op needs a Nintendo Switch Online membership, same as most of Nintendo's connected multiplayer features. Local wireless play does not require that membership, so a living room full of friends with their own consoles can still team up without paying for anything extra.
Will Splatoon Raiders Be Open World?
Splatoon Raiders leans toward a raid-based structure across the Spirhalite Islands rather than one seamless open map you wander freely. You head out on individual expeditions, gather loot, then return to the Hideout Ship to gear up before the next trip.
That loop sits somewhere between a fully open world and the mission-based structure of past Splatoon campaigns, closer to an island-hopping adventure than a single sprawling continent.
Will Splatoon Raiders Have Mouse Controls?
Nintendo has not published confirmation either way on mouse control support for Splatoon Raiders, and none of the official trailers, Direct footage, or store listings mention it. If that feature matters to you, it is worth checking the official Nintendo product page closer to launch day for an update rather than assuming either answer.
How Long Is Splatoon Raiders? How Long Does It Take to Beat?
A typical campaign run takes about 15 to 18 hours, based on multiple outlets tracking early playthroughs, including GameSpot and GameTyrant. Your choice of difficulty shifts that number quite a bit.
On Tourist difficulty, the easiest setting, expect around 15 hours for the story. Survivalist, the hardest option, can stretch that closer to 30 hours. Full completion, meaning every weapon, gadget, outfit, and hidden Salmonid Relic, pushes total playtime toward 40 hours for dedicated players.
That makes Splatoon Raiders the longest single-player experience the franchise has ever produced, easily beating Splatoon 3's roughly 8-hour story mode.
What Are the Three Difficulty Levels in Splatoon Raiders?
Tourist, Raider, and Survivalist. You can switch between them at any point during the game, and Nintendo's official product page confirms that difficulty only changes combat challenge, not the loot you are able to collect. So dropping down a level for a tough raid will not cost you rewards.
How Do I Get and Play Splatoon Raiders?
You can buy Splatoon Raiders digitally through the Nintendo eShop for $49.99, or pick up a physical cartridge for $59.99 at retailers including GameStop, Walmart, Best Buy, and Amazon. Both versions need a Nintendo Switch 2 console, since it will not run on the original Switch.
Once installed, you start as the Mechanic aboard the Hideout Ship, meet Deep Cut, and head out on your first raid across the Spirhalite Islands. The digital download sits around 13.1 GB, according to Forbes' launch-day coverage, so budget your storage accordingly.
How Long Is the Splatoon Raiders Direct?
Nintendo's dedicated Direct for the game, which aired June 30, 2026, ran about 15 minutes, according to Nintendo Life's rundown of the presentation. That Direct followed months of smaller reveals, starting with the original announcement trailer on June 10, 2025, and a second trailer on April 21, 2026, that confirmed the release date.
Nintendo also ran a Treehouse Live stream on June 9, 2026, showing off the tutorial and home base in more depth than the earlier trailers allowed.
What Amiibo and Accessories Launch With Splatoon Raiders?
A Deep Cut amiibo triple pack, featuring Splatoon Raiders versions of Shiver, Frye, and Big Man, released alongside the game on July 23. Tapping these in unlocks new outfit options for your Mechanic. Nintendo also released a blue-and-yellow Joy-Con 2 pair themed around Shiver and Frye, priced at $99.99.
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| Photograph: Nintendo |
Why Is Splatoon Sometimes Called Rage-Inducing? Is Splatoon Bad or Good?
This one is less about Raiders specifically and more about the wider franchise's reputation. Ranked Battle in the mainline games can get genuinely tense. You are matched against players of similar skill, one bad round can snowball into a losing streak, and ink coverage rewards precise timing more than raw aim.
That intensity is exactly why so many players love it too. Splatoon consistently ranks among Nintendo's most replayed franchises, precisely because the matches stay close and every round feels like it matters.
Splatoon Raiders sidesteps a lot of that pressure by nature. Since it drops the PvP format entirely, players who found the ranked grind stressful now have a full-length Splatoon experience without any of that competitive heat.
What's the Point of Splatoon Anyway?
At its core, the franchise is built around territory and expression, teams painting turf, dressing up their characters, and competing in matches that rarely last longer than a few minutes. Raiders keeps the ink-based combat and character customization but points it at a cooperative treasure hunt instead of a scoreboard.
Final Verdict: Should You Buy Splatoon Raiders?
Splatoon Raiders earns its reviews. A Metacritic score of 81 and matching 9/10 marks from IGN and Nintendo Life put it right alongside the franchise's best-received entries, and it does that while trying something the series has never attempted before.
Fifty dollars for 15 to 40 hours of content, four-player co-op, and a genuine departure from the competitive format Splatoon built its name on is a fair trade. If Turf War burned you out but you still love the ink-flinging combat, this spin-off was built with you in mind.
Sources used: Nintendo official store pages (US, UK), Inkipedia, Splatoon Wiki, Wikipedia, Nintendo Life, Forbes, GameSpot, Screen Rant, Comic Book, Game8, GameTyrant, Notebookcheck, Vice.
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