Splatoon‘s single-player modes have always harbored some interesting ideas, but they’ve all either felt like drawn-out tutorials or been relegated to brief paid DLCs. That’s why Splatoon Raiders, the series’ first single-player spin-off, is a big deal — Nintendo finally has a chance to give players the full-length, fleshed-out experience we’ve been waiting for.
Previous trailers taught us that the player will take on the role of a scrappy little mechanic who has to fend off Salmonids. Big Man, Shiver, and Frye are returning, and one of them helps you out via a really stubby-looking mech that’s probably way too small for poor Big Man’s big stingray arms.
Until recently, however, we didn’t have any real idea about what the game actually is. A roguelite like Side Order? A wave-based challenge mode like Salmon Run? Or a string of fairly linear missions?
Finally, during the June 9 Nintendo Direct and the Treehouse presentation that followed, Nintendo cleared up a bunch of things about the upcoming spin-off. There’s also a dedicated Splatoon Raiders Direct arriving on June 30, but for now, here’s what we’ve learned about the third-person shooter coming out July 23.
🦑 Quick Overview: Splatoon Raiders is a single-player spin-off launching July 23 on Switch 2. It features open-ended raids, a customizable Hideout Ship, gadget-based combat, treasure hunting, and difficulty settings — finally giving Splatoon fans the single-player experience they’ve been asking for.
5 Things We Learned About Splatoon Raiders
| # | What We Learned | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Less Linear Raids | Open-ended sandbox exploration with treasure hunting, weapon looting, and Spirhalite Shards. You can even surf between islands. |
| 2 | Meet the Hideout Ship | A customizable headquarters with the members of Deep Cut. You’ll tinker with gear, purchase upgrades, plan raids, test weapons, and build new ship parts. |
| 3 | Gadgets Galore | Equip gadgets like the Shot Pot (rapid ink fire), Splatchet (enemy-slicing), and Splattelites (ink-spinning). Customizable upgrades for tank, weapon, and companion — plus mysterious Relic Powers. |
| 4 | Treasure Hunting Is Key | Treasure is your ultimate goal on these islands. Chests contain items like a salmonid statue that unlocks new abilities. Likely displayable on the ship like Splatoon 3‘s lockers. |
| 5 | It’s Hard (If You Want It to Be) | Difficulty settings are included. The base game can be as challenging as the toughest Salmon Run waves, with new salmonids and abilities — but upgrades and settings make it accessible for all players. |
More Details
🎮 Gadgets in Depth
As a mechanic, you’ll build a bunch of gadgets to help you out on your journey. Unlike the series’ sub weapons, these aren’t tied to your main weapons, meaning you’re free to equip whichever ones you’d like. There’s the Shot Pot (which fires ink over and over again), the enemy-slicing Splatchet, and the ink-spinning Splattelites.
We also got peeks at some unnamed gadgets that seem to mirror mechanics from previous Splatoon games, like an automatic-targeting version of those little spinning tops from Side Order. Speaking of Side Order, there are plenty of customizable upgrades you can make to your tank, weapon, and companion. There’s also a mysterious tab for something called Relic Powers, which I’d guess are powers found during exploration.
🏴☠️ The Hideout Ship
In between raids, you’ll hang out on a very sketchy-looking ship with the members of Deep Cut. This ship serves as your team’s headquarters — it’s where you’ll go to tinker with gear, purchase upgrades, plan out future raids, and test out new weapons. You’ll also apparently have the ability to build new parts for the ship, though this hasn’t been shown off at all yet. It finally has a name, too: the Hideout Ship, which is just very cute.
💎 Treasure Hunting
During the Nintendo Treehouse that followed the Direct, the hosts happened upon some treasure and then… proceeded to cut off the stream before opening the chest in order to avoid showing us what was inside. That’s pretty funny considering the fact that an earlier trailer showed a shot of one of these chests being opened to reveal a little statue of a salmonid who’s seriously squared up. The statue seems to unlock a new ability, too.
We had obviously seen this treasure before, but the Treehouse presentation emphasized that treasure hunting is your ultimate goal on these islands. I’m also convinced that these treasures might be displayable on the ship much like Splatoon 3‘s locker trinkets.
Key Details at a Glance
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Game | Splatoon Raiders |
| Developer | Nintendo |
| Platform | Switch 2 |
| Release Date | July 23, 2026 |
| Type | Single-player spin-off (not a roguelite — full campaign) |
| Genre | Third-person action / sandbox / treasure hunting |
| Hub World | The Hideout Ship — customizable headquarters |
| Difficulty | Adjustable settings for all skill levels |
💡 Final Word: Splatoon Raiders finally looks like the single-player Splatoon experience fans have been waiting for. With open-ended raids, a customizable ship, gadget-based combat, treasure hunting, and proper difficulty settings, it’s shaping up to be a fresh take on the franchise — and a must-play for Switch 2 owners this summer.
