Nintendo has rolled out a major update for Splatoon 3, enhancing both the visual quality and performance on the Nintendo Switch 2.

Among the key improvements is an increased resolution for screenshots saved in the Switch 2 Album, ensuring your best in-game moments look sharper than ever. Additionally, on-screen movement has been optimized across several key areas including Splatsville, Inkopolis, Inkopolis Square, and Grand Festival Grounds. Animations have also received a polish—especially for characters like jellyfish and the Salmonid during Salmon Run events, where smoother visuals are now present even when large groups appear on screen.

Beyond visual and performance enhancements, this update introduces 30 new weapon kits from the Barazushi and Emberz brands—collectively known as the Splatlands Collection—as well as the nostalgic return of the Urchin Underpass stage, originally featured in the first Splatoon game on Wii U.

Nintendo has confirmed that future updates will focus on multiplayer balance adjustments, particularly tailored to accommodate the newly added weapons and gameplay dynamics they introduce.

✅ Splatoon 3 Update: Version 10.0.0 – Released June 11, 2025

🎮 Added Features and Game Content Changes

Nintendo Switch 2 Enhancements:

• Enhanced display resolution for improved visual clarity.
• Smoother character and camera movement in:
  • Splatsville
  • Inkopolis
  • Inkopolis Square
  • Grand Festival Grounds
• Optimized Salmonid animations in Salmon Run, even during high-density encounters.
• Refined animations for certain in-game characters, including jellyfish.
• Updated transition animation displayed in the bottom-right corner when changing scenes.
• Increased resolution for screenshots captured via Photo Mode or the Capture Button, stored in the Nintendo Switch 2 Album.

Nintendo Switch Adjustments:

• To maintain consistent performance with the Switch 2, non-essential environmental elements outside the battle zone are now hidden during matches in Splat Zones, Tower Control, Rainmaker, and Clam Blitz modes.
• Recon Mode retains all existing visual elements.

The following changes apply to both Nintendo Switch and Switch 2:

🔁 Multiplayer Updates

• New Stage Added: Urchin Underpass (classic return from original Splatoon).
• Splatlands Collection Weapons: 30 new weapons added from the Barazushi and Emberz brands—available in shops post-update.

Anarchy Battle Enhancements:

• Series Weapon System Introduced (Rank S and higher):

  • Series Weapon Power is calculated individually for each equipped weapon.
  • Players are matched against others with similar power levels for the current weapon.
  • Series Weapon Power resets at the start of each season but highest values are recorded in SplatNet 3.
  • View your Series Weapon Power by pressing the ZL Button on the Equip screen.

• Anarchy Battle (Open): Rank Point changes per match increased by approximately 2.5x.

• Call Sign Feature Added for X Battles:

  • Call signs now appear instead of player nicknames during battles.
  • Actual nicknames and IDs (#XXXX) can be viewed after matches via result screens.
  • In X Rankings, real names and IDs will be displayed.

🌐 SplatNet 3 Improvements

• Best Nine Feature Added:

  • Displays the top nine weapons based on Series Weapon Power owned by each player.
  • Best Nine rankings allow players to compete using their total Series Weapon Power across those nine weapons.

• Notifications Integration:

  • SplatNet 3 notifications now appear in the notification center of the Nintendo Switch App.

🔧 Other Game Updates

• Freshness System Expansion:

  • Maximum Freshness level increased to 10★.
  • New badges unlocked at Freshness levels 6★ through 10★.
  • Weapons with XP beyond the previous cap will automatically gain Freshness after one match, proportional to excess XP.
  • Additional badges added for owning multiple weapons at Freshness ★★★★ or higher.

• Privacy Adjustment:

  • Players who have participated in Anarchy Battle (Series) or Splatfest Battle (Pro) will no longer appear in the “Users You Have Played With” list.

⚖️ Balance Adjustments

In response to community feedback and internal analysis, several weapons and abilities have undergone balance tweaks:

• S-BLAST ‘92 / S-BLAST ‘91: Adjusted to provide more counter opportunities at various ranges.
• Crab Tank: Reduced maximum cannon damage and improved effectiveness of other special weapons against it.
• Toxic Mist: Ink cost reduced for better synergy with main weapons, while recovery time has been extended to prevent overuse.

🎉 Bonus Announcement: Splatoon Raiders

In a surprise reveal this week, Nintendo announced Splatoon Raiders, a brand-new spin-off title exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2. The announcement came alongside a trailer released via the Nintendo Today! App.

While no release date was shared, fans are encouraged to stay tuned for further updates in the coming months.