Nintendo has scheduled a dedicated Splatoon Raiders Direct for tonight — the first time the Splatoon franchise has received its own standalone presentation — giving Switch 2 owners one final deep dive before the game launches on 23 July. For Singapore, the stream kicks off at 10pm SGT tonight, 30 June 2026, live on Nintendo’s YouTube channel.
What Is Splatoon Raiders?
Splatoon Raiders is the series’ first ever spin-off and a genuine departure from what the franchise is known for. Rather than dropping you into a multiplayer ink battle, it sends you — playing as a customisable Inkling mechanic — on a treasure-hunting expedition across the mysterious Spirhalite Islands alongside Deep Cut, the three-member idol group (Shiver, Frye, and Big Man) beloved by Splatoon 3 fans.
The structure lands closer to a dungeon-crawler than a traditional Splatoon entry. A top-down Dungeon Menu lets you chart a course through a chain of islands, each housing ink-soaked stages filled with Salmonid enemies. One Deep Cut member accompanies you in an Exploration Bot during each raid, while you fight, level up, and upgrade a growing arsenal of ink weapons and mechanical gadgets.
Solo Missions or Full Four-Player Raids
Splatoon Raiders launches exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 on 23 July 2026 at US$49.99 digital / US$59.99 physical. Nintendo Asia has not confirmed the SGD price at the time of writing — we expect that to be updated ahead of launch. The download is approximately 20 GB.
The campaign is built around solo play, but it opens up to up to four players via online or local wireless co-op for full raids. Nintendo Switch Online is required for online play and cloud save backups. The game runs in TV, Tabletop, and Handheld modes, supports compatible amiibo, and enables HDR output on supported televisions.
Splatoon 3 Splatfest: Speed vs. Power vs. Technique
Not planning to pick up a Switch 2 yet? There is still a reason to log back into Splatoon 3. A Raiders-themed Splatfest runs 10–12 July 2026 with the question “Which is the strongest?” — pitting Speed, Power, and Technique against each other. The event brings nine exclusive Splashtag designs and two new titles, making it one of the more cosmetically generous Splatfests in recent memory.
The event kicks off at 8am SGT on 11 July (5pm PT on 10 July) and wraps at 8am SGT on 13 July.
Joy-Con 2 Colours, Amiibo, and the Nintendo Today! Comics
Nintendo will release a set of Deep Cut-themed Joy-Con 2 controllers on 23 July alongside the game. Pricing for these has not been announced. Compatible amiibo will also be supported at launch.
For lore fans who want to get up to speed before tonight, Nintendo has been publishing a daily digital comic series on the Nintendo Today! app since 23 June, telling the game’s prologue story. The app is free on iOS and Android with a Nintendo Account.
How to Watch the Splatoon Raiders Direct Tonight
The Direct streams on the Nintendo YouTube channel at these times:
- 7:00 AM PT / 10:00 AM ET (30 June)
- 10:00 PM SGT, tonight, 30 June 2026
The main presentation runs roughly 45 minutes, followed immediately by a Nintendo Treehouse: Live session with around 30 more minutes of extended gameplay. If you want the full picture before the 23 July launch, set a reminder now.
Keep an eye on GameTrader’s Nintendo coverage for a full breakdown once the Direct wraps tonight.