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Game News

Splatoon Raiders Reviews Are In — 81 on Metacritic as It Launches Tomorrow

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Reviews for Splatoon Raiders have gone live, and Nintendo’s first ever Splatoon spin-off is landing with scores that put it right alongside the mainline series. The game launches exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 tomorrow, 23 July, so if you’re on the fence, here’s what critics are saying.

Splatoon Raiders gameplay screenshot showing the mechanic exploring the Spirhalite Islands
Image courtesy of Nintendo

As we covered in our preview roundup on Monday, the expectation heading in was cautious optimism for a spin-off tackling unfamiliar PvE territory. The early scores suggest those concerns were mostly unfounded.

Splatoon Raiders Review Scores

As of today, Splatoon Raiders holds an 81 on Metacritic (65 critic reviews) and an 80 on OpenCritic with a 71% critic recommendation rate. That’s directly on par with the original Splatoon (81), and just a touch below Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3 (both 83) — a strong result for a debut spin-off charting new genre ground.

Notable scores from the embargo lift:

  • IGN — 9/10
  • Nintendo Life — 9/10, calling it “incredibly compelling”
  • Game Informer — 8.75/10
  • The Guardian — 2/5, a clear outlier (more on that below)
Splatoon Raiders combat scene with ink weapons and Salmonid enemies
Image courtesy of Nintendo

What Critics Love

The praise across positive reviews points to the same strengths: enemy design, rewarding progression, and deep weapon customisation. Players take on the role of a mechanic accompanying Deep Cut — Shiver, Frye and Big Man — on expeditions across the Spirhalite Islands, raiding for loot and upgrades while fending off waves of Salmonids.

The upgrade loop — collecting gadget parts during runs and slotting them in for effects like increased fire rate, ink explosions, or knockback gas — has been a particular highlight. The Metacritic consensus notes that the polished PvE systems “feel like a natural evolution for the series,” with the new co-op mode (up to four players, local or online) adding legs for replay.

Splatoon Raiders Deep Cut trio Shiver, Frye and Big Man in the Spirhalite Islands
Image courtesy of Nintendo

The Outlier — and Why It Matters

The Guardian’s 2/5 is the sharpest negative voice in the round-up. As relayed in TheGamer’s review round-up, the publication called Raiders “far removed from what makes the main series so charming” — essentially arguing that the shift from competitive multiplayer to single-player PvE loses what makes Splatoon tick.

It’s a fair concern worth flagging for Singapore fans who bought into Switch 2 specifically for the ink-turf multiplayer experience. Splatoon Raiders is not that game. It’s a deliberate genre pivot, and if your love of the series is rooted in Turf War and ranked modes, the outlier review deserves a read before you commit.

Splatoon Raiders – Overview Trailer – Nintendo Switch 2 — via Nintendo of America on YouTube

Singapore and Switch 2 Availability

Splatoon Raiders is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive launching worldwide on 23 July 2026. Singapore players can pick it up digitally through the Nintendo eShop Singapore or at major game retailers and electronics chains. The US digital price is USD 49.99; confirm current SGD pricing on the Nintendo Singapore eShop before purchasing.

Splatoon Raiders official cover art for Nintendo Switch 2
Image courtesy of Nintendo

An 81 for a franchise’s debut spin-off is a confident start. Splatoon Raiders lands alongside several other strong Switch 2 titles this month — if you’re building your Switch 2 library, it looks like a safe bet for anyone who enjoys PvE progression loops with Nintendo polish.

Game News

Splatoon Raiders Preview Roundup — Three Days to Switch 2 Launch

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The final media previews for Splatoon Raiders have landed, and the verdict from six major outlets is clear: Nintendo’s single-player Splatoon spin-off hits Switch 2 exclusively this Thursday, and the hands-on impressions suggest the series has finally worked out what a proper solo Splatoon should feel like. If you’ve been on the fence, here’s what critics say — and the key details Singapore players need before the noon SGT unlock on 23 July.

We’ve been covering Raiders since the July announcement and tracked the CoroCoro manga launch last week — this post picks up with what’s genuinely new: the final preview consensus, gameplay details from hands-on time, the co-op scope, and the three new amiibo hitting the same day.

What Six Critics Are Saying About Splatoon Raiders

Nintendo Life’s final preview roundup collects impressions from Game File, IGN, CGMagazine, Polygon, Vooks, and Nintendo Life’s own hands-on — and the picture is overwhelmingly positive.

Game File led with the boldest comparison: “It was very Ratchet & Clank” — and confirmed, deliberately, that it was a compliment. That Insomniac-ish energy — colourful world, third-person momentum, loot loop — comes through across multiple previews.

IGN zeroed in on the roguelite structure, noting that “Raiders is a roguelite with persistent progression — things always feel different enough.” They highlighted Shiver’s Showstopper, a special weapon that summons a giant rocket-powered shark, as an early standout moment.

CGMagazine was the most effusive on production values: “Charm, hilarious puns, and challenging encounters await players on the Spirhalite Islands. Nintendo pulled out all the stops.” The Switch 2 hardware clearly gave the team headroom to push visuals and scope.

Polygon flagged two things: the accessibility angle (“for those overwhelmed by Splatoon 3’s wealth of content, it might be a less intimidating entry point”) and a bigger-picture observation that the build-crafting system could influence Splatoon 4’s design going forward.

Nintendo Life: “If the stages keep innovating with new platforming challenges and more interesting ways to tackle enemies, the Splatoon formula may have finally found its true single-player potential.”

Vooks valued the offline-first design: “A good change of scenery for enjoying the Splatoon world without needing an online session.”

Splatoon Raiders Direct 6.30.2026 — via Nintendo of America on YouTube

What You’re Actually Playing on the Spirhalite Islands

The setup: you play as a young mechanic who teams up with Shiver, Frye, and Big Man — Deep Cut, the idol trio from Splatoon 3 — to explore the remote Spirhalite Islands for salvage. Hostile Salmonids are everywhere, the islands hold secrets, and the deeper you go, the stranger things get.

Core Splatoon mechanics — ink shooting, turf coverage — are intact, but Raiders layers a proper RPG system on top. Weapons level up through loot drops, skill points let you tune fire rate, power, and HP, and each run’s special abilities shake up how you approach stages. The structure has roguelite DNA (runs vary; no two feel identical) but persistent progression keeps the grind rewarding between sessions.

Splatoon Raiders combat gameplay — boss encounter on Sublevel 3, ink everywhere
Image courtesy of Nintendo

Deep Customisation: Weapons, Gadgets, Relic Powers, and More

Screen Rant’s preview — headlined “Customisation and Replayability Reign Supreme” — drilled into the loadout depth. Before each run, you can configure your weapon, gadgets, relic powers, a deployable tank, a bot buddy, and cosmetic style options. Mid-mission loot drops add new gear, and the build variety is wide enough to sustain repeated play.

The Gamer summed up the satisfaction loop: “Pumping an endless supply of paint into hordes of incoming Salmonids is incredibly satisfying.” Their one open question — which won’t resolve until full reviews drop Thursday — is whether stage design keeps pace with the systemic depth across the full campaign.

Splatoon Raiders loadout screen showing weapons, gadgets, relic powers, tank and bot buddy options
Image courtesy of Nintendo

Co-op for Up to Four Players

Single-player is the core experience, but all non-dungeon maps — the challenge stages — support co-op for up to four players via local wireless or online. Boss difficulty scales with squad size, so a solo run and a full-four group are genuinely different experiences rather than the same content with more firepower.

Splatoon Raiders story scene — Shiver, the player character, and Big Man face a massive tornado on the Spirhalite Islands
Image courtesy of Nintendo

Three Deep Cut Amiibo Launch the Same Day

Nintendo is releasing a set of three new amiibo on 23 July alongside the game: Shiver, Frye, and Big Man in their Raiders-themed designs. Scanning them in-game unlocks exclusive customisation options — the exact bonuses are under embargo until launch. Nintendo amiibo tend to move quickly in Singapore, so if you’re after one, keep an eye on major game retailers and electronics chains from Thursday morning.

Splatoon Raiders — Deep Cut (Shiver, Frye, Big Man) and the player character on the ship dock at the start of the adventure
Image courtesy of Nintendo

Singapore Launch Time and How to Pre-Download Now

Splatoon Raiders unlocks on the Singapore Nintendo eShop at approximately noon SGT on Thursday 23 July, aligned with the Japan release at 1 PM JST. Pre-download is already live — if you’re going digital, start it now so the game is ready to play the moment it unlocks.

Digital is priced at US$49.99 and physical at US$59.99; Singapore eShop SGD pricing is to be confirmed, so check the Nintendo Singapore site directly. Physical copies are available from major game retailers and electronics chains. Full reviews lift Thursday — check back here for our take once we’ve had time with the full game. In the meantime, browse our game news archive for more on what’s launching this week on Switch 2.

Game News, Manga Anime

The Splatoon Raiders Manga Launches in CoroCoro Today — Hinodeya Returns One Week Before the Game

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Today in Japan, Sankichi Hinodeya begins a new chapter in the Splatoon manga story. The July issue of Shogakukan’s CoroCoro Comics — on shelves from 15 July 2026 — launches the Splatoon Raiders manga, a tie-in adaptation of Nintendo’s single-player spin-off game that arrives on Nintendo Switch 2 just eight days later, on 23 July.

Hinodeya Returns to CoroCoro

Sankichi Hinodeya is the artist and writer behind the original Splatoon manga series, which ran for 16 volumes in CoroCoro Comics from 2015 and was later extended as Splatoon 3: Splatlands. That run went on hiatus in April 2026 — and now Hinodeya is back with a new serialised adaptation tailored to the Raiders storyline. According to Anime News Network, the manga will expand the game’s lore, introduce new side characters, and dramatise key gameplay beats in Hinodeya’s signature action-comedy style.

Splatoon Raiders Nintendo Switch 2 gameplay screenshot — the mechanic protagonist on Spirhalite Islands
Image courtesy of Nintendo

A Beloved Series for Singapore Fans

The original Splatoon manga has a strong following in Singapore. Kinokuniya Orchard and major bookshops have stocked it in both its Japanese and English editions for years, and the English translation by Viz Media has run to over a dozen volumes. Viz Media also published six volumes of Splatoon 3: Splatlands, with the most recent arriving in April 2026. Singapore readers picking up the series in English are already well-placed for the Raiders manga when the English edition eventually arrives — though Viz has not yet announced a volume schedule or confirmed date for Splatoon Raiders.

Splatoon Raiders Switch 2 — Deep Cut trio Shiver Frye Big Man in the Spirhalite Islands
Image courtesy of Nintendo

What the Raiders Manga Covers

The adaptation follows the game’s central adventure: a player-mechanic protagonist teams up with Shiver, Frye, and Big Man — the trio from Deep Cut — to explore the treasure-laden Spirhalite Islands, take on waves of hostile Salmonids, and uncover the archipelago’s secrets. Hinodeya’s style suits the material well: the Splatoon manga series has always balanced slapstick comedy with genuine energy during ink-battle sequences, and the Raiders set-up of a ragtag crew hunting treasure across a mysterious island chain gives plenty to work with.

Splatoon Raiders – Announcement Trailer & More – Nintendo Switch 2 — via Nintendo of America on YouTube

The Game: Splatoon Raiders on Switch 2, 23 July

As we covered when the game was announced, Splatoon Raiders is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive launching on 23 July 2026. Unlike the mainline Splatoon titles, it is primarily a single-player adventure — though co-op play for up to four is supported locally and online. Players customise their mechanic character, build gadgets, and raid the Spirhalite Islands for treasure across three difficulty modes (Tourist, Raider, Survivalist). The game also introduces HDR support to the Splatoon series for the first time, and leverages the Switch 2’s GameChat for multiplayer sessions.

Splatoon Raiders Switch 2 gameplay — Salmonid boss fight on Spirhalite Islands
Image courtesy of Nintendo

English Edition and Where to Find It in Singapore

The Splatoon Raiders manga is launching exclusively in Japanese inside CoroCoro Comics. An English edition from Viz Media is expected — the publisher has handled all previous Splatoon manga volumes for the English market — but no volume release schedule or confirmed date has been announced yet. Singapore readers who want to follow it as it serialises can pick up the monthly CoroCoro Comics magazine as a Japanese import through Kinokuniya or online import services. A compiled volume release in English typically follows the Japanese run by six to twelve months.

Splatoon Raiders Nintendo Switch 2 physical game box art
Image courtesy of Nintendo

Browse our coverage of manga and anime for more on what SG fans are reading and watching right now.

Game News, Game Preview

Splatoon Raiders Arrives 23 July on Nintendo Switch 2

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Splatoon has always been Nintendo’s ink-splattered multiplayer playground — but Splatoon Raiders takes the series somewhere entirely new. Launching 23 July 2026 exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2, this single-player-focused spin-off puts players at the helm of a mechanic sailing the mysterious Spirhalite Islands in search of treasure, alongside the fan-favourite trio Deep Cut.

What Splatoon Raiders Is — And Why It’s Different

This is not Splatoon 4. Raiders is a deliberate step sideways — a story-driven, single-player action shooter that draws inspiration from the beloved Salmon Run mode while building something much bigger around it. You create your own Inkling or Octoling character, take on the role of a mechanic hired by Shiver, Frye, and Big Man, and set out to plunder the Spirhalite Islands for loot. The gameplay blends ink-splattering combat against waves of Salmonid enemies with exploration, crafting at a Mechanic Shack aboard your hideout ship, and dungeon-style raids for increasingly rare treasure. Nintendo ran a dedicated Splatoon Raiders Direct on 30 June 2026 going deep on all the systems — well worth a watch for anyone on the fence.

Splatoon Raiders — Release Date Revealed — Nintendo Switch 2 — via Nintendo of America on YouTube

Exploring the Spirhalite Islands With Deep Cut

The setting is a string of mysterious islands packed with Salmonid foes and buried loot. One Deep Cut member joins each raid as a powerful companion bot, providing firepower and personality as you push deeper into each island. An Exploration Bot travels with you too, detecting hidden treasure caches and flagging points of interest along the way. Between missions you return to your hideout ship — your base of operations — to upgrade gear, craft gadgets, and plan the next run. Three difficulty settings (Tourist, Raider, and Survivalist) let you calibrate the challenge, and rideable Stingray mounts appear in certain battles for a burst of extra chaos.

Splatoon Raiders — gameplay on the Spirhalite Islands, Nintendo Switch 2
Image courtesy of Nintendo

Character Creator and Gear Progression

Raiders introduces the most comprehensive character creator the Splatoon series has seen. Players choose between Inkling and Octoling, then customise their look and voice before heading out. Gear found and crafted during raids feeds directly into your loadout, giving meaningful progression between runs. The 30 June Nintendo Direct went deep on the customisation systems, showing how weapons, gadgets, and ship upgrades layer together as you advance through the islands. It’s a loop that should feel satisfying for Splatoon veterans while remaining approachable for newcomers.

Splatoon Raiders — character creation and customisation
Image courtesy of Nintendo

Optional Co-op for Up to Four Players

Single-player is the core experience, but Splatoon Raiders supports co-op for up to four players via online or local wireless. Call in friends for a specific raid when you want extra firepower, then continue solo whenever you prefer. Difficulty scales to the number of players present, so the experience stays balanced whether you’re running it alone or in a full crew. It’s a flexible design that lets Raiders serve both solo players who prefer a focused adventure and groups who want to tackle the hardest raids together.

Splatoon Raiders — action-packed combat on Nintendo Switch 2
Image courtesy of Nintendo

Release Date, Pricing and Pre-order Details

Splatoon Raiders launches 23 July 2026 exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2. The digital price is US$49.99 and the physical edition is US$59.99 — SGD pricing via the Nintendo eShop Singapore and local retailers is to be confirmed, so keep an eye on the Nintendo Singapore site. Singapore eShop availability should align with the Japan launch at 1 PM JST on 23 July, which works out to around noon SGT. Pre-orders are already live on the Nintendo eShop, and three new amiibo — Shiver, Frye, and Big Man in Raiders-themed designs — launch the same day as the game. For more game news and Switch 2 coverage, we’ll have ongoing updates as the 23 July launch approaches.

Splatoon Raiders — character creator screen and customisation options
Image courtesy of Nintendo

Game News

Splatoon Raiders Direct Recap: Every Reveal From Today’s Deep Dive

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Nintendo’s dedicated Splatoon Raiders Direct aired this morning — it’s late Tuesday night in Singapore right now, 22:00 SGT — and at just 23 days out from the 23 July launch, the 15-minute presentation went deep on the systems, environments, and co-op mechanics that make this Switch 2 exclusive unlike anything the Splatoon series has attempted before. Here’s everything that was shown.

Splatoon Raiders Direct 6.30.2026 — via Nintendo of America on YouTube
Shiver, Big Man in explorer gear, and Frye from Deep Cut standing on a ship deck in Splatoon Raiders
Image courtesy of Nintendo

Splatoon’s First Proper Spin-Off

Splatoon Raiders is the franchise’s first full standalone spin-off — and the first entry to put single-player front and centre rather than bolting it on as an afterthought. You play as a fully customisable mechanic, either an Inkling or an Octoling, who washes up on the mysterious Spirhalite Islands alongside Deep Cut, Splatoon 3’s beloved trio of Shiver, Frye, and Big Man. The goal: hunt treasure, battle Salmonids, and uncover whatever secrets the islands are hiding.

Each raid sees one member of Deep Cut ride along inside an Exploration Bot as your AI companion, contributing to combat. The story behind the crew’s partnership is being told through a chapter-a-day comic series exclusive to the Nintendo Today! app, running from 23 June all the way to launch day. If you haven’t been following those, they’re well worth catching up on before the game drops.

Splatoon Raiders dungeon menu map showing Tygoru Island, Erpp Island, and Lehlo Island
Image courtesy of Nintendo

Raiding Across the Spirhalite Islands

The Dungeon Menu is your campaign map: a top-down archipelago of islands, each with multiple raid sites at varying difficulty tiers. Islands confirmed in screenshots include Tygoru, Erpp, and Lehlo — each visually distinct and housing different enemy compositions. You pick a site, load in, and push as deep as you can to retrieve treasure.

Crucially, the game supports co-op for up to four players, both locally and online. Difficulty scales with party size, so bringing three friends along turns a manageable dungeon into a proper group challenge. For Singapore players, that’s Switch 2 local wireless if your squad is in the same room, or online play for anyone spread across the island.

Splatoon Raiders – Gameplay Video – Nintendo Treehouse: Live | June 2026 — via Nintendo of America on YouTube
Splatoon Raiders outdoor combat with the player fighting a large Salmonid enemy, Deep Cut Exploration Bot visible
Image courtesy of Nintendo

Combat, Gadgets, and the Crafting Loop

Combat keeps Splatoon’s ink-shooter identity but layers on a full RPG progression system — damage numbers, enemy health pools, and persistent loot. The core crafting loop runs on Spirhalite Shards (mined from ore nodes across each island) and Salmonid equipment dropped by defeated enemies, both of which feed into upgrading your Gadgets.

Gadgets are a new weapon class: deployable, upgradeable sub-weapons that you can slot two of at a time. Each Gadget accepts Gadget Parts dropped by specific enemy types, unlocking expanded range, power, or entirely new effects. Separately, Salmonid relics found during raids grant passive combat abilities that layer on top of your Gadgets — meaning build variety is a genuine part of the loop.

Splatoon Raiders Upgrade Tanks screen showing HP, Weapon Damage, Gadget Damage, and Gadget Part Slots stats
Image courtesy of Nintendo

The Upgrade Tank System

The Direct’s clearest reveal of the game’s progression depth was the Upgrade Tanks screen. Stats you can upgrade include HP, Weapon Damage, Gadget Damage, and Gadget Part Slots — the last of which determines how many parts you can attach to each Gadget. Screenshots show Part Slots moving from 14 to 16 with one upgrade, giving a sense of the granularity on offer. Upgrades cost Skill Points, and a “Limiter Release” system lets you break through upgrade ceilings by spending additional points.

Splatoon Raiders underground cave dungeon combat with the player and Salmonid enemies in a bioluminescent cave environment
Image courtesy of Nintendo

Underground Dungeons and Cave Raids

One of the most striking pieces of footage was the underground dungeon content — cave environments that are visually and mechanically distinct from the overworld islands. The cave raid screenshots show denser Salmonid encounters in close-quarters, darker spaces, complete with different enemy types not seen in outdoor areas. These dungeons appear to serve as the high-difficulty endgame content for each island.

Accessories, Amiibo, and the Splatoon 3 Splatfest

Three pieces of related content launch on or around 23 July:

  • Deep Cut Joy-Con 2 — a blue-and-yellow controller set themed around Shiver, Frye, and Big Man, launching 23 July alongside the game.
  • Deep Cut amiibo — individual figures of all three members at US$24.99 each. Nintendo has not yet detailed their in-game functionality.
  • Splatoon 3 Splatfest — a Raiders-themed Splatfest runs 10–12 July, giving Splatoon 3 players on the original Switch a taste of the new game’s energy before launch.

When Singapore Gets It

Splatoon Raiders is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive launching globally on 23 July 2026. The digital edition is listed at US$49.99 on the US Nintendo eShop, with the physical edition at US$59.99; check the Singapore Nintendo eShop for local SGD pricing. Physical copies will be available at major game retailers and electronics chains from launch day. For a look at all things Switch 2, browse our Game News coverage.