SPLATOON 3: THE FRIENDLIEST SHOOTER IN THE JUNGLE
8.0 of 10 bananas. The most complete Splatoon, with great Turf War, the best Salmon Run yet, and a card game you did not know you wanted. It plays a lot like Splatoon 2, and online play needs a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership.
By the Alpha. Switch game listing. Updated Oct 20 2026.
Honest note: This is not a fresh hands-on playtest. I built this verdict from launch reviews, critic consensus, update history, and what is known about the game today. If I put real hours in on stream, I will update the score and say so.
Platforms: The Amazon button is the US Nintendo Switch game card (Nintendo, released September 9 2022). At my Oct 20 check the offer came from a third-party seller, shipped by Amazon, at 49.95 dollars. Online play needs a Nintendo Switch Online membership, sold separately. No PC, PlayStation, or Xbox version.
Get Splatoon 3 for Switch on AmazonSit with me a moment. Most shooters reward the player with the most kills. Splatoon rewards the team that paints the most floor. I have watched quiet young gorillas, who never fire a shot in Call of Duty, win a Turf War by painting the corners nobody else wanted. That is a shooter with wisdom in it.
What It Wants To Be
Splatoon 3 is Nintendo's team shooter. You play as an Inkling or Octoling, cover the ground in your team's ink, and swim through it to move fast. Turf War is four on four and won by painted ground. Anarchy Battles are the ranked modes. Salmon Run is a co-op wave defense mode, and Tableturf Battle is a full card game built into the hub. A single-player campaign, Return of the Mammalians, teaches the weapons, and an Expansion Pass, sold separately, adds the Inkopolis hub and the Side Order roguelite mode.
What Works
The core still feels like nothing else. Painting, swimming, and climbing walls make every match about movement and map control, not just aim. Salmon Run is the best it has ever been, with big boss Salmonids and Big Run events that bring the waves into regular maps. Tableturf is a genuinely good card game. The campaign is the series best. And the art style, music, and fashion give the whole thing a personality no other shooter has.
What Breaks
Listen well. If you played Splatoon 2, much of this will feel familiar, and some fans called it a big update more than a new game. Ranked play can be frustrating, and matchmaking and connection drops were common complaints during the game's main run. You need a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership to play online at all, which is where most of the game lives. Side Order is in the paid Expansion Pass, not the base game.
Who Should Play
Play it if you want a shooter that is more about teamwork and movement than headshots, or a friendly online game for a younger player. Skip it if you already burned out on Splatoon 2, or if you will not pay for Nintendo Switch Online.
STRENGTHS
- Unique paint and swim movement
- Best Salmon Run yet
- Tableturf card game
- Series best campaign
HONEST COSTS
- Close to Splatoon 2
- Online needs a paid membership
- Ranked can frustrate
- Third-party seller at my check
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