- Quick Summary: Splatoon Raiders reimagines the series with rewarding single-player progression, deep customization, and surprisingly challenging co-op. After going hands-on, it feels like a fresh, engaging evolution that still captures Splatoon's signature charm.
Splatoon has long been synonymous with colorful characters and multiplayer chaos, but Splatoon Raiders is taking the series in a slightly different direction.
Launching exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 on July 23, 2026, the latest entry shifts the focus away from competitive multiplayer and toward a predominantly single-player experience.
The hands-on session was split into three distinct parts: an introduction to the game's core mechanics, a deeper look at customization and progression systems, and finally a co-op challenge where those in the room, including myself, teamed up to tackle a much larger, challenging fight as a quadruple force. Because, yes, while Splatoon Raiders has been designed to be enjoyed solo, it still offers plenty of opportunities to enjoy the game with friends.
Before diving into my thoughts on part one of the hands-on session, it’s worth noting that, as you begin, you can choose between three difficulty settings: Tourist, Raider, and Survivalist. Importantly, though, you can switch between them at any time.
As someone who would classify myself more as a Splatoon beginner than a veteran, I enjoyed having the ability to swap settings on-the-fly. It means newcomers can be eased in, while experienced players still have the option to seek out a greater challenge. That said, I found the middle difficulty (Raider) struck the right balance for my skill level.
Learning the Ropes
Early on, we were told Splatoon Raiders would always reward trying. Whether you succeed or fail during a Raid, you're always collecting resources that contribute toward future runs, making those tricky levels easier to complete the more time you commit to playing.
This first session also introduced us to the game’s new gadget system, which is one of the most notable additions to the Splatoon formula. Those aforementioned resources gathered during Raids can be used to upgrade weapons, equip new gear, swap tanks, and customize your loadout in ways that simply haven't been possible in previous entries.
As for controls, we were introduced to the familiar gyro aiming here, but I quickly found myself switching it off and using the sticks of the Switch 2 controller instead. While many Splatoon players may opt for the gyro movements, a third-person shooter like this just felt more natural without them for me. Yet, having the option either way, as well as inverted movements, is a nice touch.
Unfortunately, this first section wasn’t faultless, in my eyes. My biggest criticism of the opening hours came from the amount of story exposition. The introductory tutorial contains a significant number of cutscenes, and because Splatoon's characters still don't feature traditional voice acting, you'll need to read through every dialog box to fully follow the story and lore. Of course, you can skip, but if you’re like me and actually want to understand what you’re playing, you’ll want to watch most cutscenes in their entirety to keep up.
Customization Takes Center Stage
The second portion of the demo was where Splatoon Raiders really began to show its strengths, and all the different customization options.
With a growing collection of skills, relics, gadgets, and equipment to choose from, I spent a fair amount of time experimenting with different builds. And my god, was there a lot of choice in this second session save file we got to play. A huge array of weapons, in particular, with each sporting a unique design, often made from household items.
This session turned out to also be where the challenge noticeably increased. Interestingly, I found many of the more traditional platforming-focused Raids fairly straightforward on the default Raider difficulty. However, in missions that required navigating enemy-filled areas across multiple stages while managing increasingly overwhelming hordes of opponents, this is where things really became quite tough.
These encounters demanded far more precision and planning, and, unsurprisingly, they were also where I suffered a few defeats, which was nice to see, given Splatoon Raiders will no doubt have a younger audience of players as well as older ones.
What really impressed me here was how the game's customization systems naturally became part of the solution. Whenever I hit a particularly difficult section, I could back out, revisit my loadout, swap weapons, equip different abilities, and tackle the challenge with a fresh setup that actually made a difference. Finding the right combination often made a dramatic difference.
I won't spoil the setup that worked best for me, as discovering what works and what doesn’t feels like a major part of the experience. I will say, however, that I gravitated heavily toward shooter weapons over close-range options because being able to engage enemies from a distance suited my playstyle far more than diving directly into the middle of a fight.
Surprisingly Tough Co-op
Although we were told Splatoon Raiders has been made primarily as a single-player experience, it still boasts co-op functionality. The final part of the event was dedicated to showing how that works in practice.
For this section, sections of those in attendance teamed up to mainly tackle a level called Alphredo Buried Ruins, in our group's case.
Interestingly, I actually found the encounter more difficult with a group than when playing alone. During my solo attempts, I successfully cleared all three stages on my third try. As a team, however, we repeatedly struggled to overcome this section that had previously felt doable alone. My guess is our team wasn’t the issue; more Splatoon scaling the challenge of the enemies to fit the increase in players on the map.
The increased challenge ended up making the co-op mode more engaging than I expected. Rather than simply making encounters easier, adding additional players seemed to create fresh obstacles that required cooperation and awareness to overcome.
Early Verdict
After spending a few hours entrenched in Splatoon Raiders, what stood out most was its new direction.
Its progression systems, gadgets, and upgrade paths are the modern gameplay mechanics the series needed, and, with this new single-player approach, gameplay reminded me of titles like Ratchet & Clank, at times. But the structure ensures that every Raid contributes toward future progress, even when things don't go according to plan.
While the game is more of a single-player experience, I came away feeling that co-op may ultimately be where it shines brightest. The added challenge of tackling difficult encounters with other players created some of the most memorable moments of the session.
I can easily imagine jumping into a party chat with friends and working through the tougher Raids together. For a game built around a solo experience, those cooperative moments left perhaps the biggest impression of all. I look forward to playing it more later this year…
Remember, Splatoon Raiders launches on Nintendo Switch 2 on July 23, 2026, costing $49.99 (£41.99).
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