Nintendo has released an update for Splatoon 3, enhancing its visual performance and gameplay on the Nintendo Switch 2.

Update 10.0.0 not only increases the resolution of screenshots stored in the Switch 2 Album but also delivers smoother movement in areas like Splatsville, Inkopolis, Inkopolis Square, and Grand Festival Grounds. It refines animations for characters such as jellyfish and improves the smoothness of Salmonid movements in Salmon Run, even when numerous enemies are on screen.

Alongside these Switch 2 optimizations, the update introduces 30 new weapon kits from the Barazushi and Emberz brands (the Splatlands Collection) and brings back the Urchin Underpass stage from the original Splatoon on Wii U.

Nintendo stated that its next update will "focus on multiplayer balance adjustments based on an analysis of gameplay changes resulting from these new weapon additions."

Splatoon 3 Update: Ver. 10.0.0 (Released June 11, 2025)

Added Features and Game Content Changes

Enhanced screen detail for a sharper visual experience.Improved on-screen movement smoothness in the following locations:SplatsvilleInkopolisInkopolis SquareGrand Festival GroundsIn Salmon Run, optimized Salmonid animations to maintain smoothness with large numbers of enemies on stage.Refined animations for specific characters, including jellyfish.Updated the transition animation shown in the bottom-right corner when switching scenes.Increased the resolution of images saved to the Nintendo Switch 2 Album when capturing screenshots using Photo Mode or the controller's Capture Button.

Removed certain background elements outside the battlefield that are unrelated to combat in Splat Zones, Tower Control, Rainmaker, and Clam Blitz modes.This adjustment aims to minimize operational speed differences compared to the Nintendo Switch 2 version.In Recon Mode, all elements continue to display as before.

All subsequent changes apply to both Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch.

Changes to Multiplayer

Added a new stage: Urchin Underpass.Introduced 30 new weapons as part of the Splatlands Collection from Barazushi and Emberz.These weapons become available in shops after installing the update.
Splatlands Collection - BarazushiIntroduced a Series Weapon feature for Anarchy Battle (Series) at Rank S and above.In Anarchy Battle (Series) for Rank S or higher, Series Weapon Power is now tracked for each equipped weapon. Players are matched against others with similar Series Weapon Power for their currently equipped weapon.Series Weapon Power is consistent across all four battle modes.Players can check their current Series Weapon Power for each weapon by pressing the ZL Button on the Equip screen to view weapon details.Series Weapon Power resets each season, but the highest achieved value is recorded in SplatNet 3.In Anarchy Battle (Open), the amount of Rank Points changed per battle has been increased by approximately 2.5x.Call signs, which are automatically generated based on equipped gear, now display in X Battles instead of nicknames.After a battle, players' actual nicknames and IDs (the alphanumeric string starting with #) can be viewed on results screens, such as the match menu and lobby terminal.For X Rankings, players' actual nicknames and IDs are displayed.

Changes to SplatNet 3

Players' Best Nine is now displayed.The "Best Nine" represents the nine weapons with the highest Series Weapon Power that a player owns.Best Nine rankings are now available.These rankings allow players to compete based on the total Series Weapon Power of their Best Nine weapons.Notifications from SplatNet 3 now appear in the notifications section of the Nintendo Switch App.

Other Changes

Increased the maximum weapon Freshness value to 10★.Players can earn new badges by achieving Freshness levels from 6★ to 10★.After applying the update, weapons that had accumulated XP beyond the previous maximum will see their Freshness level increase after one battle, proportionate to the excess XP earned.Added new badges that players can unlock based on the number of weapons with Freshness ★★★★ or higher.Adjusted the "Users You Have Played With" system on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 consoles so that players encountered in Anarchy Battle (Series) and Splatfest Battle (Pro) no longer appear.

As a featured update, this release adds new weapons and a stage, raises the maximum Freshness level, implements the Series Weapon feature for Anarchy Battle (Series), introduces call signs in X Battles, and optimizes performance on Nintendo Switch 2.

For Anarchy Battle (Series), we introduced the new Series Weapon feature for players ranked S and above.

This feature measures Series Weapon Power individually for each equipped weapon, enabling matchups with opponents of similar proficiency.

We implemented this to encourage players to experiment with a wider variety of weapons, including the new Splatlands Collection from Barazushi and Emberz.

Additionally, we made balance adjustments to multiplayer battles.

For the S-BLAST ‘92 and S-BLAST ‘91, we adjusted their performance to create more counterplay opportunities, as opponents previously found it difficult to exploit openings at any range.

For the Crab Tank, we reduced the cannon's maximum damage to decrease situations where opponents were defeated without a chance to evade. We also made it easier for other special weapons to combat the Crab Tank.

For Toxic Mist, we lowered the ink consumption to improve synergy with main weapons. However, we also increased the delay before ink recovery begins to prevent strategies centered on repeatedly throwing sub weapons.

This week, Nintendo unveiled Splatoon Raiders, a completely new spin-off title exclusive to the Switch 2. The surprise announcement was accompanied by a trailer that premiered on the Nintendo Today! App. Nintendo did not provide a release window but encouraged fans to stay tuned for future updates.