Nintendo has released an update for Splatoon 3, enhancing its visual performance and gameplay smoothness on the Nintendo Switch 2.
Version 10.0.0 not only increases the resolution of images saved in the Switch 2 Album but also delivers smoother on-screen movement in Splatsville, Inkopolis, Inkopolis Square, and Grand Festival Grounds. It also refines character animations—such as those for jellyfish and Salmonids—especially when large groups appear during Salmon Run stages.
Alongside these Switch 2 optimizations, players receive 30 new weapon kits from the Barazushi and Emberz brands (the Splatlands Collection), plus the return of Urchin Underpass—a classic stage from the original Wii U Splatoon.
Nintendo confirmed that the next update will "focus on multiplayer balancing, informed by data on how these new weapons shift the competitive landscape."
Splatoon 3 update: Ver. 10.0.0 (Released June 11, 2025)
Added Features and Game Content Changes
The following updates have been made when playing the game on Nintendo Switch 2:Enhanced on-screen detail and smoothness in these locations: Splatsville, Inkopolis, Inkopolis Square, and Grand Festival Grounds. In Salmon Run, Salmonid animations remain fluid even when many appear on stage. Smoothed animations for certain characters like jellyfish. Updated the transition animation in the bottom-right corner during scene changes. Increased resolution for screenshots taken in Photo Mode or with the controller’s Capture Button, as stored in the Nintendo Switch 2 Album.
The following updates have been made when playing the game on Nintendo Switch:Removed certain out-of-bounds elements unrelated to battles in Splat Zones, Tower Control, Rainmaker, and Clam Blitz modes. This adjustment minimizes performance differences between the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. In Recon Mode, all elements continue to display as before.
All changes listed below apply to both Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch.
Changes to Multiplayer
Added the Urchin Underpass stage. Introduced 30 new weapons as part of the Splatlands Collection—Barazushi and Emberz. These weapons become available in shops after updating.
Splatlands Collection - BarazushiAdded the Series Weapon feature to Anarchy Battle (Series) for Rank S and above. Players in these ranks will now have a Series Weapon Power calculated for each equipped weapon, enabling matchmaking with others of comparable power for that weapon. Series Weapon Power is uniform across all four modes. Check your current Series Weapon Power for any weapon by pressing ZL on the Equip screen to view its details. This power resets each season, but your highest achieved value is saved in SplatNet 3.
In Anarchy Battle (Open), Rank Point adjustments per battle have been increased by about 2.5×. In X Battles, call signs (automatically generated based on gear) now display instead of nicknames. After a match, view actual nicknames and player IDs on result screens and the lobby terminal. X Rankings continue to show actual nicknames and IDs.
Changes to SplatNet 3
Your Best Nine—the nine weapons with your highest Series Weapon Power—now appears. Best Nine rankings, based on the total Series Weapon Power of those nine weapons, are now available. SplatNet 3 notifications now also appear in the Nintendo Switch App notification box.
Other Changes
Maximum weapon Freshness raised to 10★. New badges can be earned for reaching Freshness levels 6★ to 10★. After updating, weapons that had accumulated excess XP will see their Freshness level increase after one battle, reflecting that stored progress. Added new badges for owning multiple weapons with Freshness ★★★★ or higher. Players you've battled in Anarchy Battle (Series) and Splatfest Battle (Pro) no longer appear in the "Users You Have Played With" list on Nintendo Switch/Switch 2.
As a bonus, this update brings new weapons, a returning stage, a higher Freshness cap, the Series Weapon feature for high-rank Anarchy Battles, call signs in X Battles, and operational optimizations for the Switch 2.
The new Series Weapon feature in Anarchy Battle (Series) is aimed at Rank S players and above.
It tracks Series Weapon Power per equipped weapon, ensuring matches against opponents with similar proficiency.
We hope this encourages players to experiment with diverse weapons, including the new Splatlands Collection – Barazushi/Emberz gear.
We’ve also made balance adjustments for multiplayer battles.
For the S‑BLAST ‘92 and S‑BLAST ‘91, we added more counterplay opportunities, as opponents previously found few openings at any range.
For the Crab Tank, we reduced the cannon’s max damage to lower the chance of instant eliminations without evasion options. We also made it easier for other special weapons to challenge the Crab Tank.
For Toxic Mist, ink consumption is reduced to improve synergy with main weapons. However, we increased the delay before ink recovery begins, discouraging endless sub-weapon spamming.
This week, Nintendo unveiled Splatoon Raiders, a completely new spin-off exclusive to Switch 2. The surprise announcement came via a trailer debuted on the Nintendo Today! App. No release window was given, but Nintendo promised more details in the future.
