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

Update 10.0.0 boosts the resolution of images saved in the Switch 2 Album and delivers smoother movement in areas like Splatsville, Inkopolis, Inkopolis Square, and Grand Festival Grounds. It also improves animations for characters such as jellyfish and the Salmonid, especially when many appear on stage during Salmon Run.

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

Nintendo stated that its next update will “focus on multiplayer balance, adjusting based on the impact of these new weapons.”

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

Added Features and Game Content Changes

Enhanced screen detail for sharper visuals.Improved movement smoothness in these locations:SplatsvilleInkopolisInkopolis SquareGrand Festival GroundsIn Salmon Run, optimized Salmonid animations even with numerous enemies on stage.Smoothed animations for certain characters, including jellyfish.Updated the scene transition animation displayed in the bottom-right corner.Increased the resolution of images saved to the Nintendo Switch 2 Album when captured in Photo Mode or with the controller's Capture Button.The following updates apply when playing on Nintendo Switch:

Removed certain non-essential elements outside the battlefield in Splat Zones, Tower Control, Rainmaker, and Clam Blitz modes to minimize performance differences with the Switch 2.In Recon Mode, all elements continue to display as before.

All other changes listed below apply to both Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch.

Changes to Multiplayer

Added the new 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 - BarazushiA new Series Weapon feature has been added to Anarchy Battle (Series) for Rank S and above.Players in Rank S or higher will now have a Series Weapon Power calculated for each equipped weapon, matching them with opponents of similar power for that weapon.Series Weapon Power is consistent across all four modes.Players can view their current Series Weapon Power for each weapon by pressing the ZL Button on the Equip screen.Series Weapon Power resets each season, but the highest achieved value is recorded in SplatNet 3.Increased Rank Point adjustments per battle in Anarchy Battle (Open) by roughly 2.5x.Introduced call signs—automatically assigned based on equipped gear—to replace nicknames in X Battles.Actual nicknames and IDs can be viewed after battles on result screens, the match menu, and the lobby terminal.X Rankings show players’ actual nicknames and IDs.

Changes to SplatNet 3

Players’ Best Nine is now displayed, showing their top nine weapons by Series Weapon Power.Best Nine rankings are now available, where players compete based on the total Series Weapon Power of their Best Nine.Notifications from SplatNet 3 now appear in the Nintendo Switch App’s notification box.

Other Changes

Maximum weapon Freshness has been raised to 10★.New badges are available for achieving Freshness levels from 6★ to 10★.Weapons that accumulated XP beyond the previous maximum will see their Freshness increase after one battle, proportionate to past XP.New badges can be earned based on the number of weapons with Freshness ★★★★ or higher.Players battled in Anarchy Battle (Series) and Splatfest Battle (Pro) no longer appear in the “Users You Have Played With” list on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 consoles.

As a bonus, this update adds new weapons and a stage, raises the Freshness cap, introduces the Series Weapon feature for Anarchy Battle (Series), adds call signs to X Battles, and optimizes performance on the Nintendo Switch 2.

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

This feature tracks Series Weapon Power per equipped weapon, ensuring players face opponents with similar skill levels.

Our goal is to encourage players to experiment with different weapons, including the new Splatlands Collection - Barazushi / Emberz gear.

We’ve also made key balance adjustments for multiplayer battles.

For S-BLAST ‘92 and S-BLAST ‘91, we created more counterplay opportunities, as opponents found it difficult to find openings at any range.

For the Crab Tank, we reduced the cannon’s maximum damage to lower the chance of instant defeats without evasion options. We also improved the effectiveness of other special weapons against the Crab Tank.

Toxic Mist now uses less ink, supporting better synergy with main weapons. However, we increased the ink recovery delay to discourage constant sub-weapon spamming.

This week, Nintendo announced Splatoon Raiders, a brand-new Splatoon spin-off exclusive to Switch 2. The surprise trailer debuted on the Nintendo Today! App. No release window was given, but Nintendo promised more details in the future.