Splatoon Raiders, Nintendo's first solo-focused Splatoon spin-off, reviewed very well: 9/10 from IGN and Nintendo Life, 4/5 from Eurogamer and VGC. Critics are describing the same odd achievement from different angles. Raiders takes Salmon Run's energy, drops competitive multiplayer, and ends up an action RPG that feels more confident than a side project should.
Splatoon has always been awkward for some players. The world, music, movement, art and nonsense fish language are warm and magnetic, but the main mode is an online shooter. If that isn't your thing, you may have admired Splatoon from a distance and never moved in. Raiders gives you a front door.
It came out July 23, 2026 on Switch 2, developed and published by Nintendo. Deep Cut heads to the Spirhalite Islands, where you play a mechanic fighting Salmonids, gathering loot, upgrading weapons and gadgets and pushing into harder raids. It supports solo, local wireless and online co-op for up to four, but it's built around repeatable PvE runs, failure, upgrades and the familiar pleasure of painting the floor so you can move like you belong. (Our preview roundup from July 1 covers the hands-on impressions before launch.)
Splatoon Raiders review scores
- IGN, 9/10: Logan Plant calls it "an amazing action RPG with an expertly executed loop," praising the gadgets, tough encounters, pacing and a campaign that keeps offering new build ideas instead of thin grinding. "This is the best Splatoon campaign yet and one of the top games on Switch 2."
- Nintendo Life, 9/10: Alex Olney frames it as Salmon Run that got loose and became a full game, praising the new enemies, gadget customization and a locked-feeling 60fps with the screen full of chaos. It may not push genre boundaries, but it's "possibly the most variable and exciting game the series has ever offered."
- Eurogamer, 4/5: Christian Donlan calls it "a hectic, often overwhelming delight," part of Nintendo's current taste for "apocalyptic simplicity": leave base, shoot everything, gather loot, upgrade, repeat with better toys.
- VGC, 4/5: Chris Scullion calls it "a challenging, all-out action game that's well worth 50 squid" and "the video game equivalent of a Spotify playlist with a single track on it, but it's such a banger that I'll happily play it on repeat."
That last line is the most useful caveat. If the loop works for you, repetition becomes comfort. If not, the game has nowhere to hide.
What critics agree on
Everyone likes the action and the upgrade loop, and everyone seems surprised how well Splatoon works outside its competitive setting.
IGN focuses on gadgets: tools tied to ink-tank types, with upgrades that change how a build plays. Plant describes builds where movement gadgets chain together, or tactical tools do so much passive work the main weapon almost becomes optional. The upgrades push you to experiment.
Nintendo Life notes that gadgets replace sub-weapons, which changes how you handle returning Salmonid bosses. Olney was disappointed at first, then changed his mind once harder dungeons used those enemies more aggressively.
Eurogamer cares more about momentum: a messy, confident machine throwing enemies at you until the camera can barely keep up, and meaning it as praise. It trusts the basic Splatoon verbs: shoot, swim, refill, reposition, repeat.
VGC keeps coming back to difficulty. Failure is "crucial to success." You're expected to lose, keep your XP and items, rethink your loadout and go back in knowing a bit more.
Where the reviews split
The split is about appetite, not quality. VGC's "one-trick pony" warning is the clearest: shoot lots of Salmonids, collect rewards, upgrade, return. There are different stage types, bosses, gadgets and co-op wrinkles, but the core rhythm is deliberately narrow. For some that's focus; for others it caps how much they want in one sitting. Eurogamer puts it more generously: "thrillingly single-minded," enjoying that force even when the camera and screen noise make the action hard to parse.
IGN's criticism is practical. The crafting menu needs a wishlist to track materials, and the palette is a little bland next to the multiplayer stages and the more distinctive Octo Expansion and Side Order. For a style-first series, that's notable. Nintendo Life's main caveat is that it's evolutionary, not revolutionary: excellent at what it chooses to be, without inventing a genre.
Why it works as a solo game
Splatoon has one of Nintendo's freshest worlds, but its main attraction has always been competitive online play. Campaigns and expansions were good, sometimes great, but sat beside the main show. Raiders flips that, giving the world a full PvE shape. Critics sound relieved to enjoy Splatoon without the stress of ranked play. Co-op works smoothly, but you're pulled towards a workbench, not a meta.
Several reviews note that difficulty settings change damage, not rewards. Players who want a gentler run don't get worse loot, and players who want Survivalist mode get the pain without it becoming a status economy.
VGC also reported that Raiders topped Japan's physical chart with 474,000 copies in its first weekend, alongside unusually enthusiastic Metacritic user scores. User scores are noisy, but with these reviews the signal is clear: it found an audience fast.
Should you play Splatoon Raiders?
If you love Splatoon: an easy pick. It doesn't replace Turf War or ranked, but lets the series breathe differently. IGN and Nintendo Life describe a deep, replayable campaign with plenty of post-game tinkering.
If online multiplayer put you off: this may be the best way in. It's still fast, messy and demanding, but you can learn the language without getting flattened by strangers who already mastered it.
If you need variety above all: heed the caveats. It's raids, Salmonids, loot and better kit throughout, with limited locations, and the loop doesn't transform halfway. One great track is still one track.
If you play solo and come back later with friends, that's probably two different Perthro entries, and maybe two different ratings.
