Splatoon Raiders hits Switch 2 in two days — Deep Cut, Salmonids, and the first spin-off

Ink week on Switch 2 just got a second headline beside Final Fantasy X. Splatoon Raiders — the series’ first proper spin-off — launches exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 on July 23, 2026. Two days out. Wishlist windows are over; this is the “charge the Joy-Con and clear an SD card” window.

What it is (and is not)

Raiders is a single-player-focused third-person shooter: you play a mechanic teaming with Deep Cut (Shiver, Frye, Big Man) to raid the Spirhalite Islands for treasure while Salmonids try to ruin the vacation. Customize weapons and mechanical gadgets, bring a Deep Cut Exploration Bot that sniffs loot, then return to the hideout ship between runs. Optional four-player online or local co-op exists — but the pitch is campaign splat, not ranked Turf War.

Day-one kit and tie-ins

Same-day merch flex: a Deep Cut amiibo triple-pack (bases combine into one display) and Deep Cut-colored Joy-Con 2 controllers. Nintendo Today! has been running daily prequel comics (Deep Cut’s Island Misadventures). A Splatoon 3 collaboration Splatfest already ran July 10–12 as the warm-up act. Reported install size sits around 20 GB; ESRB clocks it Everyone 10+.

Nintendo store page: Splatoon Raiders — Switch 2.

July 23 is a Switch 2 double feature with FFX/X-2 HD Remaster. If you only have one ink cartridge slot in your brain this week, Raiders is the franchise swing — Deep Cut’s treasure hunt versus another Spira pilgrimage. Pick your pilgrimage.