The Splatoon 3 maps and modes combine to form the most diverse selection ever seen in the series. The recent Splatoon 3 direct presentation revealed all sorts of exciting new information relating to Splatoon 3, but out of everything, the maps and modes are what took the cake. It’s time to embrace the Splatoon 3 hype and review all of the Splatoon 3 maps and modes available when the game launches on September 9, 2022.
- There are a variety of Splatoon 3 pre-order bonuses up for grabs.
Splatoon 3 Maps
At release, Splatoon 3 features 12 maps, or Stages, to bombard with ink. Five of these Stages are brand-new, while seven are returning favourites from Splatoon 1 and Splatoon 2. Considering that Splatoon 1 launched with five maps and Splatoon 2 with eight, this is certainly not a bad start. Furthermore, Nintendo has promised that more Splatoon 3 Stages will get added in updates post-launch.
New Splatoon 3 Stages
- Eeltail Alley
- Hagglefish Market
- Mincemeat Metalworks
- Scorch Gorge
- Undertow Spillway
Returning Splatoon 3 Stages
- Hammerhead Bridge — from Splatoon 1
- Inkblot Art Academy — from Splatoon 2
- Mahi-Mahi Resort — from Splatoon 1
- MakoMart — from Splatoon 2
- Museum D’Alfonsino — from Splatoon 1
- Sturgeon Shipyard — from Splatoon 2
- Wahoo World — from Splatoon 2
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Splatoon 3 Modes
Turf War
Turf War is the long-standing core mode of the Splatoon series. At its heart, Turf War remains unchanged: two squads of four compete against one another to cover the Stage with as much of their team’s ink colour as possible.
While the premise is the same, there are all sorts of exciting new ways for Inklings to go about painting the Stage and splatting opponents. Splatoon 3 features new weapons to battle with, plus new traversal-based moves for navigating the game’s various Stages. Climb walls and leap into the air with Squid Surge, then rain ink down on the opposition with the Tri-Stringer.
Splatfests
Splatsville serves as Splatoon 3’s central hub, but on select occasions, a special type of Turf War called a Splatfest runs rampant over the city. Splatfests are battles between three teams, all representing different causes. Fight for your cause across two halves, one of which is a Tricolour Turf War that pits the four Inklings from the first-place team against two Inklings from each of the runner-up teams.
Salmon Run
Salmon Run is Splatoon 3’s multiplayer co-op mode. Teams of up to four players must work together to fend off waves of Salmonids and collect Golden Eggs. Throughout the action, Boss Salmonids appear that require coordination and teamwork to take down. All-in-all, Salmon Run is a nice alternative for Splatoon 3 players that might not be huge fans of PvP.
Story Mode
Splatoon 3’s single-player Story Mode is titled Return of the Mammalians. This iteration of Splatoon’s Story Mode carries on where Splatoon 2 left off and will wrap up the series. Story Mode serves as a great in-depth tutorial for new Splatoon players.
Tableturf Battle
Tableturf Battle is an all-new minigame far removed from the traditional Splatoon gameplay. Looking almost like Tetris at first glance, Tableturf Battle is a deckbuilding game mode where you collect cards and duel other players, the ultimate goal being to cover the play area in your colour ink. Everyone gets a starter deck to begin, and with 150 cards to collect, Tableturf Battle is the perfect way to cool off after an intense Turf War session.
X Battle, Anarchy Battle, And League Battle
Just like with the Stages, Splatoon 3 players can look forward to additional game modes post-launch. Competitive players will be happy to know that X Battle, Anarchy Battle, and League Battle are already confirmed. These modes serve as Splatoon 3’s ranked offerings.
That concludes our detailed overview of the Splatoon 3 maps and modes. This is just the beginning as well, as Nintendo plans to update Splatoon 3 regularly over the next two years with free updates and paid DLC. As it stands, Splatoon 3 is shaping up to be the best Splatoon title yet. Grab Splatoon 3 on the Nintendo Switch starting September 9, 2022.