Splatoon 4 vs Splatoon 3 — Everything We Know About What's New and Different

Splatoon 4 is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and it's shaping up to be more than just another sequel. Based on everything Nintendo has shown in trailers, developer interviews, and the Splatoon Raiders spin-off that preceded it, here's what's actually changing.

The biggest difference is the hardware. Splatoon 4 launches on Nintendo Switch 2, which means it's not running on the same hardware as Splatoon 3. The Switch 2 has faster loading, better resolution, and more stable frame rates. Splatoon 3 already ran at 60fps but could dip during heavy special usage. Splatoon 4 should hold 60fps consistently. The loading screen with Judd spinning has been significantly shortened in demos, a small change that adds up over hundreds of matches.

New weapons are confirmed. The trailers show a new class that appears to be a kind of ink whip. It has a medium range, arcs like a Slosher, but fires in a sweeping motion. From the brief demo footage, it seems to cover a wide horizontal area in front of the player but has a slow fire rate. The weapon seems designed for area denial, making it potentially strong in Splat Zones where you need to keep enemies off the objective. There's also a new sub weapon shown in the trailer, looks like a proximity mine that sticks to walls and floors. It doesn't deal lethal damage but marks enemies with a tracking effect, similar to Thermal Ink's tagging but applied as a debuff.

Special changes are coming too. Tenta Missiles have been rebalanced with a longer lock-on time. Booyah Bomb has a slightly smaller radius. The Ink Vac from Splatoon 3 returns with changes. The new special shown in the trailer is something called Splashdown 2.0, a much faster version of the original Splat 1 Splashdown. It activates in about 15 frames instead of the original 40. This addresses the biggest complaint about the original Splashdown, that you were dead before the animation finished.

The new hub area is confirmed to be in a coastal city called Inkopolis Shores. It's larger than Splatoon 3's Splatsville and has more shops and interactable areas. The lobby now has a training room where you can test weapons against moving targets while waiting for matchmaking. This is one of those quality of life changes that makes you wonder why it wasn't in the previous games.

Gear system changes are modest but meaningful. The ability chunk system is streamlined. You can now reroll sub abilities with in-game currency directly, no need to scrub gear at Murch and hope for good rolls. The cost is higher but the process is more predictable. Super Sea Snails can upgrade gear rarity directly, same as before. The new gear brands have different ability probability weights that shift the meta slightly.

Multiplayer maps in the trailer show at least eight new stages. One is a sushi restaurant-themed stage with conveyor belts that move players between sections. Another is a construction site with vertical scaffolding. Returning maps from Splatoon 3 include Inkblot Art Academy and MakoMart, updated with new layouts. The returning maps have been modified, so old strategies won't work exactly the same.

Salmon Run is getting new boss Salmonids. The trailer briefly shows a massive crab-like boss that creates ink barriers. There's also a flying boss that drops explosive eggs from above. The new mode variant, shown at the end of the trailer, involves defending a stationary objective from waves of Salmonids while teammates can respawn at the objective, an interesting twist that might make the mode more forgiving for pick-up groups.

Story mode seems to follow the events of Splatoon 3's Return of the Mammalians. The trailer shows a new hub area that looks like a research station on an archipelago. The NPC characters include a returning Cap'n Cuttlefish and a new character that looks like a young Octarian researcher. The story appears to involve the mysterious disappearance of the Great Zapfish again, but with a twist involving Splatoon Raiders connection.

For players coming from Splatoon 3, the transition should be smooth. The core mechanics are identical. The movement, aiming, and ink management are unchanged. What's new is the polish. Better netcode seems to reduce the frequency of trade kills, where both players splat each other simultaneously. This was the most frustrating thing about Splatoon 3, especially in close combat. If Nintendo has fixed trades, it will be the single best improvement in Splatoon 4.