Splatoon 3 is launching summer 2022

Splatoon 3 is launching in summer 2022, Nintendo announced during today's Direct.

The news came alongside a brand new Splatoon 3 gameplay trailer showing off the returning co-op mode, Salmon Run: Next Wave. The original Salmon Run debuted in Splatoon 2, allowing up to four players to team up and splat down waves of enemies and bosses, with some light platforming mixed in here and there.

Here we see a team of Inklings airdropping from a helicopter into an ink-covered battle zone crawling with Salmonids. Like Salmon Run from Splatoon 2, it looks like at least one of the key goals is to collect Boss Salmonids' eggs and deposit them into a basket to complete the round. We also get a good look at Splatoon 3's brand new setting, which has beautiful dystopian-at-dusk vibes.

Nintendo had previously confirmed a vague 2022 release window for Splatoon 3, but now we have a significantly less vague, though still not very specific, summer launch window.

Splatoon 3 will take players to the desert wasteland Splatsville, where we'll duke it out in classic 4v4 turf-war matches using a variety of new blasters, chargers, rollers, sloshers, and splatlings. There will also be a bunch of new customization options to make your Inkling look exactly how you want, as well as a new single-player campaign and customizable companion called Little Buddy, who helps you along in the Return of the Mammalians story mode.

While we wait for Splatoon 3 and everything else announced during today's Nintendo Direct, here are the best Switch games to play right now.