Here’s everything we know about the sequel to the cult favourite Wii U shooter for Nintendo Switch. Read the latest rumours on the Splatoon 2 gameplay, price and pre-orders, and UK launch date.
Splatoon 2 was one of the games that Nintendo revealed during its January Nintendo Switch Presentation, unveiling a trailer and giving some fans and press the chance to try the game out.
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The sequel to the popular Wii U multiplayer shooter is still a few months off, but here’s everything we know so far about the game, including its release date, price, and gameplay features.
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Latest update: Switch owners can now download the Splatoon 2 beta ahead of the start of the Global Testfire event in late March — read more .
Nintendo hasn’t yet announced a specific release date for the game beyond the broad ‘summer 2017’ window, so we don’t know exactly when to expect the game. We’ll update this as soon as we hear more specific news.
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Like other major Switch games, we expect Splatoon 2 to have an RRP of £59.99, and indeed that’s the price at which retailers have begun offering pre-orders.
You can already claim the game from Amazon and Game , and we expect more stores to follow suit and begin taking pre-orders before too long.
From what we’ve seen so far, anyone who’s played the first Splatoon should find the sequel very familiar. For the uninitiated, it’s an online multiplayer arena shooter, but instead of shooting bullets, you shoot coloured ink. You use this to both attack enemies and cover the walls and floor, giving you space to swim through as a squid (you’re an ‘inkling’, and can transform into a squid at will), and the winning team is the one that covers the most of the map.
There will also be local multiplayer for those who don’t want to play online, and as with the first game we’re expecting some sort of single-player campaign to work through. Early indications are that Nintendo’s focus will be on the multiplayer however, with efforts to make Splatoon 2 popular as an eSport. That’s particularly clear thanks to the announcement that up to eight Switch systems will be able to connect over LAN for lag-free multiplayer, in addition to a Private Battle Spectator View to allow spectators to watch the game from multiple angles.
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There’s also a selection of weapons and outfits to unlock, and that’s where we’re expecting the biggest additions from the first game, with plenty of new unlockables — and no doubt some new maps to play on too. The game will also be compatible with existing Splatoon amiibo figures, and we’d expect Nintendo to release some new ones too.
Oh, and the first game’s soundtrack is absolutely brilliant, and if there are any new songs we’ll be very happy indeed.
See also: Nintendo Switch vs Wii U review .
There are a couple ways to get your hands on Splatoon 2 before its summer release. First up, Nintendo is taking the game to a big gaming event: Insomnia60. It runs from 14-17 April in Birmingham in the UK, and Nintendo will be there with the Switch, exhibiting not just Splatoon 2, but also Arms, Mario Kart 8: Deluxe Edition, and more.
Nintendo is also giving Switch owners a chance to try Splatoon 2 out early, running a free beta weekend in March called the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire. The free weekend will run from 24 March — 26 March 2017 , though the game won’t be available to play for that whole time — instead there will be six specific one-hour slots in which it’s available. Players will have access to four main weapons, including the new Splat Dualies and remixed versions of the Splat Roller and Splat Charger from the original game.
Eager players can download the beta version of Splatoon 2 now ahead of the Global Testfire event, so it’s ready to go as soon as the free beta kicks off. Head to the Nintendo eShop on your Switch to grab your copy, and get the 410MB download out of the way ahead of time.
Here’s when you’ll be able to take part in the Global Testfire:
March 24th from 7pm GMT
March 25th from 3am GMT
March 25th from 11am GMT
March 25th from 7pm GMT
March 26th from 4am GMT
March 26th from 12pm GMT
Find out more in the slightly surreal trailer for the beta:
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