Splatoon 3 release date, trailer, weapons, and everything we know

Splatoon 3 is coming, and if you told us back in 2015 that this squelchy shooter was going to become one of Nintendo's tentpole franchises we would've asked what wonderful dream you just woke up from. We don't have a very narrow idea of the Splatoon 3 release date yet, but at least Nintendo gave us a Splatoon 3 trailer to dissect for details while we wait. And it was jam-packed with sneak peeks, including a look at new weapons and even character customization.

While we still have a lot to learn about Splatoon 3, we do know one very important detail: it will follow from the results of the final Splatoon 3 Splatfest, where the armies of Chaos prevailed over the forces of Order. That result is made manifest in the new city of Splatsville, a ramshackle and bustling burgh far from Inkopolis' urban sprawl. The town may be new, but some things never change: it's still all about the Turf Wars. Here's everything we know about Splatoon 3 so far.

The Splatoon 3 release date is 2022, which is both a long ways off and extremely non-specific, but at least it's something. The original Splatoon arrived on Wii U in May 2015 and Splatoon 2 hit Switch in July 2017, and all the bright colors and water-gun-inspired weaponry give Splatoon a distinct summery vibe as well. If you're thirsty enough to indulge in some Splatoon 3 release date speculation, we could preliminarily narrow that window a bit to summer 2022; still, officially speaking, the Splatoon 3 release date is just 2022. 

Nintendo revealed the Splatoon 3 trailer during its February Direct presentation, and you could hardly ask for a better debut. The trailer follows an Inkling on their journey from the Splatlands to the massive, chaotic city of Splatsville. We get an early look at character creation - which we'll go into more in a bit - and we also see an unexpected landmark: the Eiffel Tower ripped from its foundations and wedged upside down in a giant pit. It may seem like a random addition to the world, but if you've been paying attention to the Splatoon lore (oh yeah, there's lore) you already know the series takes place on Earth many, many years after humans went extinct. Once our Inkling hero arrives in Splatsville, they head straight into a Turf War to show off their new abilities and weapons. 

The trailer revealed some Splatoon 3 weapons returning from previous games, including new looks for the trusty .96 Gal and the Range Blaster. The main Inkling wields an all-new bow weapon, which seems to fire three "strings" of ink at once. The strings all fling out vertically when jumping, but it looks like you may be able to fire them horizontally to cover more turf if you remain on the ground. We also get a teaser of some special weapons, including what appear to be modified Tenta Missiles and a deployable crab-bot. Research note: even Splatoon special weapons are subject to carcinisation...