Splatoon Raiders is almost here, and the anticipation is palpable. The highly-anticipated game is set to release on Thursday, July 23, 2026, and the excitement is building. But when can you actually start playing? Well, that depends on your location. For those in the Americas, the fun begins at midnight Eastern on July 23, which means it's 11 p.m. Central, 10 p.m. Mountain, and 9 p.m. Pacific on July 22. Outside of the Americas, the release time varies by region, with New Zealand getting an early start at around 8 a.m. ET on July 22. However, I think it's worth noting that the early access is not without its drawbacks. Setting up a New Zealand eShop account and buying the game in New Zealand dollars is a bit of a hassle, and it's not a guaranteed way to get early access. Personally, I think it's better to wait for the 9 p.m. Pacific unlock, which is a far shorter wait than the staggered early access windows that other publishers build into launch week. Splatoon Raiders is priced at $49.99 for the digital version and $59.99 for the physical copy. There's no deluxe or collector's edition, which is unusual in 2026, but it's a refreshing change from the over-saturation of special editions in the gaming market. The game has already received high praise, with IGN giving it a 9/10 review score, and Nintendo Life matching that score. The aggregate score on Metacritic and OpenCritic is 81 and 80, respectively, which is impressive for a spinoff title. However, The Guardian gave it a mere 2/5 stars, and Giant Bomb had some complaints about the boss fights leaning on damage sponges rather than puzzles. The structural change in Splatoon Raiders is a significant departure from the Turf War gameplay of the main series. The game drops the Turf War mode entirely and builds a single-player loot chase across the Spirhalite Islands, with four-player co-op that scales difficulty by headcount. This change may be a turn-off for some gamers who are used to the more traditional gameplay of the main series. In my opinion, the departure from the old-school approach is a bold move, and it's interesting to see how it will be received by the gaming community. Nintendo has also confirmed that the project served as a hardware stress test for the Switch 2, which is set to increase in price from $449.99 to $499.99 on September 1. This gives anyone on the fence about purchasing the Switch 2 roughly six weeks to make up their minds. Overall, Splatoon Raiders is shaping up to be a highly anticipated release, and the excitement is palpable. The game's popularity and the loyalty within the Nintendo community suggest that it will be a successful launch. However, the structural change and the departure from the old-school approach may be a turn-off for some gamers. Only time will tell if Splatoon Raiders will live up to the hype, but one thing is for sure: the anticipation is real, and the wait is almost over.
