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Splatoon Raiders’ User Scores Are Off To A Splashing Start On Metacritic
Splatoon Raiders, Nintendo's new Switch 2 exclusive, has launched to an unexpectedly strong reception from players, with user reviews pushing it into the top 10 highest-rated games of all time on Metacritic. This is notable because the title generated less pre-release hype than other major Nintendo releases and departs from the series' traditional focus on competitive multiplayer in favour of a single-player-led experience, yet fans have responded enthusiastically since it launched last week.
At the time of writing, Splatoon Raiders sits in seventh place on Metacritic's all-time user-rated list with a score of 9.3 out of 10 from more than 700 ratings, ahead of every other Nintendo game on the platform and behind only Resident Evil Requiem among 2026 releases. A Nintendo Life reader poll found similarly positive sentiment, with nearly half of respondents rating it 9/10 and almost a quarter giving it a perfect score, while the site's own review awarded it 9/10, praising its visuals, performance, price and robust co-op options.
In short
- Splatoon Raiders ranks seventh among Metacritic's all-time highest user-rated games
- Scores 9.3/10 from over 700 ratings, tops all Nintendo titles
- Nintendo Life poll and review both echo the strongly positive reception
Explained simply
Splatoon is a Nintendo video game series where players control characters that fire coloured ink at opponents. The games have traditionally been designed for competitive play, where players compete against each other in ink-based battles.
A new Splatoon game titled Splatoon Raiders has just launched on the Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo's latest gaming console. Unlike previous games in the series, this one emphasises a single-player story mode, where one person plays through a narrative, rather than competitive multiplayer gameplay.
Despite generating relatively little excitement before its launch, Splatoon Raiders has received enthusiastically positive reviews from players since its release. On Metacritic, a popular ratings website for games, it has achieved a score of 9.3 out of 10 from hundreds of players.
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