New Splatoon 3 Rating Suggests Potential Switch 2 Edition

The popular third-person shooter Splatoon 3 has been officially rated for the Nintendo Switch 2 in Europe by the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) board.

This new listing, which was added to the database alongside the original Nintendo Switch version, follows a similar recent rating for the game Pikmin 3 Deluxe.

This action signals Nintendo’s continued commitment to formally supporting its major first-party titles on the successor console.

The rating has generated a degree of confusion because Splatoon 3 had already received a free technical update for the Switch 2 months prior.

Released in June, the free update specifically optimized the game for the new hardware, boosting resolution and frame rate.

The enhancement allowed the game to run at an upscaled 4K resolution (using DLSS) at a locked 60 frames per second when in docked mode, and 1080p resolution at 60 FPS in handheld mode.

The patch notably improved performance in the city hub area of Splatsville and smoothed out animations in high-action areas like Salmon Run, highlighting the power difference between the two systems.

Analysts are now debating the reason for the separate PEGI listing, which assigns the game a 7+ age rating.

Some believe this could indicate a dedicated “Switch 2 Edition” is being prepared, potentially with bundled DLC or new features.

Conversely, others suggest the separate classification is a necessary bureaucratic step required for Nintendo to advertise the title as fully compatible with the new platform, even if no major changes beyond the existing free update are planned.

Splatoon 3 originally launched for the Nintendo Switch in 2022 and has remained one of the publisher’s most actively supported online titles, with the most recent content update arriving in September.

The franchise’s presence on the Switch 2 is also slated to expand with the upcoming spin-off, Splatoon Raiders, a single-player, story-driven game scheduled for release in 2026.