Nintendo Switch 2 ARC Raiders Competitor Gets New Release Date

ARC Raiders has been one of the most successful games of the current console generation - to the point many players were pushing for it to be crowned Game of the Year at the 2025 The Game Awards.

It was no doubt helped along by an avalanche of viral clips featuring players having fun interactions with proximity chat.

There’s just something so endlessly entertaining about hearing your friend plead for their virtual life down a corridor.

The game surpassed all expectations and it continues to thrive despite losing a lot of its day-one players. Hopefully, the latest update is enough to bring some of them back.

At the time of writing though, ARC Raiders is only playable on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC platforms.

Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 owners don’t get to join the fun but don’t worry as you’re actually getting your own ARC Raiders in a sense.

Nintendo Switch 2's Take On ARC Raiders

Yesterday, Nintendo announced the release date of its new PvE multiplayer game, Splatoon Raiders.

The Splatoon series started its life on the Nintendo Wii U and surprised everyone with its quality.

Players flooded the servers to paint the town red, or whatever colour they were fighting for, and its success spawned two sequels, DLC expansions, and now this most recent spin-off.

While the previous Splatoon games were team-based shooters, Splatoon Raiders is all about the PvE experience which is great for those who preferred the single-player offering of the last few titles.

You’ll be able to create your own character and explore the Spirhalite Islands. You can travel on-foot or use Big Man as a manta-powered jet-ski.

There are plenty of dangers lurking on these islands, which means you’ll need to reclaim and master an abundance of weapons and gadgets to take down the hordes, taking care to not be overwhelmed. Friends will be close by to back you up though, so you should be fine.

The similarities to ARC Raiders (it’s literally got Raiders in the name) gave us a good chuckle and while Nintendo probably wasn’t trying to pay homage, it unexpectedly did with Splatoon Raiders.

Both feature a post-apocalyptic setting but Splatoon Raiders boasts one that only Nintendo could successfully pull off.

The game is scheduled for launch on 23 July later this year, extending the Nintendo Switch 2's bountiful first-party line-up.

We've got the latest research on #SplatoonRaiders! Catch a glimpse of adventure on the Spirhalite Islands in this video.

Additionally, the launch date has been discovered! Venture out to the islands and hunt for treasure starting July 23rd. pic.twitter.com/iLJ5qvHkMS

— Splatoon North America (@SplatoonNA) April 21, 2026

When Will ARC Raiders Come To Nintendo Switch 2?

Splatoon Raiders will no doubt be a fine replacement for ARC Raiders on the Nintendo Switch 2 but when will Embark Studios’ multiplayer game get a fully-fledged release on the system?

It’s bound to happen eventually and while the graphics and performance will likely take a hit, ARC Raiders would probably run fairly well on a Nintendo Switch 2.

If not though, there is an exclusive PvPvE experience on the way later this year, or have we all forgotten FromSoftware is still set to release The Duskbloods in 2026?

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