Splatoon 3 makes several notable gameplay changes in version 11.0.0, which releases January 29. Read on for a breakdown of what’s new.
Splatoon 3 Update 11.0.0 Arrives January 29
Introduces New Battle Systems
Splatoon 3’s Version 11.0.0 update is set to release January 29, as detailed in a news post on Nintendo’s official website. Nintendo describes a range of system-level additions and refinements, including new battle mechanics alongside weapon and multiplayer balance adjustments.
Version 11.0.0 introduces Flow Aura, a new state triggered when players splat multiple opponents in quick succession. Activating Flow Aura surrounds the player with a burst of ink and grants temporary boosts to stats like Run Speed, Swim Speed, Ink Resistance, and Intensify Action. The effect lasts about 30 seconds and can be extended by continuing to rack up splats or assisting teammates in doing so. While Flow Aura is active, each additional splat also refreshes the ink overflow effect.
Another major addition is the introduction of enemy health bars, which now appear briefly when opponents take damage. Previously, players had to infer remaining health through how much ink an opponent was covered in. With the update, health bars appear above visible opponents, and abilities like Thermal Ink or markers like Point Sensors can also let you see a target’s health from further away. Teammates’ health bars will now appear as well when they’ve taken damage.
The update also makes changes to hit detection. Since the original Splatoon on the Wii U, player hit boxes were intentionally generous to accommodate motion-control aiming, but as players have grown more comfortable with the controls in subsequent releases, the extra leeway has become less necessary. The update slightly reduces hit box size while players are in swim form, bringing it closer to the size used in kid form and reducing instances where players are hit while clearly behind cover.
To balance out these changes, Nintendo also reworked hit boxes of players’ shots. Shot hit boxes for shorter-range main weapons are now bigger, while longer-range main weapons see far smaller changes in size. This appears to mean that closing the distance is still dangerous, but short-range weapons are now better equipped to challenge opponents that previously held a range advantage.
In game, for example, attacks from the Splattershot Jr. and Splattershot are slightly harder to land against opponents in swim form, but significantly easier against opponents in kid form. Meanwhile, long-range weapons like the E-liter 4K Scope see a much steeper drop in effectiveness against swimming targets.
The update also adjusts how the Stealth Jump gear ability interacts with Super Jumps. While Stealth Jump still conceals landing locations, Version 11.0.0 increases Super Jump flight time based on distance when the ability is equipped. This gives defenders more time to react to long-range jumps without affecting launch timing.
Adjustments to Weapon Balance and Multiplayer Updates
Aside from these, Version 11.0.0 delivers a wide set of main and special weapon balance adjustments. The L-3 Nozzlenose line gains faster shot speed to better support its three-burst damage potential, balanced by reduced inking to discourage passive play. The Dynamo Roller family receives expanded inking coverage and improved damage consistency at range, offset by increased ink consumption. Other main weapons receive smaller adjustments to their recovery, damage values, shot speed, ink efficiency, and explosive radius.
Among special weapons, Reefslider receives one of the most notable adjustments, with an expanded one-hit explosion radius that is harder to evade using slight elevation. In exchange, its travel distance and ink coverage have been reduced, which curbs its use as a low-risk zoning or objective-clearing tool. Special weapon point requirements have also been adjusted across several kits, and SplatNet 3 now tracks the most frequently used weapons in X Battles over time instead of last-used selections. The update also includes bug fixes targeting controls, online synchronization, and unintended stage interactions.
Nintendo notes that because Version 11.0.0 introduces "changes to the multiplayer system that go beyond simple multiplayer balance changes, we anticipate that it will have a bigger impact on gameplay than the average update. For that reason, the next update will be sooner than normal and will focus on changes to multiplayer balance."
What’s Next for Splatoon
The scale of Version 11.0.0 is notable given how late it is in Splatoon 3’s lifecycle. Major system-level changes are uncommon at this stage, leading some fans to speculate that elements of the update could serve as early experimentation for future entries in the series. The patch also lands more than six months after Splatoon 3’s last surprise update, which introduced new weapon variants alongside free hardware enhancements.
This continued support comes despite Nintendo stating in September 2024 that "regular updates will come to a close" for Splatoon 3. While Version 11.0.0 does not add new weapons or gear, its emphasis on systemic changes suggests ongoing internal attention to how the game plays. That, in turn, has fueled broader discussion among players and fans online about what comes next for the franchise, particularly following Nintendo’s announcement of the spin-off Splatoon Raiders in June, which has yet to receive additional details or a release window. The timing and scope of the update have also stoked speculation around a potential Switch 2-specific edition, distinct from the more incremental upgrade released earlier this year, though no such version has been confirmed.
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