Splatoon 3 launches for the Nintendo Switch family of consoles on 9th September, but players can already take an early first dive into the game by downloading the free demo right now via Nintendo eShop.

Splatoon 3’s newly updated Splatfest battles* will be introduced in the Splatoon 3: Splatfest World Premiere on 28th August. Anyone who wants to start splatting can simply download the free demo in Nintendo eShop today and check out the tutorial. Then, they can take a stroll around Splatsville and get ready for the Splatfest on Sunday. When downloading the Splatfest World Premiere demo, players will also receive a code via email for a free 7-day trial of Nintendo Switch Online**.

Splatfest teams are chosen by answering the question ‘which is the best: Rock, Paper or Scissors?’ Teams then battle it out in Turf War, with every victory earning points for each of the three teams. Turf War is a heated four-on-four team battle mode where the goal for each team is to ink the most ground within three minutes.

The main event starts on 28th August. Between 10:00am AEST / 12:00pm NZST and 4:00pm AEST / 6:00pm NZST, players claim their turf against one team at a time. Then, during the 4:00pm AEST / 6:00pm NZST and 10:00pm AEST / 12:00am NZST block, they can take on the new Splatfest Tricolor Turf War battles, in which the leading team faces two players each from both other teams. This 4-v-2-v-2 format brings a new type of colourful chaos to Splatfests. After that, the results will be calculated and revealed on Monday, 29th August at midnight (00:00) AEST / 2:00am NZST.

For more details regarding the Splatoon 3: Splatfest World Premiere, please visit: https://www.nintendo.com.au/splatoon-3-splatfest-world-premiere

The free Splatoon 3: Splatfest World Premiere demo can be downloaded now in Nintendo eShop. Players can check out the tutorial, character customisation and cast their team vote for Rock, Paper or Scissors before Splatoon 3’s first Splatfest starts on Sunday, 28th August at 10:00am AEST / 12:00pm NZST. In the first half of the Splatfest, two teams face each other in regular Turf War battles. Starting from 4:00pm AEST / 6:00pm NZST, the winning team will face two players each of the two other teams in the new Tricolor battles.