While Splatoon 3 might be over three years old and has since ended regular content updates, the game’s latest patch, scheduled for January 29, adds some surprising features that might upend the meta.
Version 11.0.0 of Nintendo’s third-person shooter adds new mechanics and changes to existing abilities. The “Flow Aura” feature rewards players for killstreaks, granting speed and defense buffs while shooting ink around them for about 30 seconds. Additionally, a health bar will appear above enemies as you damage them.
The SRL research team is proud to present new findings about Ver. 11.0.0!
First up is the Flow Aura state. If you splat multiple opponents without getting splatted yourself you’ll automatically ink the ground around you and your physical abilities will all be slightly improved. pic.twitter.com/H6I3KqbHaK— Splatoon North America (@SplatoonNA) January 27, 2026
The update also makes some changes to hitbox detection, shrinking the hitboxes for players when they’re in swim form. To accommodate, hit boxes for short-range weapons are larger, which should incentivize players to engage opponents up close. Finally, those using the Stealth Jump gear ability will take slightly longer to Super Jump back into the map.
It’s somewhat surprising that these significant gameplay changes are arriving in Splatoon 3 so late in its lifespan, which is leading some Splatoon fans speculating that the update is an early test for potential features in a fourth mainline game in the series. The patch comes more than half a year after the last surprise update for Splatoon 3, which added new weapon variations and free Switch 2 enhancements.
Nintendo hasn’t confirmed that a fourth Splatoon is in the works, but it did announce the franchise’s first spin-off, Splatoon Raiders, back in June. The company has been silent on the title since then, not even sharing a general release window.
