The Splatoon 3 demo is live two days early

Splatoon 3
(Image credit: Nintendo)

If you're jonesing to get a brief early taste of Splatoon 3, the Splatfest World Premiere demo is playable right now, ahead of the online event set to run this weekend.

The Splatfest World Premiere event is set to kick off on Saturday, August 27, offering a taste of the game's three-way Splatfests ahead of the full launch in September. That's when you'll actually be able to play online and enjoy the bulk of the demo's features, but you can download it right now for a quick early look at what's coming.

The demo opens in the desert, as you determine the look of your character and pick a style for your Smallfry companion, known simply as Little Buddy. From there, a brief tutorial mission runs you through the basic controls, including the new Squid Surge, before you hop on the train to Splatsville.

You can freely explore Splatsville and all its shops, though since you're unable to participate in online battles, you can't actually level up to unlock access to purchase things in those stores. You can, however, choose your side in the rock, paper, scissors Splatfest, choose your clothing, and adjust your player banner.

Most importantly, you can draw and make posts that'll show up in everyone's Splatsvilles. Right now, it's a lot of crude Among Us fanart and anime fans declaring their love of yaoi, so yes, this is definitely a series of Splatoon-level memes.

Sadly, there's no access to the test range in the demo right now, so you'll have to wait for Saturday to practice with all the Splatoon 3 weapons.

Check out our Splatoon 3 hands-on preview for insight into what to expect from the single-player campaign. 

Dustin Bailey
Staff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.

Read more
A screenshot shows Like a Dragon characters facing off in Dave the Diver.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza will soon get a playable demo and an unexpectedly adorable Dave the Diver crossover
3d beans doing tasks with one of them dead
The Among Us 3D demo did so well that you can still download it even though Steam Next Fest has ended
Wanderstop screenshot of two characters sitting together on a bench, one holds a wooden spoon
The 10 Steam Next Fest demos you need to play this weekend
Beebz collects a gear in Demon Tides
Super Mario Odyssey and Wind Waker collide in this expressive Steam Next Fest 3D platformer that's already an early GOTY contender for me
Sugardew Island
The Stardew Valley stan in me is more excited than ever to play this cozy farming sim for real next month, after its Steam Next Fest demo blew me away
Solarpunk airship interior
The most popular open-world survival game in Steam Next Fest is coming straight for my JRPG-born obsession with floating islands
Latest in Splatoon
Splatoon 3
As Splatoon 3 says goodbye to regular updates, fans think they've already uncovered the future of the Nintendo series
Splatoon 3
Nintendo revokes Splatoon 3 World Championship win following racist remarks from some winners: "The team will not receive trophies"
Splatoon 3
Recovering from the first game's shutdown, Splatoon 3 fans wonder how the latest and "biggest" Splatfest will shape an inevitable Splatoon 4
An Inkling looking shocked as she stares at the Smash Bros. logo in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate reveal trailer.
Defying Nintendo, just two players remain on the 3DS and Wii U's dead servers after the last Splatoon player's 68-day streak ends
An Inkling looking shocked as she stares at the Smash Bros. logo in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate reveal trailer.
The last Splatoon player still standing after Nintendo's Wii U shutdown is now trapped in map purgatory for the next ten years
Splatoon 3
Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass takes you back to the original Inkopolis
Latest in News
Avowed
Avowed has a Skyrim Easter egg that pokes fun at the RPG's most memed about companion NPC
The two characters in Split Fiction holding their hands up in surrender in a futuristic city
Split Fiction director says he'd "really appreciate" winning GOTY again, but if GTA 6 comes out in 2025 "it's going to be really tough" and he's fine with that because he's "a huge fan"
Grand Theft Auto 3
A GTA streamer is trying to beat every single 3D entry without dying, and in 33 hours he's made it as far as San Andreas but keeps getting caught in Vice City purgatory
Monster Hunter Wilds Nu Udra Palico
Monster Hunter Wilds players are so obsessed with Palico armor that turns your cute cat into a freaky little octopus that even Capcom is sharing fan art of it
Charli XCX
Charlie XCX is in talks to star in Greta Gerwig’s The Chronicles of Narnia movie - and that is so Brat
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #12
Gwen Stacy and Loki team-up for a cosmic adventure in Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider #12