Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass – Inkopolis and Side Order, Explained

Just 5 months after its release, Splatoon 3 is getting new paid DLC. After plenty of playtime and speculation from fans, the new expansion was announced during the February 2023 Nintendo Direct. It’s unknown how large the DLC will be or how much content it will offer in total, but some information about it was shared by Nintendo, giving fans a rough idea of what to expect. While future waves might still be unknown, it’s confirmed that the first wave of the Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass will include Inkopolis as a new hub area.

Everything We Know About Inkopolis, Side Order, and the Expansion Pass of Splatoon 3

For the first wave of the expansion, Inkopolis was announced as a hub area that long-time Splatoon fans should be familiar with. This location was the hub for the first game, featuring the Squid Sisters as its major idols and familiar faces like Jelonzo and Spyke offering services for players. The hub was slightly redesigned to allow for new features like Table Turf Battle, making it a fully functional alternative to Splatsville. It even includes changes for Splatfests, complete with the Squid Sisters singing their own songs. There don’t seem to be any exclusive items or shops, so the location players stay at seems to be entirely up to aesthetic preference.

Side Order is part of the second wave of the Expansion Pass. Not much information was shared about it outside of it being a single-player campaign, though it featured an Octoling in the trailer while sharing some distorted images of Pearl and Marina, the idols from Splatoon 2. This seems to imply that the DLC will be similar to the Octo Expansion of its predecessor, possibly with some focus on the idols after their Chaos vs. Order Splatfest. The single location shown in the trailer also seems to be a colorless version of Inkopolis Square from Splatoon 2. Regardless of implications and speculation, fans will need to wait a bit longer before learning the mysteries behind Side Order.

While the full extent of the Expansion Pass wasn’t announced just yet, there are four colors and stickers shown in the trailer, hinting that the DLC will come in four waves. Additionally, much like Splatoon 2’s DLC, all of the content shown seems to be for solo play only. It’s unknown if future waves will introduce multiplayer-only content, but fans will simply need to wait and see to know for sure.

Wave 1 of the Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass will be available in Spring 2023. Check it out on the Nintendo eShop!