New Splatoon 3 Update Just Made an Odd Change to the Game…

The latest Splatoon 3 update has just added health bars to the game. This marks a rather bizarre first for the Splatoon series, a decision which is made even stranger by the fact that Splatoon 3 is well over three years old at this point.

Splatoon 3 made its way onto Nintendo Switch in September 2022, where it quickly received a strong critical reception, just as its predecessors did. Splatoon 3 currently holds an 83 Top Critic Average on OpenCritic, the same score as Splatoon 2. Despite announcing that regular support for Splatoon 3 would be coming to an end in September 2024, Nintendo continued to release updates throughout 2025, bringing new content to the game alongside performance improvements for the Nintendo Switch 2.

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By Ashely Claudino

Splatoon 3 Has Just Added Health Bars 40 Months After Launch

On January 27, 2026, Splatoon 3 received another surprise update. Simply titled 'Version 11.0.0', this latest Splatoon 3 update added a handful of new mechanics to the game. While some of these mechanics have been received well, there's one new addition that stands out for being a little odd, and that's the addition of health bars.

In all three mainline Splatoon games, players would need to observe an enemy's character model closely for signs of damage, as the only way they could determine how much health their opponent had left was by seeing how much paint they were covered in. But following this new Version 11.0.0 update, Splatoon 3 now features a conventional health bar that appears above an enemy's head for a few seconds after they've been hit. This health bar quickly regenerates if the opponent avoids another hit, and it disappears completely if they hide behind cover or dive into the ground. That said, painting an opponent with Thermal Ink or marking them with something like the Point Sensor or Wave Breaker will keep their health bar on-screen even if the opponent dips into cover. Players will also be able to see health bars appear above their allies.

Naturally, changing a key feature of a game this long after launch has caused a mixed reaction online. While some fans have expressed their disappointment with the sudden change, believing that it makes the game feel more competitive and less casual-friendly, others have tried to find a cause for this change, theorizing that Nintendo is using this latest update as a way to test new features ahead of the next Splatoon game.

Everything Else Included in Splatoon 3's Version 11.0.0 Update

But while it's certainly the strangest change in Splatoon 3's Version 11.0.0 update, health bars are far from the only thing that's been added or tweaked. A new Flow Aura mechanic has also been introduced, which activates when a player defeats multiple opponents in quick succession. Once activated, Flow Aura will produce a burst of ink around the player, granting them a 30-second boost to their run speed, swim speed, ink resistance, and intensify action. Defeating additional opponents while Flow Aura is active will extend its duration, as will eliminating opponents who themselves have an active Flow Aura.

A few other key Splatoon 3 mechanics have been tweaked as well. Super Jump airtime has been increased based on distance when players have Stealth Jump equipped. For example, Stealth Jumping close to spawn will take just a second or two, but Stealth Jumping to the back of the arena will take a little longer.

Hit detection has also been adjusted in this recent update. The hit box for an Inkling/Octling in swim form has been reduced. To try and balance this, Nintendo has also increased the hit boxes of players' shots. Generally, shorter-range main weapons have "much bigger" hit boxes, while longer-range main weapons have had their hit boxes "slightly increased."

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