Splatoon Raiders proves that Nintendo wants to make 2026 the year of island living

With the recent release date announcement for Splatoon RaidersThe rest of Nintendo's 2026 game lineup is starting to come into view. The Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 have already seen a number of hits this year, as have flagship titles Pokemon Pokopia and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream among them. now, Splatoon Raiders It's set to join the roster when it launches in July, and will mark the third Nintendo game released this year with an island setting.

So far, Nintendo's first-party release calendar for 2026 is pretty solid, and there are still plenty of games to come. Nintendo games that have been released or are planned to be released in 2026:

ANimal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition — January 15
Mario kills tennis fever – 12 February
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition – 19 February
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen For Nintendo Switch – February 27th
Pokemon Pokopia – March 5
Super Mario Bros. Wonder — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park – March 26
Pokemon Champions – 8 April
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream — April 16
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book — May 21
Rhythm Heaven Groove — July 2
Splatoon Raiders — 23 July
Symbol of Fire: The Weave of Fate – TBA

Looking at this lineup of Nintendo games announced for 2026, there's a clear trend of island-based games starting to emerge with Splatoon Raiders confirmed to share this setting, a theme Nintendo seems to be running with for many of its releases this year.

Other rumored Nintendo games for 2026 include an unannounced one Star Fox Games and A Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake.

Fire Emblem: Tomodachi Against the Blurred Background of Life Three Houses Byleth and Adelgard: Living the Dream

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Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Player recreates the entire cast of Fire Emblem: The Three Houses

A fan of Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is painstakingly recreating the main characters of the Fire Emblem: Three Houses in the Life simulation game.

Pokemon Pokopia asks players to rebuild society on a ruined island

Nintendo Switch 2 owners had the opportunity to dive into the island world for the first time this year Pokemon Pokopia Dropping players onto island ruins in the Kanto region and having them rebuild civilization as Ditto, attracting other Pokémon inhabitants to make the island their home. Pokemon Pokopia It also gave players access to Dream Islands, randomly generated places where they can meet and collect materials using Poke Dolls. Many features in Pokopia Felt picked out Animal Crossing: New HorizonsAnother notable Nintendo game set on the island, which received a Switch 2 update earlier in the year.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream gives players an island city for Miis

Just over a month later, both Nintendo Switch 1 and 2 owners gained access to their own uninhabited island ripe for population with Miis. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Nintendo does the same The Sims One more than this Animal Crossing A clone, but still includes many features to craft the perfect island home, such as house and clothing customization, relationship mechanics, and fun antics for the player's Miis to get up to living in. Tomodachi life the island Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream It has a more comfortable base Pokemon PokopiaIf they are both considered “relaxing” games, and the island vibes are more prominent in the former than the latter.

Splatoon Riders pits players against salmonid enemies on a mysterious island

Splatoon Raiders Nintendo may be following the island theming in 2026, but it looks very different from the cozy island games released before. Rather than creating a habitable island, Splatoon Raiders Along with teammates Shiver, Frye, and the Big Man of Deep Cut, they explore the mysterious Spirhalite Islands. According to the gameplay, Splatoon Raiders The series' unique third-person shooter takes the ink-splattering gameplay and pits players against a new salmonid threat in single-player or co-op modes.

Scratch and pick

Identify the cover art while scratching off as small a foil as possible.

Scratch and pick

Identify the cover art while scratching off as small a foil as possible.

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The tropical island vibes from the recently shown footage are on point Splatoon Raiders Release date trailer. It looks like players will be able to customize their Inkling to match the desert island theme, and members of Deep Cut are also seen sporting new looks. It might not be the year of Luigi, but Nintendo's string of island-themed games in 2026 is still a fun trend to watch, even if it's unintentional.