Splatoon 3 already has plenty of content to wade through with its Turf War multiplayer and Splatfest events, but Nintendo still has another event up its sleeve. Salmon Run is the game’s cooperative mode that pits four players against a horde of Salmonids, and it’s set to get its very own Splatfest-like event with Big Run. Here’s everything we know about Splatoon 3’s “once in a while” mode.
What is the Splatoon 3 Big Run?
Big Run was first announced by Nintendo during the Splatoon 3 Direct in August 2022. At that time, there was a small gameplay clip released along with a few scant details. During Big Run, Salmonids will invade the standard multiplayer maps of Turf War, drastically changing the approach players need to take during a match of Salmon Run. At the same time, the gameplay clip seems to indicate the intensity of matches will be upped during a Big Run, as the second wave showed off in the clip required the team to collect 19 Salmon Eggs. Unfortunately, we don’t know many other details, as Nintendo has been pretty tight-lipped about the mode.
When are the first Splatoon 3 Big Run dates?
The first Big Run of Splatoon 3 will start on December 9, 2022. It’ll run until December 11 at 7 p.m. Eastern. You’ll be able to join Big Run matches by simply going to Grizzco and going through the process you normally do for Salmon Run. Much like Splatfests, the event will also see Splatsville get a new look, with a supremely ominous red sky.
The Splatoon 3 community is in a big frenzy over Big Run — Even though we don’t have exact info on Big Run, that hasn’t stopped the community from becoming obsessed with it, detailing exactly what they want to see out of the mode. Big Run really blew up on the internet recently after a user named narwhak2 on Reddit uploaded a phenomenally creepy emergency warning concept. Since then, the community has flocked to the idea of Big Run with countless memes and other emergency warning concepts.
Nintendo has previously said Big Run is a “once in a while” phenomenon. With that in mind, we don’t know exactly how often the mode will take place, but we can make some guesses based on timing. Splatfests occur roughly every two months and those will clearly continue to be the focus. With Splatfests having set timing, it’s easy to imagine that Big Run will as well. The first Big Run is taking place exactly three months after the launch of Splatoon 3, so if Nintendo keeps up that cadence the next one will happen around the beginning of March 2023.
