Online gaming has been around for decades, though it is slightly newer for console players. Really only gaining traction with Xbox Live back in the early 2000s, it has since become a staple in just about every game with a multiplayer component to let you connect to your friends online to play together, or against, one another in your favorite games. Nintendo, however, has been a bit slower in adopting many of the standards and quality-of-life improvements made in this space.
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What You Need
Nintendo Online
WithSplatoon 3, Nintendo has taken the most steps forward in creating an easy, seamless experience for playing online yet. That being said, the state of attempting to play with friends in prior games was frustrating at best, so any improvement would be welcome. We’re glad to say that playing with friends inSplatoon 3is the easiest it’s ever been, but it’s not quite as intuitive as you would expect if you play on other platforms. To save you and your squad some time, here’s how to play with friends inSplatoon 3.
How to play with friends
There are a few things you need to do on your own before you may start joining up with friends, but once they’re all taken care of, you have a couple of different options for gathering your friends together for some colorful fun.
Step 1:Play your first Turf War match and reach level two.
Step 2:Go to the lobby terminal and create your Splashtag.
Step 3:Make sure your console’sFriend Settingshas your display status set toAll Friends.
Step 4:To play with friends already playingSplatoon 3, find their name in the lobby menu or locate their character avatar in the lobby.
Step 5:Select them, and you will join their match in progress, but you won’t necessarily be on their team.
How to create a room with friends
The prior method works very similarly to how it did inSplatoon 2, which had the main issue of not guaranteeing you would be on the same team as your friends. The best aspect ofSplatoon 3is that they alleviated this issue thanks to rooms.
Step 1:Open theLobbymenu and go to theFriendstab.
Step 2:HitYto create a room, and set a password if you wish.
Step 3:Friends can start joining right away, or you can send notifications to your friends on the friend list or by interacting with their avatar in the lobby.
How to play with friends in Private Battles
While you won’t be able to earn any rewards like in a normal match, if you have a group of two or more that just want to duke it out in a private match,Splatoon 3offers such a mode.
Step 1:Create a room following the same steps listed above.
Step 2:Get at least two people (including yourself), with a maximum of 10, into the room.
Step 3:SelectPrivate Battlefrom the list of modes.
Step 4:Pick the map, mode, and which players will be on which teams.
