Nintendo is adding the Plastic-Bottle Splattershot Replica to Splatoon 3 through a Splatoon Raiders tie-in. Here is how the unlock works, what is confirmed for update 11.3.0, and why active players should pay attention.
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Nintendo is tying a Splatoon 3 weapon to Splatoon Raiders progress
Nintendo is adding the Plastic-Bottle Splattershot Replica to Splatoon 3, but the unlock is gated behind progress in a different game. According to Nintendo Everything, the upcoming Splatoon 3 update will let players receive the weapon if they have Splatoon Raiders save data on their system and have completed that game’s main story. My Nintendo News, citing Nintendo of Europe’s announcement, also reports that eligible Inklings and Octolings will be able to pick it up from the terminal in Splatoon 3’s lobby.
That makes this Splatoon Raiders tie in unusually practical for active Splatoon 3 players. This is not a simple login reward or shop rotation item based on the reporting available. The Plastic Bottle Splattershot unlock depends on whether the player has cleared the Switch 2 game that introduced the weapon, then carries that status back into Splatoon 3.
Nintendo Everything reports that the Splatoon 3 update will bring the game to version 11.3.0 and is “set to release soon,” with no specific release date announced at the time of its report. Siliconera adds that Nintendo announced the weapon through multiple regional social media accounts and that it is planned ahead of the Summer Nights Splatfest starting August 21, 2026. The timing puts the reward directly in front of a returning competitive and event crowd, even if Nintendo has not yet published the full patch notes.
How the Plastic Bottle Splattershot unlock works
The confirmed path is straightforward, but it has a hard requirement. Players need Splatoon Raiders save data on the system and must have cleared the main story. Once Splatoon 3 recognizes that file, Siliconera reports that the Plastic-Bottle Splattershot can be claimed from the terminal in the multiplayer lobby. My Nintendo News reports the same lobby terminal pickup route through Nintendo of Europe’s post.
That is the practical answer for anyone searching “Plastic Bottle Splattershot unlock”: finish the Splatoon Raiders main story, keep the save data available on the system used for Splatoon 3, then check the lobby terminal after the update goes live. The sources do not say whether a save transferred from another Switch 2 profile, cloud backup, or different user account will qualify. They also do not say whether the reward can be unlocked if Splatoon 3 is played on an original Switch while the Splatoon Raiders save exists on Switch 2. Until Nintendo publishes formal support notes, the safest read is that the game will check local save data tied to the active user.
There is also a small naming split in the coverage. Nintendo Everything and Siliconera refer to the reward as the Plastic-Bottle Splattershot Replica. My Nintendo News uses Plastic-Bottle Shot Replica in its headline, while the quoted Nintendo of Europe post says Plastic-Bottle Shot Replica and describes it as coming with the Tentatek Splattershot kit. For search and clarity, Splatoon 3 Plastic Bottle Splattershot Replica is the name most outlets are using for the tie-in weapon, but players may see regional naming vary.
It uses the Tentatek Splattershot loadout, so the meta question is simple
The important competitive detail is that Nintendo is not presenting this as a new weapon kit with an unknown sub and special. Nintendo Everything reports that the Plastic-Bottle Splattershot Replica has the same features as the Tentatek Splattershot. My Nintendo News gives the exact kit from Nintendo of Europe’s post: Splat Bomb and Triple Inkstrike.
For shooters players, that is the real read. If the Replica shares the Tentatek Splattershot’s features, it should not create a fresh loadout puzzle by itself. It is better understood, based on the current reporting, as a crossover variant for a known Splattershot kit rather than a new balance lever. That matters because Splattershot variants live and die by reliability: paint output, short-to-mid-range scrapping, bomb pressure, and special tempo. A Splat Bomb and Triple Inkstrike package is already built for space control, objective pressure, and forcing defenders off anchors or choke positions.
Stats for the Splatoon 3 version have not been published yet. Siliconera specifically notes that stats for the Splatoon 3 version of the Plastic-Bottle Splattershot from Splatoon Raiders are not available. Nintendo Everything says the weapon has the same features as Tentatek Splattershot, but the available source material does not include a full stat card, point cost, or any mechanical note beyond the kit. Until version 11.3.0 patch notes land, players should treat it as a confirmed unlock with a familiar kit, not proof of a meta shake-up.
The Raiders connection gives the reward some actual context
The Plastic-Bottle Splattershot is not arriving out of nowhere. Inkipedia’s under-construction page describes the Plastic-Bottle Splattershot as a Splatoon Raiders weapon and a shooter that focuses on ink efficiency. The same page says the weapon is based on the Splattershot, with a plastic bottle used as its ink tank, and notes that a replica for players who finished the Splatoon Raiders main story is planned for Splatoon 3.
The weapon also sits inside a different structure in Raiders. IGN’s Splatoon Raiders weapons guide says every weapon type from Splatoon 1, 2, and 3 appears in Raiders, including Shooters, Chargers, Rollers, Dualies, and Splatanas, with 11 weapon types total. IGN also describes Raiders weapon drops as having rarity tiers and attached abilities at higher rarities, which is a different reward model from the fixed competitive kits Splatoon 3 players are used to managing in Turf War, Anarchy Battle, and Splatfest play.
Game8’s Raiders guide identifies the Primo Plastic-Bottle Splattershot as a Shooter-type weapon and says it is awarded for defeating Salmonarch. Inkipedia says the Primo Plastic-Bottle Splattershot becomes available after completing the game’s main story. Those details line up around late-game or completion-linked Raiders progress, though the exact phrasing differs by guide. For Splatoon 3 players, the takeaway is clear enough: Nintendo is using story completion in Raiders as the credential for bringing a recognizable Raiders weapon back into the main multiplayer game.
The platform split is the tension for Splatoon 3 regulars
The unlock requirement matters because the two games do not have the same platform footprint. Nintendo Everything reports that Splatoon Raiders is available on Nintendo Switch 2, while Splatoon 3 is on Nintendo Switch and playable on Switch 2. Siliconera also reports Splatoon 3 is available for Switch and Switch 2, with Splatoon Raiders on Switch 2.
That creates a clean incentive and a real access gap. Players still active in Splatoon 3 on the original Switch can keep playing the multiplayer game, but the reported path to the Plastic-Bottle Splattershot Replica runs through a Switch 2 title. If someone has not moved to Nintendo’s newer hardware, the reward may be visible in the ecosystem without being practically available to them. Nintendo has not announced an alternate unlock method in the source material provided.
From a competitive standpoint, that would be a bigger problem if the weapon carried exclusive performance. Based on the reported Tentatek Splattershot feature match, the pressure is lower. A player who cannot unlock it is not currently reported to be missing a unique Splat Bomb and Triple Inkstrike kit. They are missing a tie-in replica attached to Raiders completion. That still matters for collectors, completionists, and anyone who values identity in loadout selection, but the available facts do not support treating it as a paywalled competitive advantage.
Version 11.3.0 still has unanswered patch-note questions
Nintendo Everything reports that Splatoon 3 version 11.3.0 is the update that will add the Plastic-Bottle Splattershot Replica, but also says it is unclear what else the update will include. The outlet notes that balance adjustments and bug fixes are possible, while making clear that no full contents list had been confirmed at the time.
That uncertainty is where active players should keep their expectations tight. The weapon reward is confirmed through Nintendo’s announcements as reported by multiple outlets. The broader balance impact is not. If Nintendo uses 11.3.0 only to add the lobby terminal reward and tie-in support, then the day-one effect is mostly cosmetic and completion-based. If the update also changes weapons, stages, bugs, or special tuning, then the real competitive story will be in the patch notes rather than the Replica itself.
The timing also matters. Siliconera reports that the Summer Nights Splatfest runs August 21-23, 2026, with the theme “Which would you reserve for a day?” and teams built around a palace, a theme park, and a beach. Since the Plastic-Bottle Splattershot Replica is expected ahead of that event, many returning players will likely check the lobby terminal during the same window they come back for Splatfest. Anyone planning to play that weekend should update early, confirm whether their Raiders save is recognized, and avoid assuming the terminal reward will appear before version 11.3.0 is installed.
Who should chase it before the next Splatfest
If you already own Splatoon Raiders and are close to the end of the main story, the Plastic-Bottle Splattershot Replica is worth cleaning up before the Splatoon 3 update arrives. The unlock path reported by Siliconera and My Nintendo News is completion-based, and the lobby terminal claim sounds low-friction once the requirement is met. For a Splattershot player, a familiar Tentatek-style kit wrapped in a Raiders replica is an easy loadout flex during Splatfest sessions.
If you do not own Raiders, the decision is different. The available reporting does not say the Replica has unique stats in Splatoon 3, and Nintendo Everything says it has the same features as Tentatek Splattershot. That makes Raiders completion a collector’s route rather than a must-do grind for ranked viability, at least until Nintendo publishes full 11.3.0 details. Buy or finish Raiders because you want that game and its completion reward, not because the current source material shows a new must-pick weapon entering the rotation.
For now, the clean read is this: the Splatoon 3 update gives active players a reason to keep one eye on Splatoon Raiders progress, but the weapon’s reported Tentatek loadout keeps the competitive stakes measured. The confirmed action items are to finish the Raiders main story, keep the save data on the system, install Splatoon 3 version 11.3.0 when it releases, and claim the Plastic-Bottle Splattershot Replica from the multiplayer lobby terminal once Nintendo flips the switch.