Want more ways to ink the town? Look no further than the Splatoon 3 ranked mode. Featuring different ways to play than your average Turf War, plenty of fun can be had while earning those all-important ranks.
Splatoon 3 is the third installment in Nintendo's wet and wild series based on throwing ink at your enemies in an online battle. Inklings and Octolings - part kid and part squid - take part to win games and be the freshest creatures around.
While we await the release of Splatoon 3, take a look at all of the confirmed weapons in the game, and our hub with everything you need to know. We've taken a look at all modes coming to the game, too!
Is there Splatoon 3 ranked mode?
On top of Splatoon's 4-v-4 Turf War and the zany single-player campaigns, there have always been Ranked modes. These allow players to not only level up, but flaunt their success by achieving a high rank.
The ranks range from C to S, with a plus and minus rank either side. It takes a lot of perseverance to climb up the levels, but put a foot wrong and you'll find yourself losing that coveted S+ rank.
What are Splatoon 3 Anarchy Battles?
In Splatoon 3, the Ranked section has had a tiny revamp; they're now called Anarchy Battles. These can be played singly, or in a team, by choosing either the Series or Open option respectively.
There are a few different options for your Ranked gaming, and all four games will have a Rank of their own for you to improve.
click to enlarge
+ 4Clam Blitz
Introduced in Splatoon 2, Clam Blitz is almost a sport inside the Splatoon world. Players must race around the map collecting as many golden Clams as they can, and then throwing them into the opposition's goal. Pick up ten Clams, and you'll get a Power Clam - shaped like a large American football. Players should aim to get Power Clams as soon as possible, as these are needed to break the barrier of the goal.
If you Splat a Squid Kid, you can steal their Clams and add them to your own pile, or throw them to other teammates if they're close to a Power Clam. The team with the most points at the end of the match wins.
click to enlarge + 4Splat Zones
The original Ranked game in Splatoon's 2015 release is Splat Zones. It holds up to this day and is back again in Splatoon 3.
The game pits two teams of four players against each other, and they must fight to cover and keep an area covered in their ink for a certain amount of time. Keep it covered, and you win. Usually, there is only one zone to keep covered, but some maps have two. You capture the zone by covering at least 70% of the area in your team's ink.
Each team has a counter set at 100, and this will tick down whenever they are in control of the Splat Zones. The first team to reach 0 wins!
click to enlarge + 4Tower Control
Added not long after Splat Zones, Tower Control is another Splatoon staple back for another round. Two squid teams must try and keep control of a moving tower, and stay in control until it passes to the end goal located deep in enemy territory.
The tower starts off in the middle of the map, and players must hastily get to it and get on it. Once at least one member of a team is on top of the tower, it will start moving. There are a few checkpoints to get to, and then you'll reach the end. The battle can get fierce, especially with all four of an opposing team trying to pick you off the tower. Good luck!
click to enlarge + 4Rainmaker
This mode gets its name from the weapon within the game, the Rainmaker. A giant, golden fish-shaped cannon, it can fire a lethal bomb of ink, but takes some time to charge up.
Like Tower Control, the Rainmaker starts out in the middle of the map, and the two teams must get to it as quick as they can. The aim is to put it on a pedestal located near the enemy spawn point.
By the way, the Rainmaker has a shield you must break down in order to pick it up. The fun part? Any enemy squids will get Splatted by this.
How do I play Splatoon 3's ranked modes?
Splatoon 3's ranked modes and Anarchy Battles can be accessed in the Lobby. This is the same place as Turf War and any further modes that release in the game. Simply walk in, and the menu will pop up with the two different Anarchy options.