Report: Splatoon 3 Cheaters Are Abusing Special Weapons

Less than two weeks after release, Splatoon 3 is already dealing with its share of cheaters. Namely, recent videos have shown that these cheaters are abusing the Tenta Missile and other special weapons to quickly defeat opponents and win matches. These videos have since gone viral on Japanese gaming Twitter, with many users calling for Nintendo to fix the issue.

Reports of cheating within Splatoon 3 surfaced at the beginning of a three-day holiday in Japan. While there have been earlier accounts of cheating within the game, these new reports show a specific pattern in how the cheaters operate. Reports of cheating in Splatoon 3 became so widespread throughout the day, that the term チーター (“Cheater”) rose to the top of Japanese Twitter trends alongside the game’s title. It is still unclear whether the players are hacking the game, or exploiting an unknown bug. As the evidence is largely anecdotal, just how widespread the issue is is unclear absent confirmation from Nintendo.

A viral video from Twitter user @m_xmass2000 shows one example of these cheaters in action:

スプラ3で初めてチーターとマッチングしたわ
このマルミサ量やばすぎるって
#スプラトゥーン3 #Splatoon3 #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/lhidyRue0A

— Mｻｧﾝ@毎日健康生活 (@m_Xmas2000) September 22, 2022

Typically, the cheater in question will use the Tenta Missile to attack the opposing team. However, instead of having to wait for the special weapon meter to fill up again, the cheater is somehow able to continue launching Tenta Missiles repeatedly, with no obvious loss of special weapon energy. Opposing players must then dodge volley after volley of missiles, all while fending off other players and attempting to paint more turf.

While most accounts of cheaters seem to predominantly feature the use of Tenta Missiles, other reports also seem to indicate that cheaters can use other special weapons such as Reef Slider. Similarly, cheaters will repeatedly use the Reef Slider seemingly without any cooldown to defeat opponents. Furthermore, players have urged those who have encountered these cheaters to use the in-game report function to help Nintendo ban the offending parties.

Splatoon 3 is available exclusively on Nintendo Switch.