Summary:
Splatoon 3 has had a place inside the Nintendo Music app since the service launched, but for many fans it felt like something important was missing. The game was there, the name was there, and the promise was there, yet the soundtrack lineup did not fully match what players had come to expect from one of Nintendo’s most musically driven series. That gap mattered more than it might for another franchise because Splatoon does not treat music like wallpaper. Its songs are part of the identity, the storytelling, the mood, and even the culture that surrounds the game. When tracks are missing, the experience feels unfinished.
That is why this update lands so well. Nintendo Music has now added 112 more tracks from Splatoon 3, including music tied to Side Order, the Grand Festival, and more. Suddenly, what once felt partial now feels far closer to the real shape of the game’s audio world. For longtime players, this is not just about getting a bigger playlist. It is about finally having access to more of the moments, moods, and memories that made Splatoon 3 stick. The tense, stylish atmosphere of Side Order has its own pull. The festival material brings a larger emotional swing. Together, they help round out a soundtrack that always deserved a fuller spotlight.
The update also makes Nintendo Music itself look more worthwhile. The app is available on iOS and Android, and it comes as part of Nintendo Switch Online membership, which means fans already in that ecosystem have a simple, official place to keep this music close. For Splatoon 3, that changes the conversation. Instead of feeling like a soundtrack that arrived with pieces still in the box, it now feels much closer to the bold, chaotic, colorful audio package players actually remember.
Splatoon 3 finally feels complete on Nintendo Music
When Nintendo Music first rolled out, seeing Splatoon 3 listed in the app was exciting, but there was an obvious catch. Fans quickly noticed that the soundtrack presence did not fully reflect how wide, strange, stylish, and energetic the game’s musical identity really is. That mattered because Splatoon has never been the kind of series where songs sit quietly in the background and do their job without asking for attention. In Splatoon, music is part of the world-building. It gives character to idols, shape to major events, and personality to every corner of the experience. So when a soundtrack arrives with visible gaps, it does not feel like a minor inconvenience. It feels like walking into a concert hall and finding half the band still stuck in traffic. With 112 more tracks now added, Nintendo Music brings Splatoon 3 much closer to the version fans actually know from the game itself, and that shift makes the app feel far more satisfying than before.
Why the missing songs stood out to fans
The reason the earlier omissions were so noticeable is simple: Splatoon players actually care about the soundtrack in a way that goes beyond casual appreciation. This is a series where fictional bands have followings, where event music becomes part of community memory, and where certain songs instantly pull players back into specific matches, updates, or story beats. You do not just hear Splatoon music. You remember where you were when you heard it. You remember the vibe, the ink flying everywhere, the tension, the absurd fashion, and the little burst of drama the series somehow turns into its own language. That emotional connection makes any missing piece feel larger than it might in another game library. Fans were not nitpicking for sport. They were reacting to something that genuinely felt incomplete, and that is why this update feels less like a routine app refresh and more like Nintendo finally filling in a sketch that had been missing some of its boldest colors.
The 112-track expansion changes the picture
Adding 112 more tracks is not a tiny adjustment tucked into the corner. It is the kind of jump that changes how the soundtrack is perceived as a whole. A smaller update might have felt like a polite nod, something nice but not transformative. This is different. A jump of that size tells fans that Nintendo understands just how much ground Splatoon 3’s music needs to cover. It also suggests that the company is treating the soundtrack with more of the scale it deserves. For listeners, the benefit is immediate. A broader track lineup means less of that frustrating feeling where you go looking for a favorite musical moment and come back empty-handed. It gives the soundtrack more rhythm, more variety, and more breathing room. Instead of feeling trimmed down, it starts to feel like a living archive of the game’s identity, which is exactly what many fans wanted from the start.
Side Order gives the soundtrack a sharper edge
One of the most appealing parts of this update is the inclusion of Side Order material. That expansion carried a tone of its own, and the music played a huge role in making that tone work. Side Order did not just recycle the energy of the base game and call it a day. It pushed toward something moodier, stranger, and more tightly wound. The soundtrack helped build that atmosphere with music that could feel sleek one moment and unsettling the next. Bringing those tracks into Nintendo Music matters because they show a different face of Splatoon 3. They remind listeners that the game’s audio identity is not locked into one tempo or one emotional lane. It can be playful, stylish, eerie, punchy, and surprisingly reflective. Without Side Order, the soundtrack picture would always feel cropped. With it, the soundtrack starts showing more of its range, and that makes the listening experience much richer.
Grand Festival music brings a bigger emotional payoff
If Side Order adds tension and edge, Grand Festival material brings scale and feeling. Festival music in Splatoon tends to hit differently because it is tied to moments that feel communal. These are not just tracks you hear while idly browsing menus. They are songs wrapped around events, anticipation, spectacle, and the shared energy that gives Splatoon its larger personality. That emotional charge makes Grand Festival music especially valuable in a streaming app because it carries more than melody. It carries memory. Hearing those songs outside the game lets fans reconnect with the atmosphere that made those moments special in the first place. It is a bit like catching the smell of fireworks long after the sky has gone dark. The event itself is over, but the feeling rushes back anyway. Adding those tracks helps Nintendo Music do something more meaningful than simply host songs. It helps preserve the emotional footprint of one of Splatoon 3’s biggest celebratory spaces.
This update matters because Splatoon has always lived through music
There are plenty of games with memorable soundtracks, but Splatoon operates on a slightly different wavelength. Music is woven directly into the franchise’s personality. It shapes the world, gives its performers identity, and makes the universe feel like a place with its own taste, trends, and cultural history. That is part of why the series stands out. It does not just use songs as accompaniment. It turns them into part of the fiction itself. Because of that, expanding the soundtrack inside Nintendo Music is not some side feature with niche appeal. It strengthens one of the main pillars that supports the entire series. Fans who love Splatoon often love its music as much as its matches, style, humor, and visual design. So when new tracks arrive, especially from major additions like Side Order and the Grand Festival, it does more than bulk up a library. It restores part of the series’ heartbeat, and that matters more than a plain track count ever could.
Nintendo Music is slowly becoming more useful for dedicated fans
One quiet benefit of updates like this is what they say about the app itself. Nintendo Music looked interesting when it launched, but interest and usefulness are not always the same thing. An app can have charm, a clean interface, and a strong brand while still feeling a little thin if the catalog does not meet expectations. Expanding Splatoon 3’s lineup helps push Nintendo Music away from novelty and closer to habit. That is an important difference. Fans are more likely to come back regularly when a soundtrack actually feels worth returning to, and Splatoon is one of the strongest franchises Nintendo could use to encourage that behavior. The more complete the soundtrack becomes, the easier it is to imagine listeners opening the app not out of curiosity, but out of routine. That is where a service starts feeling useful. Not flashy, not hypothetical, just dependable. For Nintendo, that is a better place to be, and for players, it means the app becomes less of a side attraction and more of a real part of daily listening.
Listening on iOS and Android keeps the series close at hand
Availability matters. Great music hidden behind awkward access tends to lose momentum, no matter how strong the material is. Nintendo Music being available on iOS and Android makes this Splatoon 3 update much more practical than it would be if it were locked to a single device type or buried inside a clumsy platform. Fans can carry the soundtrack with them during a commute, while working, while pretending to be productive, or while actually being productive if miracles are happening that day. That simple access changes the role the music plays in everyday life. Instead of being tied only to the memory of gameplay sessions, it becomes part of a broader listening habit. The fact that Nintendo positions the app as a benefit for Nintendo Switch Online members also gives it a clearer place in the larger Nintendo ecosystem. For players already subscribed, this feels less like another separate purchase and more like a bonus that is finally becoming easier to justify.
What this means for Nintendo’s approach to its music library
This update also hints at something bigger than Splatoon 3 alone. Nintendo has long treated its music with caution, often keeping it close rather than scattering it across the wider streaming landscape. That approach has frustrated fans at times, but it has also made the launch and growth of Nintendo Music feel more significant. Every meaningful catalog addition helps define what kind of service this app is meant to become. Expanding a major soundtrack like Splatoon 3 suggests Nintendo understands that the app cannot rely only on nostalgia bait or a handful of obvious hits. It needs fuller representations of the games people care about. That is what builds trust in a music platform. Fans need to believe that when they open it, they are finding real slices of these game worlds rather than a sampler platter with half the best dishes missing. This update does not answer every question about the app’s future, but it does make Nintendo’s direction feel more promising.
Splatoon 3 now has the kind of soundtrack presence fans expected
At the end of the day, this is what makes the update resonate. Splatoon 3 now looks and feels more like a soundtrack with real presence inside Nintendo Music. Not perfect, perhaps, and certainly not the end of the road for what fans might want added over time, but far closer to the mark. The inclusion of Side Order, Grand Festival, and more gives the soundtrack greater shape, stronger emotional reach, and a better claim to being worth revisiting outside the game. That matters because Splatoon is one of Nintendo’s most stylish worlds, and style without the right soundtrack is like neon without electricity. You can see the outline, but the spark is gone. With these additions, more of that spark is back. For fans who noticed the gaps from the beginning, this update feels like a long-overdue correction. For everyone else, it is a reminder that Splatoon 3’s music remains one of the series’ sharpest weapons, and now it is easier to keep that energy playing long after the match is over.
Conclusion
The addition of 112 more Splatoon 3 tracks makes Nintendo Music feel far more aligned with what fans expected from the start. Music from Side Order, the Grand Festival, and other parts of the game helps the soundtrack feel broader, more authentic, and more emotionally complete. That matters because Splatoon has never separated its music from its identity. The songs are part of the world, part of the atmosphere, and part of what players remember most clearly. With Nintendo Music available on iOS and Android as part of the Nintendo Switch Online ecosystem, this update turns a once incomplete soundtrack listing into something much closer to a proper home for one of Nintendo’s strongest modern audio libraries.
FAQs
- How many new Splatoon 3 tracks were added to Nintendo Music?
- Nintendo Music has added 112 more tracks from Splatoon 3, making the soundtrack selection much larger than it was before.
- Does the update include music from Side Order?
- Yes. The newly added material includes tracks from Side Order, which gives the soundtrack a darker and more distinctive edge.
- Are Grand Festival songs now available in the app?
- Yes. The update also includes Grand Festival music, bringing in songs tied to one of the biggest and most memorable parts of Splatoon 3.
- Where can you use Nintendo Music?
- Nintendo Music is available on iOS and Android devices through their respective app stores.
- Do you need Nintendo Switch Online to use Nintendo Music?
- Yes. Nintendo Music is offered as a smart-device app for Nintendo Switch Online members, so an active membership is required to use it.
Sources
- Nintendo Music app for Nintendo Switch Online, Nintendo, October 30, 2024
- Nintendo Music, App Store, October 30, 2024
- Nintendo Music, Google Play, October 30, 2024
- More Splatoon 3 Songs Have Been Added To Nintendo Music Today, Nintendo Life, April 7, 2026
- Side Order, Nintendo Music, April 2026