Surprise: Splatoon 3's First Update of 2026 Adds Health Bars

Nintendo has released the first major Splatoon 3 update of 2026, introducing visible health bars above opponents in multiplayer combat.

The change, deployed this week, alters how enemy vitality is conveyed. Up until now, remaining health was signposted through in-game visual cues. Nintendo notes that an opponent's remaining health will now appear as a bar above their head for "a few seconds" when they are visible. Certain abilities can also trigger the bar to be displayed.

The addition has come as a surprise to parts of the community, with the new indicator providing a more explicit readout of foe HP during encounters. The update was reported by Nintendo Life, which covered the patch details and the effect on multiplayer visibility.

Full coverage and original reporting can be found at Nintendo Life: Surprise! Splatoon 3's first update of 2026 has added health bars.