Splatoon 3 is nearly upon us. The third entry in the most recent Nintendo IP is set to release Sept. 9, just shy of a month from now. In it, you’ll fight alongside friends and against enemies as you paint new maps with your upgraded weapons. But there’s no need to wait until next month to try out Splatoon 3—Nintendo is offering a free demo that will give you a taste of the new gameplay, plus a perk for any Nintendo Switch fan without Nintendo Switch Online.
Nintendo is launching a 12-hour demo for Splatfest on Saturday, Aug. 27 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. PT (12 p.m. to 12 a.m. ET). From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT, you and your team will go head-to-head against other teams one at a time. However, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. PT, Nintendo will host Splatfest Tricolor Turf War Battles, pitting three teams against one another in a 4v2v2 experience.(The game asks you to pick between rock, paper, and scissors before placing you in your team, a reminder Splatoon always does things a bit differently.)
While the 12-hour demo will certainly be exciting for Splatoon fans and those interested in the game, there’s one benefit many Nintendo Switch owners need to know about: Since the Splatoon demo requires a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to play it, Nintendo is offering a seven-day free trial for the service to anyone who enters the demo. The best part is, you aren’t excluded if you’ve redeemed a free trial in the past: Everyone is eligible for this promotion.
All you need to do is download the Splatoon 3: Splatfest World Premiere demo from the Nintendo eShop on your Switch. When you do, you’ll receive an email with a code to redeem your free trial of Nintendo Switch Online. This code is valid starting Aug. 25. While the 12-hour demo doesn’t start until Aug. 27, a tutorial for Splatoon 3 will launch Aug. 25. You don’t need to redeem the trial right away, either: Nintendo will give you until 11:59 p.m. PT on Aug. 31 to do so.
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No matter when you redeem it, you’ll have one full week of Nintendo Switch Online at your disposal. You;ll have free-to-play access to a ton of old Super Nintendo and NES titles, and if you have any games with online capabilities, this will be your chance to check them out. (May I suggest going head-to-head with strangers in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe?)