Ranked Battle

For the similar mode in Splatoon 3, see Anarchy Battle.

Ranked Battle​

Ranked Battle

Face off in more competitive battles.^(NA)
Face off in a more competitive battle.^(EU/OC)

Type	Online multiplayer mode
Players	8 (4v4)
Ranked	Yes
Weapons	All
Controllers	Splatoon GamePad Splatoon 2 Joy-Cons Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
Release Date	Splatoon 2 June 2015 Splatoon 2 Launch

Ranked Battle is one of the multiplayer mode categories in Splatoon and Splatoon 2. Unlike Regular Battles, which only feature Turf Wars, Ranked Battles come in multiple different modes that cycle along with stages. Ranked Battles can last for up to five minutes, unlike the unchanging three-minute time limit in Turf Wars. Ranked Battles are accessible only once a player reaches level 10. Wins and losses in Ranked Battles are counted toward players' ranks, which are used for matchmaking in the mode. Squad Battles in Splatoon and League Battles in Splatoon 2 are variants of Ranked Battles that can be played with friends and a different ranking system. In Splatoon 3, Ranked Battles are replaced by the similar Anarchy Battles.

History

Splatoon

Retired.

This article or section describes content that may be partly or wholly inaccessible due to its removal or the discontinuation of online services.

Ranked Battle was released when a large amount of Splatoon players reached Level 10 on 2 June 2015. Ranks originally ranged from C- to A+. On 6 August 2015, version 2.0.0 increased the rank cap. Ranks then ranged from C- to S+.

Splatoon 2

Ranked Battles were available at launch with Splatoon 2, though players still must obtain Level 10 to play. All modes were kept from the previous games, with minor improvements made. Along with version 2.1.0 on 13 December 2017, a new mode called Clam Blitz was added. A new rank, Rank X, was added on 25 April 2018 with version 3.0.0.

List of ranked modes

Mode	Description	Release date (UTC)	Games
Splat Zones	Plays similarly to the King of the Hill mode from other video games. It revolves around a central "zone" or "zones", which players must attempt to cover in ink. Whoever retains the zone for a certain amount of time wins.	2 June 2015	✓	✓
Tower Control	A player must take control of a tower located in the center of a map and ride it towards the enemy base. The first team to get the tower to their enemy's base wins.	2 July 2015	✓	✓
Rainmaker	A player must grab and take the Rainmaker weapon to a pedestal near the enemy team's spawn point. The team who carries the Rainmaker furthest towards their respective pedestal wins.	15 August 2015	✓	✓
Clam Blitz	Players pick up clams scattered around the stage and try to score as many points as they can by throwing the clams in their respective goal.	13 December 2017		✓

Stage schedule

Splatoon

Stages rotate out every four hours along with the stages from Turf War, at 02:00, 06:00, 10:00, 14:00, 18:00, and 22:00 UTC. The change in stages is accompanied by an announcement from the Squid Sisters. This announcement also kicks all players out of the lobby after they finish their current match. The mode also rotates between Splat Zones, Tower Control, and Rainmaker at the same time.

Splatoon 2

Similar to Splatoon, Splatoon 2 features stage rotation every two hours, where Off the Hook gives an announcement when the stages and mode change. Players can also view the stage schedule from their smart device using SplatNet 2 on the Nintendo Switch Online app. However, since version 3.0.0, the stages chosen each come from a list of eight stages per Ranked Battle mode that change every month with the X Power reset.

Monthly rotations

The rotations in the last year since the stages were revamped have been being recycled, so here they are by month below:

Previous Ranked stages since 3.0.0

The rotations for a given month are the same month-on-month, as described above. However when a stage is newly released or changed, the rotation for the month also changes to show it off:

Audio

Main article: Music

Unlike in Regular Battles, the music in a Ranked Battle does not change to Now or Never! when there is one minute left.

Trivia

• Once a player's rank changes after a match, a message saying "RANK CHANGED! Re-enter the lobby to pit your skills against players closer to you on rank!" appears and the player is forced to exit.
• Certain stages had stopped appearing in the stage rotation pool for Ranked Battles, as well as other online modes featuring Ranked modes. However, these stages are still playable in Private Battles.
  • In Splatoon, data spanning from August 2015 - December 2016 shows the following stages had not appeared in those modes for a long period:
    • Saltspray Rig Tower Control (October 2015 - November 2016) and Rainmaker (October 2015 - November 2015, February 2016 - December 2016)
    • Blackbelly Skatepark Rainmaker (October 2015 - December 2015, February 2016 - November 2016)
    • Piranha Pit Rainmaker (February 2016 - December 2016)
    • Port Mackerel Tower Control (October 2015 - November 2016)
• There was a scrapped Ranked mode, 8-Ball. Much like in the Octo Expansion, teams would shoot a ball and try to get into the enemy's goal.
  • It also seems that extra walls and ramps were added, to prevent the ball from falling off the stage.
• In Splatoon 2, a player's weapon will shine at the beginning of a Ranked Battle if they are on a winning streak.

Gallery

Splatoon

• 

  Selecting Ranked Battle in the lobby pre-version 2.0.0.

• 

  Selecting Ranked Battle in the lobby.

• 

  Judd declaring a knockout win for a Ranked Battle. (Click to animate)

• 

  An early screenshot of receiving Battle Points after a Ranked Battle.

• 

  Splat Zones at Saltspray Rig.

• 

  Tower Control at Urchin Underpass.

• 

  An Inkling carrying the Rainmaker at Hammerhead Bridge.

• 

  The Rainmaker charging up.

• 

  The Rainmaker firing.

• 

  Ranked Battle logo.

• 

  Ranked Battle logo in the lobby.

• 

  Alternate version of the logo used on a KOG-brand badge.

• 

  A symbol used in SplatNet.

Splatoon 2

• 

  Splat Zones at Moray Towers.

• 

  Rainmaker at The Reef.

• 

  Tower Control Starfish Mainstage.

• 

  The result screen after winning with a knockout.

• 

  SplatNet 2 icon

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  Video of a rank meter being cracked for the fourth time. (link to file)

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ガチマッチ Gachi Matchi	Competitive Match
Dutch	Profgevecht (Splatoon 2) Ranglijstgevecht (Splatoon)	Pro battle Ranking list battle
French	Match pro	Pro Match
German	Rangkampf	Rank battle
Italian	Partita pro	Pro Match
Russian	Бой элиты Boy elity	Elite battle
Spanish	Combate competitivo	Competitive Combat
Portuguese	Batalha competitiva	Competitive battle