As of December 31, 2022[update], Splatoon 2 had sold over 13.6 million copies worldwide, selling more than twice as many as its predecessor and making it one of the best-selling Switch games.

Splatoon 2 also maintains the first game's rotation of Splat Zones, Tower Control and Rainmaker for Ranked Battles, which is unlocked when players reach level ten, while also adding a new Clam Blitz mode.

In addition, there were two collaborations during these Splatfests: Nickelodeon's Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Super Smash Bros.

[13] Splatfest themes were usually announced two weeks in advance, and players were given the ability to choose their team in the game's lobby.

[20] The game features a single-player campaign called Hero Mode, in which the player rescues captured Zapfish across various levels while fighting off evil Octarians.

In addition to Sunken Scrolls that unlock artwork and in-game lore, players can collect Power Orbs to upgrade their Hero Mode weapons, and tickets that can be exchanged for temporary reward boosts in multiplayer battles, such as increased experience to level up quicker or more in-game money.

The game supports amiibo figures, which allow players to store their character's custom look and unlock additional content.

After leaving Inkopolis to see her parents, Marie returns home to discover that the Great Zapfish that powers the city has gone missing again, as has Callie.

With the Great Zapfish safely returned to Inkopolis and DJ Octavio defeated, the Squid Sisters happily reunite and resume their music career.

[31] New Amiibo figures of new Inkling Girl, Boy and Squid designs from Splatoon 2 were released alongside the game.

[43] Its unanticipated appearance led to speculation by the media and public over whether or not the footage shown was that from a port of Splatoon or a sequel.

[49] Splatoon 2 was officially unveiled to the public during the Nintendo Switch reveal presentation held in Tokyo on January 13, 2017, where it was announced for release in Q2/Q3 2017.

[53] Similarly to the first game, Splatoon 2 features Splatfest events that include crossovers with other brands, both from other Nintendo properties such as Super Smash Bros.

Ultimate[54] and third-party franchises including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,[55] McDonald's,[56] Uniqlo,[57] Nike,[58] Sanrio,[59] Meiji,[60] and Pocky.

[61] A manga series based on the game and illustrated by Sankichi Hinodeya began serialization in Shogakukan's CoroCoro Comic magazine in May 2017.

[74][76] The Verge blamed the lack of a built-in voice chat feature and ease of viewing the map for taking away from the multiplayer experience, yet still calling the game an improvement over the original.

[84] GameSpot cited Splatoon 2 as "a fresh take on the already unique shooter" but pointed out that using a mobile app for voice communication made multiplayer more complicated than it needed to be.

[90][91] Splatoon 2 debuted second on the UK software sales chart in its launch week, behind Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy.

[96] As of December 31, 2022[update], Splatoon 2 had sold over 13.60 million copies worldwide, selling twice as much as its predecessor, and making it one of the best-selling Switch games.