How to fix ‘A communication error has occurred’ error in Splatoon 3

While jumping into a Turf War or Salmon Run match in the recently-released Splatoon 3, you may have received occasional errors when trying to connect to others. Oftentimes, you’ll be disconnected and the game will give you a message that reads, “A communication error has occurred.” It can be frustrating to receive this error when all you want to do is splat with your friends.

If you’re getting this error over and over, there are a few things you can do to try to fix it. We’ve compiled a complete list of ways to address the error, so read on for tips and tricks on how to find out what’s causing the communication error and what you can do in response.

Check your internet connection

The first thing to do if you’re being hit with repeated connection errors is to check your internet connection. If you’re playing on public Wi-Fi, like in a coffee shop or airport, it’s possible that the signal isn’t strong or fast enough to support the kind of connection that Splatoon 3 needs to foster multiplayer.

If you’re getting this error on your personal home Wi-Fi and you’ve never gotten it before, make sure your internet is up and running. You can run a speed test on a PC or mobile device that’s connected to the same wireless network as your Switch to see how fast your connection is. If something is wrong with your internet, its speed will be much slower than usual or even nonexistent. Make sure your Switch is connected to the correct network and is close enough to your router to foster a good connection. If your house has more than one network, you can try switching to a different one that has less traffic.

If the problem persists across all of your Wi-Fi-enabled devices, contact your ISP. You may have a wiring issue or another problem that requires a technician to fix.

Renew your Nintendo Online subscription

Like most internet-connected Switch games, Splatoon 3 requires players to have an active Nintendo Switch Online membership to participate in multiplayer matches, including Turf War and Anarchy Battles. Make sure your subscription hasn’t run out by mistake by visiting the Account section of the Nintendo website and checking your subscription status. If it did run out, you’ll need to renew it to play online.

Restart your game

Like many technical problems, Splatoon 3’s error messages can sometimes be solved by restarting the game. Thanks to its handy autosave function, you don’t need to worry about saving manually before restarting.

To restart the game, hit the home button on the controller you’re using. Once you’ve reached the Switch menu screen, press X to close the software you’re using. After confirming the close, select Splatoon 3 again and pick your desired profile. Doing so will relaunch the game from scratch, giving you a greater chance of success the next time you join a multiplayer match.

Wait

If your Nintendo Online subscription is active and everything else appears to be fine, the problem may not be on your end after all. Previous Splatoon titles were notorious for their frequency of connection errors thanks in part to the peer-to-peer Switch connection network they use to host multiplayer. Thanks to the influx of players joining up and splatting for the first time, it’s possible that Nintendo’s servers simply can’t handle all of that traffic at once. Things should get better in a few weeks when the traffic settles down, but until then, be patient and take the matches you can get.