Overview

Four (4) starting players per team.
- Format: Best of Five (Bo5)
- For more details, review the Splatoon™ 3 Rulebook.
Join the lobby within the 30-minute grace period.
Communicate via Match Lobby Chat.
Home Teams will create private matches and send invitations.
Spectators should be removed unless approved per Section 7.7 of the High School Competition Rulebook..
In the event of any issues, finish the current game, then notify PlayVS Support for further assistance.

IT Steps: Day of Match (at least 1 hour before)

PlayVS Tip: Give your season schedule to the IT department so they know when you are competing!

Log into their PlayVS account.
Locate your matchup, and click “Open Match”.
- If you see “Opponent TBD” your team will need to Join the Match Queue.
- Once paired up, continue to Step 3.
- PlayVS Tip: Say hi to your opponent in PlayVS Lobby Chat!
Click Ready Up.
Click Start.
Confirm the correct starters are listed with accounts connected, and click “Confirm Roster”.
View your Opponent’s Roster, and click “Confirm”.
Once you reach Prepare for Game 1.
- Home Team move to Create the Custom Room.
- Away Team move to Join the Custom Room.

Have the Team Captain add all teammates and opponents as Friends
- For more information on adding friends on the Nintendo Switch, refer to Nintendo’s supports guide here.
- Note: Players must be added as friends before proceeding.
Open Splatoon™ 3.
From Splatsville, press “X” to open the Main Menu.
Select Lobby.
Once in the Lobby, press the “L” button and select Private Battle.
Press “Y” to Create a Room.
Press “Y” again to set a 4-Digit Password.
Share the password in PlayVS Lobby Chat.
Once created and shared, hold “Y” to broadcast your room for all participants to join.
Ensure the following settings are configured as follows:
- Recon On/Off: OFF (Default)
- Press X to confirm Primary Gear Abilities Onlys: OFF

Open Splatoon™ 3.
From Splatsville, press “X” to open the Main Menu.
Select Lobby.
Once in the Lobby, press the “L” button and select Private Battle.
Wait for the pop-up notification to join the room, or select Friend who owns the Lobby.

Important: By default, rulebooks overrule game day protocols. Please reach out to support if you find conflicting information.

Open Splatoon™ 3.
From Splatsville, press “X” to open the Main Menu.
Select Lobby.
Once in the Lobby, press the “L” button and select Private Battle.
Wait for the pop-up notification to join the room, or select Friend who owns the Lobby.

Once all players have joined the Room, use Lobby Chat to perform Stage Selection
- For more information on the stage selection process, refer to Rulebook Section 1.5 Stage Selection.
- Note: At all times, the Room Owner must ensure the correct game mode & stage is selected for the round.
The Room owner will use directional inputs to:
- Select Game Mode.
- Select Stage.
- Click “All Set”.
- Confirm each player is on the correct team (Either Alpha or Bravo).
- Click “Looks Good!”.
All players will have 90 seconds to Ready Up.
- Players can press “+” to equip their preferred fit.
- Anything a player has unlocked may be used except for Splatfest Tees, which are prohibited and their use can result in an automatic loss for the game.
- If a player disconnection occurs, refer to section 3.4.2 Game Disconnection in the Splatoon™ 3 Rulebook.
For Games 2 and onward, repeat the Match Protocol steps until the match is complete.
If you need to substitute a player, notify your opponent and use the Substitution Protocol between games to update the roster.

A member from each team must click Change Roster
Confirm that you need to reset the game
Once reset, teams can make roster changes and continue from Setting up a Match Step 5.

Note: This feature will skip the Hearthstone match assistant. Player capabilities will be limited, and results must be reported manually.

After both teams agree to the final game's result using the PlayVS Match Assistant, the match will complete and results will be recorded.
Take in-game screenshots at the end of each game for your records.
If the Match Assistant is skipped, coaches are responsible for verifying that results have been reported manually
Matches without results will be quarantined, and risk a match loss for both teams by default.
If results are not accurate, then contact PlayVS Support for further assistance.