However, that hasn’t stopped the community from finding a way to play. If you want to play Splatoon 1 on your PC, your only real option is Cemu —the legendary Wii U emulator. When set up correctly, Cemu runs Splatoon 1 better than the original hardware did.
Posted by InklingArchive | April 14, 2026
Have you set up Splatoon 1 on Cemu? What’s your FPS record? Let us know in the comments below.
If you’ve been searching for you’re probably feeling a mix of nostalgia and frustration. The original Splatoon on the Wii U was a chaotic, colorful masterpiece. But in 2026, dragging out a Wii U GamePad just isn’t practical for most of us.
Not as a native PC port. But the longer answer is much more interesting. No Official PC Port (And Why That’s Okay) First, let’s be clear: Nintendo has never released Splatoon 1 for PC, and they likely never will. There is no “Splatoon 1.exe” you can buy on Steam or the Epic Games Store.
So, can you actually play the first Inkopolis Turf War on your gaming laptop or desktop?
You can play Splatoon 1 on PC today—just not the way most search results want you to believe. Grab a copy of Cemu, dump your old Wii U disc, and join the Pretendo revival. The ink is still fresh.