Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake on Switch 2: everything we know before the release

99 on Metacritic. Twenty-eight years of existence. And a 45-second trailer that was enough to put the internet in PLS. Nintendo Direct on June 9, 2026 saved the best for last: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time comes back in the form of a remake, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2.

We were expecting it. Nate the Hate's leaks had already spilled the beans a few weeks ago - the same one who had hit the mark on the new Star Fox. But between a rumor and Nintendo's official confirmation, there's a world of difference. And that world, we crossed it on Tuesday evening watching a young Link asleep being awakened by the most famous "Hey, Listen!" in video games.

No specific date for now — just a "2026" displayed at the end of the trailer. But the clues point to a release during the holidays. We dissect everything.

Let's be honest: the teaser shows almost nothing. And it's clearly intentional. Nintendo is playing the nostalgia card to the fullest, and it works.

We start with a ancestral tapestry evoking the prophecies of Hyrule — slow plans, solemn music, mystical atmosphere. Then the camera stops on a young Link asleep , before Navi's voice wakes him up. No gameplay. No galloping Epona. Not a single sword strike. Just the essentials: raw emotion.

But what little we see is already telling. The graphic rendering leans towards a semi-realistic style which contrasts with the "painting" artistic direction of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Gamekult speaks of a "strange impression of UE5 remake" — it's not wrong. Light reflects in Link's hair, textures have grain. Nintendo seems to want to get closer to what the original game was trying to do in 1998, with the means of 2026.

And it's a strong choice. Because the cel-shading of Wind Waker, or the watercolor style of BotW, it was magnificent — but Ocarina of Time, at the time, was the game that wanted to be "realistic". This remake seems to embrace this legacy.

For the youngest newcomers (or those in need of a refresher): Ocarina of Time is the game that laid the foundations for 3D action-adventure. Released in November 1998 on Nintendo 64 , he literally invented Z-targeting, 3D puzzle dungeons, and this open-but-guided structure that everyone copied for 15 years.

The Metacritic score of 99/100, it's not an accident. It's the almost unanimous consensus of a generation of players and critics who understood that they had something special in their hands.

In 2011 , Grezzo has released Ocarina of Time 3D on Nintendo 3DS — a solid remaster with reworked graphics, gyroscope aiming, touchscreen inventory, and the Master Quest as a bonus. Good version, but it remained within the scope of a facelift. Not a redesign.

And then there was the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, which allowed you to replay the original N64 version via the emulator. Correct, nothing more. There, Nintendo announces outright a remake from scratch — and that changes everything.

Nintendo only provided a window: 2026 . Point. No month, no day. But we can connect the dots quite easily.

First, the original game was released in November 1998. It would be a nice touch to aim for the same period. Then, the month of October is already locked by a certain GTA VI who will attract all the media attention - not the kind of neighborhood Nintendo is looking for. September, it's too early given the little hardware shown. Summer? Neither - the Switch 2 catalog is still young, Nintendo will want a big title for the holidays.

Probable result: November or December 2026 . Battery for Christmas. Battery for the 40th anniversary of the Zelda franchise (the first game dates back to February 1986 in Japan). And battery to give an additional reason to crack for the Switch 2 to those who are still hesitating.

On the price side, nothing official. Some pre-order sites display listings at 59,99 EUR (strikethrough price 79.99 EUR), but take it with a grain of salt — it could be a placeholder. Given that first-party Switch games are around 60-70 EUR, we should be in that range.

A remake of OoT is a balancing act. Too faithful, and you wonder why not just replay the original. Too different, and you get hit by 28 years of nostalgia's anger.

• The integrated Master Quest — the mirrored version with the remixed dungeons, it's the bare minimum to justify a remake
• Modern QoL - iron boots in a dedicated menu (not in the equipment inventory like in 1998), improved fast travel, and please, a redesigned Water Temple navigation
• Original: Du contenu inédit Translated: Unpublished content — additional side quests, new areas to explore, something that even surprises veterans
• A living Hyrule — the bustling citadel market full of NPCs, the Hyrule plain that no longer looks like a wasteland, the Gerudos that have depth

The "realistic" style seen in the trailer. Not that it's ugly — far from it. But there's a risk of falling into the generic remake style of Unreal Engine that everyone has been doing for 5 years. Ocarina of Time had a strong visual identity despite its 20 polygons per character. Let's not lose that along the way.

And the other question: will we have gameplay before the release, or will Nintendo do what Nintendo does and keep everything secret until the last moment? Given the little shown in the Direct, we lean towards the second option.

The Switch 2 was released a few months ago and its catalog is still a bit thin — a lot of cross-gen ports, quite a few "enhanced editions" of Switch 1 games. It lacked the killer app that says "buy this console."

Zelda OoT Remake, that's exactly it. The highest-rated game of all time, remade for Nintendo's new console. Combine that with Star Fox which just came out and the rest of the Direct announcements (Kingdom Hearts 4, Xenoblade Genesis, Splatoon Raiders), and the Switch 2 is finally starting to have a lineup that justifies its price of 449 EUR .

And strategically, it's clever on Nintendo's part. Releasing the remake for the holidays is attacking the period when people buy consoles as gifts. With GTA VI set to be released in October on PlayStation and Xbox, Nintendo doesn't even have to fight on the same ground — they are targeting a different audience, with an emotional argument that Rockstar cannot replicate.

Nintendo has confirmed a release in 2026, without a specific date. According to clues and context (40th anniversary, holiday season, busy schedule in October), a release in November or December 2026 is the most likely.

No. Nintendo has explicitly announced the game as exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2 It's a selling point for the new console, not a cross-gen port.

One complete remake The trailer shows a completely new, semi-realistic graphic style, which has nothing to do with a simple upscale of the N64 or 3DS version. Nintendo uses the word "reborn" in its official communication.

No official price at the moment. Unconfirmed pre-orders show 59.99 EUR. Switch 2 first-party games are around 60-70 EUR, so that's the likely range.

Nintendo has not communicated a specific developer. Grezzo (who did the 3DS remaster in 2011) is a logical candidate, but forum rumors also mention Nintendo EPD internally, or even Monolith Soft in support. Nothing confirmed.

Unconfirmed. The Master Quest (alternative version with remixed dungeons) was present in the 3DS version. It would be surprising if it is not in the remake, but Nintendo has not yet talked about it.