It’s the remake Nintendo fans have waited decades for. During The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct on September 8, series producer Eiji Aonuma played the Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time live on air — and confirmed it launches November 5, 2026, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2.
Every Change in the Remake
The remake dramatically updates the 1998 classic’s polygonal look with a stylized-realism visual style, but the changes go far beyond graphics. Aonuma’s walkthrough — through Kakariko Village, Hyrule Field and Hyrule Castle Town, with appearances from Saria and Mido — revealed:
- Free jumping and the ability to roll into a sprint
- Motion-controlled aiming and full camera control
- Improved quick-item selection for faster play
- Fully voiced characters in cinematics — everyone except Link
- Threads of Time, a new feature that displays your current objective and story milestones
- An ocarina you can play by humming into the Switch 2’s microphone — or even by playing real instruments into it
A second, more traditional trailer showed off adult Link, dungeons like the Water Temple, and additional characters from Link’s journey.
Price and Editions
The digital version costs $59.99, while the physical edition ships in a case with special textured foil cover art. A Young Link/Zelda amiibo arrives in 2027, unlocking new in-game masks when scanned.
Zelda Notes Gets Ocarina Features
The Zelda Notes mobile companion app will support the remake with Gossip Quests, a Play Ocarina mode that turns your phone into a digital ocarina complete with QR-code score sharing, and a daily quiz featuring more than 2,000 questions about the game.
The Rest of the 40th Anniversary Direct
- The Zelda movie — officially titled The Legend of Zelda, telling an original story drawn from the series, with Shigeru Miyamoto and the Zelda development team involved; future updates land first on the Nintendo Today app
- 40th Anniversary Switch 2 console and dock — October 29, alongside a themed Pro Controller and carrying case
- 40th Anniversary Concert — touring Tokyo from January, with a North American leg kicking off in Chicago in February and European and Australian dates planned
- Nintendo Museum — limited-time anniversary tickets from September 9, plus a Master Sword photo-op from November 5
- New merchandise including a playable ocarina, a Link & Epona Lego set and a Hasbro Heroes of Hyrule figure collection
November’s Heavyweight Collision
November 5 puts the remake just two weeks before Grand Theft Auto VI — anticipated to be the biggest game launch of the year. Nintendo seems happy to share the month: few games carry the cachet of Ocarina of Time, still regularly cited as one of the greatest games ever made.