Nintendo gave us our first extensive look at gameplay from the Ocarina of Time remake during the Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct. I watched the entire presentation and rounded up all the confirmed details on the release date, price, download size, and changes.
With The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Nintendo is bringing back one of the most influential games of all time as a full remake. Bad news for original Switch owners: Link will be playing his ocarina exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2. The first-generation console is being left behind.
Series producer Eiji Aonuma led viewers through Kokiri Forest, Hyrule Field, and Hyrule Castle Town during an approximately 15-minute gameplay demonstration in the Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct. A subsequent edited trailer also showed later sections of the game featuring adult Link. I’ve rounded up all the confirmed details for you below.
When Is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Coming Out?
Nintendo is once again doing things its own way and apparently isn’t even worried about what could be the biggest entertainment launch of all time: GTA 6. While almost every other publisher is steering clear of November, Miyamoto and company aren’t backing down. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches on November 5, 2026, exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2. There is no early access period tied to a more expensive edition.
Zelda: Ocarina of Time Pre-Orders – Price and Editions
The digital version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time costs $59.99. Retailers are currently charging $69.99 for the physical edition. The first physical print run comes in special packaging with textured foil artwork. Nintendo has not announced a Collector’s Edition so far.
Where to Pre-Order Zelda: Ocarina of Time
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Download Size and Preload
The remake is estimated to have a download size of around 27 GB, which is fairly modest for a modern remake. HDR is supported. Nintendo has not yet announced an official preload date. If a pre-download is confirmed, we’ll update this article accordingly. Given the relatively small file size, however, downloading the game shouldn’t be much of an issue even without a preload.
What Exactly Is New in the Ocarina of Time Remake?
Nintendo describes the project as being “built from the ground up” for Switch 2. However, the new Ocarina of Time isn’t a radical reimagining along the lines of Final Fantasy VII Remake. Nintendo is aiming for a faithful interpretation powered by modern technology. The familiar geography, story, and progression remain clearly recognizable. Most of the changes instead affect how players interact with the game.
Completely Rebuilt Graphics
Nintendo has rebuilt the character models, environments, materials, and lighting from scratch. The developers emphasize that even individual materials such as fabric, wood, and leaves now feature significantly more detail. Rather than pursuing photorealism, however, the team is deliberately using a stylized look inspired by the original artwork.
Manual Jumping and Sprinting
In the N64 original, Link automatically jumped when he reached a ledge. In the remake, you can jump freely at the press of a button for the first time. There’s also a sprint that can be triggered directly out of a roll. Swimming controls have been reworked as well, allowing Link to move through the water faster and dive.
Free Camera Control
You can freely move the camera with the right stick and lock on to enemies. When aiming weapons such as the slingshot, optional motion controls are also available.
Quick Item Selection
Instead of constantly opening the menu, the remake lets you cycle through items at the press of a button, similar to modern Zelda games such as Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. This should significantly improve the flow of the game, especially when using frequently needed items and exploring later dungeons.
Fully Voiced Cutscenes
For the first time, the cutscenes are fully voiced. Nintendo has also expanded the dialogue, giving familiar characters noticeably more personality. Don’t expect every conversation to feature voice acting, though. The presentation showed plenty of NPC interactions using the classic text boxes.
New Orchestral Soundtrack
Nintendo has rerecorded the soundtrack with a full symphonic orchestra. The sound effects have also been reworked. For a game whose music has been permanently etched into fans’ memories for decades, that’s a particularly significant change.
Continuous Day-Night Cycle
In the original, the time of day was frozen in certain areas such as towns. In the remake, the cycle continues everywhere. Since numerous events and NPCs in Ocarina of Time depend on the time of day, this could also have a noticeable impact on gameplay.
Threads of Time
A new menu lets you check your story progress and next objective at any time. Your journey is also visualized on a tapestry that gradually fills in as you progress. In other words, you get a helpful reminder of where to go next without permanent objective markers cluttering the screen.
Expanded Locations
Hyrule Castle Town is a good example of Nintendo’s new approach. In the original, the marketplace largely consisted of fixed camera angles and static backdrops. In the remake, it’s a fully modeled 3D environment with a freely controllable camera, additional alleys, and much livelier NPCs. The familiar geography remains intact, but locations that Nintendo could only suggest within the technical limitations of 1998 are now presented as fully realized, detailed spaces.
Loading Transitions Are Staying
Nintendo isn’t turning Hyrule into one seamless open world. Loading screens will still appear between larger areas. Project lead Aonuma explained that the decision was made to preserve the structure of the original game. That doesn’t make much sense to me. I doubt anyone would have missed the black screens.
The Ocarina Uses the Switch 2 Microphone
Once you’ve learned a melody, you can play it not only with the traditional button controls but also by humming into the Switch 2’s built-in microphone. If the game recognizes the melody, Link plays it on his ocarina. The feature even works with real instruments. Nintendo is releasing a playable ocarina specifically for this purpose, while Hori is launching an electronic version as well. Aonuma demonstrated the feature using Epona’s Song, among other melodies.
Zelda Notes and amiibo
The Nintendo Switch App ties into the game through “Zelda Notes.” The feature tracks your progress and achievements, automatically captures screenshots, and challenges players to locate specific places using reference images. There’s also a virtual ocarina that lets you create your own melodies and share them via QR code, plus a quiz featuring more than 2,000 questions. All previously released Zelda amiibo are expected to unlock in-game bonuses. Nintendo also announced new Young Link and Young Zelda amiibo for 2027 that unlock special masks featuring a retro graphical style.
What Nintendo Hasn’t Confirmed
Several claims have been circulating since the Direct that I haven’t been able to verify. Nintendo has confirmed neither the resolution nor the frame rate. The fact that the company uploaded the video to YouTube at 60 fps does not confirm the game’s actual rendering frame rate.
There has also been no confirmation of completely redesigned dungeons, new dungeons, a new story, physics-based puzzles, dynamic weather, or a seamless open world.
Nintendo also hasn’t named the official developer. A retailer listing that briefly named Monolith Soft has since been removed and remains an unconfirmed rumor.
