The Legend of Zelda series is returning in a big way in 2026, as Ocarina of Time is being remade for the Nintendo Switch 2. This means Nintendo finally has the chance to upgrade one of its most beloved games of all time, while also giving fans a title to fill the gap while they wait for the next mainline entry.
The Nintendo Switch 2 has been missing some of the company’s biggest names since launch, with Mario Kart World pretty much carrying the system in terms of first-party titles. Sure, there have been b-tier Nintendo franchises with games, like Donkey Kong and Yoshi, as well as spin-offs of popular series like Pokémon, but they’re just release filler. The Ocarina of Time remake is the type of game that people bought the Switch 2 for in the first place.
The Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time Returns In 2026
It was announced during the June 2026 Nintendo Direct that a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is launching in 2026, though it lacked any solid release date. This would have been one of the most hype reveals of all time, had it not been leaked months ago, with many fans expecting it to close out the show.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is one of the most highly-acclaimed video games of all time, being the first title to ever win a Perfect score in Famitsu magazine. It’s commonly cited as the greatest video game ever made, or at least it is by people who played it in the ’90s, and it’s incredible to see it return after all this time.
While there’s still no word regarding the next 3D mainline entry in the mainline Legend of Zelda series, a remake of Ocarina of Time is still a massive addition to the Nintendo Switch 2 library, with fans already hyped to play it, despite it only receiving a brief showing at the Nintendo Direct.
Ocarina Of Time Won’t Have An Easy Path To Success
While it’s easy to say that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is going to be a smash hit, it’s not as simple as just throwing the game in Unreal Engine 5 and calling it a day. Ocarina of Time launched on the Nintendo 64 back in 1998, and it shows. It’s not just the graphics in Ocarina of Time that are antiquated, but its controls also need reworking, as they were designed for the unconventional N64 controller.
Ocarina of Time also has a number of design flaws that need to be addressed, as it has some terrible dungeons, most notably the Water Temple. Thankfully, the Nintendo 3DS remaster of Ocarina of Time proved that Nintendo is willing to go back and improve old titles.
The other issue involving the Ocarina of Time remake is the graphics. The trailer only offered a brief glimpse at the younger version of Link’s new design, and it’s not good. To make an obscure reference, the new Link looks like the horrible animated characters in Arthur and the Minimoys, like some kind of product of the early days of CGI. Hopefully, the trailer was just an awkward angle, and the actual character model looks better.
The other big issue facing Ocarina of Time is the release window. There’s only six months of 2026 left, and if the game was really coming out in the next few months, Nintendo would have given a release date and would be promoting it already. The fact that the date was left off suggests that Ocarina of Time is launching in the holiday season, meaning it’s in the radius of Grand Theft Auto 6.
Even if Grand Theft Auto 6 is the worst game ever made, it will be the talk of the entire industry come November, and anything launching near it is going to be lost in the discourse. The Nintendo Switch 2 does need a big holiday season game, especially with the console’s price increase, but even the Hero of Time might struggle to stand up to the return to Vice City, and Link’s long-awaited return might be ruined by release dates.