2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda franchise, and while the upcoming Ocarina of Time remake is likely to be the biggest release this year, Nintendo has more in store for fans. A gorgeous Zelda artbook filled with original art and new lore is arriving this October.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Secrets of the Zonai is a stunning collection featuring brand-new artwork inspired by Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The hardcover book is 424 pages, and it looks like it will expand on the Zelda franchise in fascinating ways.
The Zelda Sequel to Tears of the Kingdom is Finally Here
Set to release this October, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Secrets of the Zonai serves as the perfect sequel to 2023’s Tears of the Kingdom and the Breath of the Wild era of Zelda as a whole. The book includes around 300 pages of behind-the-scenes sketches, notes and concept art used in the development and creation of both games.
Secrets of the Zonai will also include 50 pages of new character art and illustrations, along with 80 pages of lore designed to expand on Hyrule’s history. This section of the book is specifically focused on the events leading up to Breath of the Wild and the history of the Zonai.
So much more than just a simple cash-in, Zelda superstars Eiji Aonuma, Hidemaro Fujibayashi, and Satoru Takizawa are all directly contributing to the content of this massive book. Fans who care a great deal about the lore of the franchise can rest easy knowing all the new information they’re about to receive is definitely canon.
Currently, it’s unknown if the timeline that began with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will continue, or if the Switch 2 will be taking the franchise in either its own original direction or one inspired by the upcoming movie. Assuming the Ocarina of Time remake is real, it will still be quite some time before gamers even get to find this out.
If there aren’t any more games set to be released in this setting, however, then The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Secrets of the Zonai is even more important. In those circumstances, it is the cap to not just the two biggest mainline Zelda games ever, but two of the most lore-heavy spin-offs in the franchise as well.