The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is out today, 5 November 2026, rebuilt from the ground up for Nintendo Switch 2. The short version: it costs $59.99 digital or $69.99 physical, it runs only on Switch 2, and a day-one patch is already live. If you preordered digitally, the game should unlock at midnight Eastern Time, and if you are still deciding between the two editions, the price gap is smaller than the box suggests.
When can you actually play it?
Nintendo’s own store listing gives the date, 5 November, but no exact hour for the US eShop. Under Nintendo’s general rule for pre-purchased games, a digital preorder becomes playable at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on release day, which is 9:01 p.m. Pacific on Wednesday 4 November. That is general policy, not a game-specific timetable, so check your console if the timing looks off.
Preloading was available ahead of launch, and there is one thing to install before you start. Nintendo pushed version 1.1.1 on 4 November, a patch of about 343 MB that moves the preload build from 1.0.0 to 1.1.1, according to Nintendo Life. Its two changes are support for Zelda Notes, the companion service inside the Nintendo Switch App, and unspecified stability fixes. After the patch, the installed size is 24.8 GB on the console, per Nintendo Life’s check of the manage-software screen. The US eShop estimate had been about 27 GB, so the patched install lands a little under that estimate.
What does it cost, and which version should you buy?
The US prices are straightforward: $59.99 for the digital edition on the eShop and $69.99 for the physical edition, according to Nintendo Wire’s launch guide and Insert Future’s price roundup. Buying digitally before 23 November at 11:59 p.m. Pacific adds a Zelda 40th Anniversary digital wallpaper. Buying physically gets you the first-print textured foil cover while supplies last.
The wrinkle is the retailer discount. Nintendo Wire reported that Amazon and Walmart cut the physical edition from $69.99 to $59.99 during the preorder window, and its 4 November launch guide said Walmart was still offering the foil-cover edition at $59.99 while Amazon’s foil-cover preorders had sold out, with Amazon’s standard-cover edition due from 5 November. IGN’s tracking showed slightly different figures, $59.88 at Amazon and $59.98 at Walmart. Neither retailer confirmed when the discount ends, so treat $59.99 as a pre-launch retailer price and confirm the checkout total before you pay. The $69.99 figure remains the physical list price, not a guaranteed price at every retailer after launch.
One calculation of ours is worth keeping in mind: the $10 gap between physical and digital is 16.7 percent on top of the digital price, and the $10 retailer cut erases that premium exactly. While the discount lasts, the physical edition costs the same as digital, and you keep the foil cover and a cartridge. IGN also reports that the physical edition ships on a full cartridge rather than a game-key card, though Nintendo’s own product page does not specify the format, so that detail rests on IGN’s reporting rather than Nintendo’s listing.
Do not confuse the game with the console. The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition Switch 2 costs $519.99, launched on 29 October, and does not include the game, according to Nintendo Wire’s launch guide. The console is sold out at major retailers. If you missed it, restocks were reported for launch week: Best Buy in select stores at midnight Eastern on 5 November, in-store only and in limited quantities, and Target in-store on 5 November with online stock on 6 November. Availability varies by store.
What is actually new in the remake?
This is a ground-up remake of the 1998 Nintendo 64 game, not a port, and the changes cluster around presentation and control. Cutscenes are fully voiced with expanded dialogue, the score is recorded by a symphony orchestra, and the camera is now a free-roaming right-stick control. Link gets dedicated jump and dash buttons, and ranged tools like the bow can be aimed with buttons or motion controls, according to hands-on previews. It is single player, it plays in TV, tabletop, and handheld modes, and it carries an Everyone 10+ rating for Animated Blood and Fantasy Violence.
The most talked-about addition is the microphone. Once Link learns a melody, you can hum it into the Switch 2 microphone, or play a real instrument into it, and the game responds. Button input still works for every song, so the microphone is an option, not a requirement. Two ocarina products are planned for later in the year, a playable model and an electric model from HORI, and neither is needed to finish the game.
Two companion features round it out. Threads of Time is a menu feature that recaps your story progress, points to your next objective, and fills in an in-game tapestry as you play. Zelda Notes, inside the Nintendo Switch App, keeps a daily record of what you did, runs a quiz of more than 2,000 questions, and lets you compose and share your own ocarina melodies. It runs inside the Nintendo Switch App, needs a Nintendo Account and internet, and needs no Nintendo Switch Online membership.
What are critics saying so far?
The first review score came from Japan. Famitsu awarded the remake 37 out of 40, from four reviewers scoring 9, 9, 9, and 10. The panel praised the smooth camera, the improved controls, and the rebuilt graphics, and its main reservation was that the game feels relatively simple compared with many modern titles, with moments where players may be unsure what to do next. For context, the 1998 original was the first game Famitsu ever scored a perfect 40 out of 40, and the 2011 Nintendo 3DS version also scored 37 out of 40.
Wider reviews landed on 4 November. Windows Report, citing GamesRadar, puts the Metacritic score at 96 from 80 critic reviews, as a 4 November snapshot. The consistent caveats in that coverage are narrow: Nintendo Life’s 9 out of 10 review calls it a very safe remake, notes there is no Master Quest and no hard mode, and flags a single manual save slot alongside autosaves plus a resolution drop in handheld mode. Treat the Metacritic figure as reported, since it moves as reviews are added.
What should you check before you buy?
First, the console. This is a Switch 2 exclusive, and it will not run on an original Switch, Switch OLED, or Switch Lite. Second, storage. Our calculation: the 24.8 GB installed size is about 9.7 percent of the Switch 2’s 256 GB of internal storage, so the game fits comfortably but still takes roughly a tenth of the built-in space before anything else is downloaded. Third, the edition. Digital is the cheapest certain price at $59.99, physical is $69.99 at list but matched digital while the retailer discount lasted, and the foil cover is a first-print bonus, not a permanent edition. Fourth, the extras. Zelda Notes needs no paid membership, the microphone is optional, and the wallpaper bonus ends on 23 November. Check those four things and there is no surprise left.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Ocarina of Time remake on the original Switch?
No. It is exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2, and there is no version for the original Switch, Switch OLED, or Switch Lite.
How much does the Ocarina of Time remake cost?
$59.99 digital on the eShop and $69.99 physical at list price. Amazon and Walmart cut the physical edition to $59.99 during the preorder window, but that discount may not survive launch day.
How big is the download?
Nintendo’s US listing estimated about 27 GB. After the 1.1.1 day-one patch, Nintendo Life measured the installed size at 24.8 GB.
Does the physical edition include the full game on the cartridge?
IGN reports that it ships on a full cartridge rather than a game-key card. Nintendo’s own product page does not specify the format.
Does the Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition Switch 2 include the game?
No. The $519.99 console is hardware only, and the remake is a separate purchase.
