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Ocarina of Time Remake on Switch 2: Release Date, Price and What Changes

Nintendo confirmed a November 5 release for the Ocarina of Time remake, with a new camera, button-based jumping, dashing, and the ability to play the ocarina by humming.

Gaming
Geraldo Cruz
· 3 min read
Link on the left with Zelda Ocarina of Time on the right
Image Credit: Nintendo
Updated October 9, 2026

Originally published September 7, 2026: this article was written before the Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct. It has been rewritten with the release date, prices and gameplay details that Nintendo has since confirmed.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches on November 5, 2026, for Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo showed the remake in detail during its Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct on September 8, where series producer Eiji Aonuma demonstrated sections from the beginning of the game and described what has changed.

Release date, platform and price

The remake was announced in June as a Switch 2 game, and the Direct set the date at November 5. The Direct itself did not mention prices. U.S. listings put the game at US$59.99 for the digital version and US$69.99 for the physical one, according to reports on the pre-orders. In Japan, Nintendo prices it at 7,980 yen digital and 8,980 yen packaged, per Jiji Press. Check the Nintendo Store in your region, since prices vary. Nintendo Store

The two new Young Link and Young Zelda amiibo, which unlock special masks, are planned for 2027, after launch.

The Switch 2 Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition console does not include the game. We cover it in our article on the console.

What changes from the Nintendo 64 original

Nintendo describes the remake as a faithful reinterpretation with modern technology, not a reinvention. Aonuma’s demo covered these changes:

  • Modern item controls. Items swap with a single button, and the slingshot can be aimed with motion controls.

  • New visuals. Link, his clothes and his equipment were redesigned, with more material detail, but Nintendo says it aimed to evoke nostalgia for the original rather than go for realism.

  • Free camera. You can rotate the camera with the second stick, something the single-stick Nintendo 64 controller could not do. In Hyrule Castle Town, where the original fixed the view, you can now look around.

  • Button jump and dash. Link can now jump at the press of a button. Holding the roll button now turns into a dash, handy in Hyrule Field.

  • Threads of Time. A new menu shows your story progress and next objective, and a large tapestry fills in as you advance.

  • Time keeps moving in town. In the original, time stopped in Hyrule Castle Town. Here, day turns to evening wherever you are.

  • More dialogue and voice acting. Nintendo added lines to give characters more personality, and the cutscenes are fully voiced.

Nintendo also kept some things on purpose. The loading screens between areas stay, to preserve the feel of the original.

zelda ocarina of time
Image Credit: Nintendo

Humming the ocarina

The ocarina is the feature that uses Switch 2 hardware. In the demo, Aonuma hummed a melody and Link played it. The game can also respond to a real instrument: Nintendo showed a replica ocarina, planned for the Nintendo Store, triggering a song in the game.

ZELDA NOTES

The remake supports ZELDA NOTES, the companion service in the Nintendo Switch App. It includes a daily record of your play session, photo-based Gossip Quests, an ocarina you can play on your phone, and a quiz with more than 2,000 questions.

Languages, rating and features.

The Nintendo Store listing includes 16 language options and the ESRB content descriptors “Animated Blood” and “Fantasy Violence.” Save data can be stored in the cloud with Nintendo Switch Online, the game supports handheld, TV and tabletop modes, and on compatible TVs it supports HDR and VRR. Tapping any Zelda amiibo gives in-game extras.

What Nintendo has not said

The Direct did not specify the game’s frame rate or rendering resolution, so there is nothing to confirm yet about performance.

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