Ocarina of Time Remake Launches on Switch 2: Price, Features and Trailer
Nintendo's full remake of Ocarina of Time launches today on Switch 2, with voice acting, orchestral music, a microphone-driven ocarina and a new boss museum.
Link rides across Hyrule Field in the Nintendo Switch 2 remake, which rebuilds Ocarina of Time's world from the ground up. Image: Nintendo.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches today, November 5, 2026, as a full remake built exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo did not just upscale the 1998 original. The studio rebuilt the game from the ground up and leaned on hardware the older Switch does not have, including a microphone that listens to you hum or play an instrument and a camera you can finally point wherever you want. It will not run on the original Switch.
What the remake actually changes
This is not a straight remaster. According to Nintendo's own product page, every cutscene now has full voice acting with expanded dialogue, the score has been re-recorded with a live orchestra in place of the N64's MIDI soundtrack, and the camera is free to move instead of locking behind Link. Combat picks up a manual jump and a dedicated dash, neither of which existed in the 1998 release. Ranged weapons like the Fairy Bow and the Hookshot can be aimed with the control stick or with motion controls, and you choose which in the options menu. The full install is 24.9 GB.
Playing the ocarina with your own voice
The headline feature uses the Switch 2's microphone directly. Hum a melody, whistle it, or play it on a real instrument near the console, and Link's ocarina will pick it up and respond, on top of the usual button-based note input. A companion service called ZELDA NOTES runs inside the Nintendo Switch App on a phone or tablet: it lets you play an ocarina on the smart device itself, and it can scan a photo you take and point you toward the matching in-game location. ZELDA NOTES needs a Nintendo Account and a persistent internet connection, and standard data charges apply if you are off Wi-Fi.
A museum for everything you have already beaten
New to this version is the Hall of Fallen Foes, a gallery that fills up with statues of every boss and notable enemy you defeat during the adventure. Walk up to one and you can study it or trigger a rematch, which gives the remake a reason to revisit fights after the story has moved past them. It sits alongside the Hero of Time's other systems rather than replacing anything from the original quest.
Price, physical editions and amiibo
The digital edition is confirmed at $59.99 on Nintendo's own store. A physical cartridge version has also been listed by multiple retailers at $69.99, with a limited-run textured foil cover while supplies last. Alongside the game, Nintendo is shipping game-specific hardware:
- Digital edition: $59.99
- Physical edition: $69.99 (retailer listings; limited foil packaging)
- New Young Link and Young Zelda amiibo: $24.99 each, shipping in 2027, unlocking in-game masks
- An Electric Ocarina of Time accessory: $49.99
- Existing Legend of Zelda amiibo also grant in-game rewards
Why Nintendo picked this exact week
The release doubles as a 40th anniversary release for the Zelda series as a whole, and the date was not an accident. Ocarina of Time on Switch 2 lands two weeks ahead of GTA VI's November 19 launch, giving Nintendo a clear run on shelf space and attention before its biggest competitor of the year arrives. The ESRB has rated the Switch 2 version Everyone 10+ for Animated Blood and Fantasy Violence, the same age rating as the 2011 3DS remake, though that earlier version's Suggestive Themes descriptor is gone this time. You can check the current rating directly on the ESRB's listing, and the game's Wikipedia entry tracks the remake alongside the N64 original and the 3DS version for anyone comparing all three.
If you already own the N64 version through Nintendo Switch Online's Expansion Pack, nothing about that access changes today. This is a separate, paid release aimed at Switch 2 owners who want the rebuilt visuals, voice acting, and ocarina controls, not a replacement for the classic emulated version. Nintendo's own overview trailer writeup walks through the full feature list if you want the details straight from the source before buying.