The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Launches Nov. 5: Price and Editions
Nintendo's Switch 2 remake of Ocarina of Time arrives November 5 with full voice acting, a reworked camera, and microphone-based ocarina play, alongside a 40th Anniversary hardware bundle.
Key art for the Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Image: Nintendo.
Nintendo is putting a release date on the most-requested remake in its back catalog. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches on Switch 2 on November 5, rebuilt from the ground up for the console and timed to the series' 40th anniversary. It is a Switch 2 exclusive, so owners of the original Switch will need the hardware upgrade to play it.
Release Date, Price and Where to Buy
The game goes live November 5 for $59.99 digital through the Nintendo eShop and Nintendo Store, with a $69.99 physical cartridge. The first print run of the physical copy ships in special packaging with textured foil cover art while supplies last, then reverts to standard case art once that run sells out. Anyone who buys the digital version before November 23 at 11:59 p.m. PT gets a 40th Anniversary wallpaper as a pre-order bonus. The listed file size is 27 GB, so clear space on a microSD Express card or internal storage before launch day.
- Release date: November 5, 2026
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2 only, not the original Switch
- Digital price: $59.99
- Physical price: $69.99, limited foil cover while stock lasts
- File size: approximately 27 GB
What the Remake Actually Changes
This is not a straight resolution bump. Nintendo rebuilt character models, environment textures, and lighting, and the frame rate and load times are both improved over the Switch Online + Expansion Pack version of the N64 original. Cutscenes are fully voiced for the first time, with expanded dialogue that fills in gaps the 1998 script left implied. The camera and movement have been reworked too: players get Right Stick camera control and new button commands instead of the original's fixed, tank-like camera, and ranged weapons support either motion aiming or standard stick aiming, switchable in the options menu.
Hyrule's day-and-night cycle now runs everywhere, including inside town limits, which the N64 version never did. A new Hall of Fallen Foes logs every boss Link has beaten, and a Threads of Time tapestry tracks overall story progress and points to the next objective, which should help anyone picking this up without having played the original.
Playing the Ocarina for Real
The marquee new feature is the ocarina itself. Players can still play songs with face buttons as in the original, but the Switch 2's microphone also listens for hummed or sung melodies and has Link play them back, and the system recognizes notes played on a real ocarina held up to the mic. Nintendo and HORI are also releasing a physical and an electric ocarina controller later in 2026 for players who want to learn the songs by ear instead of by button combo.
The 40th Anniversary Hardware
Alongside the software, Nintendo released a Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition Switch 2 system on October 29, a week ahead of the game. The bundle includes a matching Pro Controller and a carrying case with screen protector, all carrying a Triforce-themed design. It is sold separately from the game itself and is not required to play it. The companion Zelda Notes service in the Nintendo Switch App adds a few extras alongside the main release: a daily record of play, a Gossip Quest tool for tracking down hint locations, a shareable virtual ocarina, and an Ocarina of Time trivia quiz with more than 2,000 questions. Young Link and Young Zelda amiibo are planned for 2027 and will unlock retro, N64-style masks in-game.
Where This Leaves Switch 2 Owners
November 5 adds a second major first-party remake to the Switch 2 library this quarter, following close behind other recent exclusives on the platform. If you're building out a Switch 2 collection, our Pokémon Legends: Z-A Mega Evolution guide covers the other big system-seller from this fall. For the full specs and ESRB rating (Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence), check the ESRB listing, and for background on the original 1998 release, Wikipedia's Ocarina of Time entry is a solid primer on what the remake is rebuilding from. Nintendo's own rundown of the anniversary lineup is on the Nintendo news page, and the Zelda Wiki has the original game's full walkthrough if you want to compare the two versions step for step once the remake is out. We'll have launch-day coverage and early-game guides up once the game is live.