The Ocarina of Time Switch 2 remake is out today, November 5, 2026, and it is the biggest Switch 2 release of the autumn. Nintendo has rebuilt the 1998 Nintendo 64 classic from the ground up for its new console, with reworked visuals, fully voiced cutscenes, an orchestral soundtrack, and modern controls that fix the original's roughest edges. It is Switch 2 only, there is no version for the original Switch, and the first review score is already in: Famitsu gave it 37 out of 40.
Nintendo announced the remake during its Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct on September 8, with series producer Eiji Aonuma walking through 15 minutes of gameplay. The date was no surprise after that, but the scale of the rework still is. This is not a simple remaster with a resolution bump. Nintendo rebuilt the world, re-recorded the music with a live orchestra, voiced the story scenes, and changed how Link moves through Hyrule.
What the Ocarina of Time Switch 2 Remake Changes
The headline changes are all about control. The camera is now fully controllable with the right stick, which sounds small until you remember the original locked you to a fixed view and a Z-targeting system that did most of the work. Link can now jump with a button press instead of auto-jumping off ledges, and holding the A button turns a roll into a dash for covering ground faster. Swimming is quicker too, with a proper dive when you spot something below the surface.
Combat keeps the Z-targeting the original invented, and the series producer showed Deku Nuts being thrown to stun enemies before striking. Navi is back as Link's fairy companion, with a slightly expanded role, and gyro aiming is available for the Fairy Bow, the Hookshot, and other ranged weapons, though button controls still work if you prefer them.
The presentation is where the remake earns its price. The visuals use a rebuilt, almost puppet-show art style, the music is a full symphonic score, and cutscenes are fully voiced for the first time in this game. Characters big and small get new and expanded dialogue, and Nintendo added a Threads of Time feature that recaps the story and tracks your current objective, which helps if you put the game down for a week and forget where you were.
Then there is the ocarina itself. Learned songs can still be played with button controls, but the Switch 2 microphone can also recognise a hummed melody, and Nintendo says the game even responds to real instruments. It is a neat trick for a game built around music, and it is the kind of thing that only works because the new hardware has a mic built in.
The remake also plugs into Zelda Notes in the Nintendo Switch App, with an interactive map, progress tracking, a playable phone-based ocarina, and a daily quiz drawn from more than 2,000 questions. A dedicated space for monster rematches gives completionists something to chase after the credits.
Ocarina of Time Switch 2 Remake Price and Editions
The digital edition costs $59.99 in the US and £49.99 in the UK, while the physical edition is $69.99 in the US and £58.99 in the UK. The download is listed at 27GB on the US store, so it fits comfortably on the console's internal storage. Buying the digital version before November 23 at 11:59 p.m. PT includes a 40th anniversary wallpaper as an early purchase bonus.
Nintendo is leaning hard into the anniversary around this launch. A special edition Switch 2 console is part of the same rollout, along with an Electric Ocarina of Time accessory priced at $49.99 and Young Link and Young Zelda amiibo scheduled for 2027. The amiibo unlock retro-style masks, while other Zelda amiibo provide useful in-game items.
For context on where this sits in Nintendo's Switch 2 plans, the company has been stacking the console's first year with big remakes and ports, from the Pikmin 4 Switch 2 demo that landed earlier this week to the native Minecraft Switch 2 version that arrived in October. Ocarina of Time is the biggest name of the lot, and Nintendo knows it.
Why Nintendo Cut Fast Travel From the Remake
One detail from the run-up to launch says a lot about how Nintendo approached this remake. In a new Ask the Developer interview, Aonuma revealed the team built Breath of the Wild-style warp points into the game, then removed them before launch because playtesting showed they were cutting out moments of discovery. Hyrule Field is meant to be crossed, not skipped, and the team decided the remake should respect that.
It is a confident call, and it fits the rest of the design. The dash and jump buttons make crossing Hyrule faster without removing the journey, and the Threads of Time tracker keeps you oriented without teleporting you to the objective. For returning players, the absence of fast travel is a statement: this is the same Hyrule, and you are meant to walk it again.
First Review Score and What to Expect at Launch
Famitsu's panel gave the remake 37 out of 40, praising the smooth camera, the improved controls and gameplay flow, and the rebuilt graphics, according to Notebookcheck's report on the score. More reviews are expected once the wider embargo lifts, but a 37 from Famitsu is a strong opening for a remake of a game many critics already call one of the best ever made.
The honest question is whether a remake of a 28-year-old game is worth $60 in 2026. For anyone who has never played Ocarina of Time, this is now the definitive way to do it, and the modern controls remove the biggest barrier the original had. For returning players, the voiced scenes, the orchestral score, and the rebuilt world are the draw, and the cut fast travel is a sign Nintendo thought carefully about what to change and what to leave alone.
The game is available now, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2. Full details, editions, and pricing are on Nintendo's official store page.
