Nintendo just made the long-awaited Ocarina of Time remake official for the Nintendo Switch 2, and it has a concrete release date: November 5, 2026. The confirmation capped a new Direct presentation celebrating 40 years of The Legend of Zelda, turning the franchise’s most beloved 1998 adventure into one of the biggest games of this year’s holiday season.
A 40th anniversary reveal
Nintendo announced the remake on September 8 as the centerpiece of the Zelda 40th anniversary Direct, complete with a reveal trailer and the first extended look at real gameplay. It is the follow-through that our earlier preview of the September Direct pointed to, and days before the show, a Collector’s Edition had already leaked. Now everything is out in the open.
A full remake, not a simple port
Nintendo is treating this as a ground-up remake rather than a resolution bump. The studio says visuals were rebuilt down to each material’s texture, cutscenes are now fully voiced, and the score has been re-recorded as symphonic orchestral music. The whole list of changes reads like a wish list for fans of the original.
| What’s new | Details |
|---|---|
| Visuals | Complete overhaul of textures and lighting; faster load times and a smoother frame rate |
| Voice acting | Fully voiced cutscenes and much more expanded character dialogue |
| Music | Fresh symphonic orchestral score |
| Controls | Jump and run with new button commands; free camera controlled with the right stick |
| Day/night cycle | Now continues everywhere, even inside towns |
| Threads of Time | A new quest tracker that fills a tapestry as you clear objectives |
| Ocarina | Hum a learned song near the console and Link plays it on screen |
Hum the ocarina, literally
One of the standout additions leans on the Switch 2’s built-in microphone. If you hum a melody Link has already learned, he will play it in the game, and Nintendo is even shipping companion hardware later this year, including a playable ocarina and an electric version from HORI. The game also expands ZELDA NOTES, the companion app tied to the Switch 2 editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom:
- Today’s Record: a log of your daily progress, enemy kills, and stats
- Gossip Quest: find in-game locations from hint images to earn music points
- Play Ocarina: a touchscreen virtual ocarina on your phone
- Ocarina of Time Quiz: a daily trivia challenge drawn from more than 2,000 questions
Zelda turns 40 with a whole lineup
The remake headlines a wider 40th anniversary push. A week before the game, on October 29, Nintendo will release a Triforce-themed Switch 2 system, plus anniversary editions of the Pro Controller and a carrying case. New Young Link and Young Zelda amiibo figures follow in 2027 and unlock retro-style masks in the remake.
Price and Philippine availability
The remake is priced at $59.99 digitally and $69.99 physically, with the first physical print run wearing special textured foil packaging. Nintendo has not yet announced a Philippine peso price, so Filipino players should treat the November 5 date as the global launch window for now. For a game that defined a generation of players, that wait is going to feel very long.
