New edition · 5 November 2026

Ocarina of Time: Hyrule begins again

The 1998 classic returns for Nintendo Switch 2, released 5 November 2026. Same story, new graphics, voiced characters. Link now runs, jumps at the press of a button, and you may hum his songs into the microphone. As a download the game costs €59.99.

Released 5 November 2026

The boxed copy has no lock: whoever holds it can play right away. Nintendo unlocks the download version on release day. Nintendo gives no exact time; midnight local time is the usual pattern. Source: Nintendo of Europe 2026 · Insider Gaming 2026 (secondary) · Geizhals Österreich 2026 (secondary) · checked on 4 November 2026

View in the Nintendo eShop What's new?

Figures from Nintendo, checked on 4 November 2026. This page sells nothing and is not part of Nintendo.

Link steht mit Schwert und Schild auf einem Waldweg; daneben der Schriftzug The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Hidden by default: characters, tips, tricks, equipment, Easter eggs and glitches.

The key facts

Nintendo · offiziell Source: Nintendo of Europe 2026 · Nintendo 2026 · checked on 4 November 2026

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – Übersichtstrailer (Nintendo Switch 2) · Kanal Nintendo DE

Erst beim Klick verbindet sich Ihr Browser mit YouTube (Google Ireland Limited).

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (40th Anniversary Direct, 08.09.2026) · Kanal Nintendo DE

Erst beim Klick verbindet sich Ihr Browser mit YouTube (Google Ireland Limited).

Reviews

What the reviewers say

Reviews · checked on 4 November 2026

The first reviews

The reviews are out. Metacritic lists 96 out of 100 from 85 critics, all positive. Picture, sound and controls draw praise. The criticism is that the new edition dares little.

  • 96 out of 100

    Metacritic

    85 critics, 83 of them positive

    Source: Metacritic 2026 (secondary)

  • 9 out of 10

    Nintendo Life

    „the best way to play Ocarina of Time“

    Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • 37 out of 40

    Famitsu

    simple compared with today's games

    Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • The picture runs at 60 frames a second

    The new edition pays a price for it. Mountains and trees in the distance look smooth, and panning shimmers a little.

    Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • On the go the picture softens

    In handheld mode the resolution drops noticeably. Link himself can look a little fuzzy then.

    Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • Only one manual save

    Several automatic saves come on top. Anyone wanting two playthroughs side by side needs a second user account.

    Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • Navi talks far less

    The fairy interrupts much more rarely than in 1998. Key cutscenes are voiced.

    Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • Little resistance for those who know it

    The reviewer died exactly once in his whole playthrough. It only gets harder if you switch the display off.

    Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

What's new

8 things that did not exist in 1998

The story stays, the controls grow modern. Hyrule Town, the daily cycle and the way you play songs change most.

Nintendo · offiziell Angaben von Nintendo 2026 · checked on 4 November 2026

Who appears

The characters you meet

Six characters accompany Link's journey. The descriptions come from Nintendo.

Who you meet6 characters
  • Der junge Link in grüner Kleidung sitzt auf einem Baumstumpf; über ihm schwebt eine Fee.

    Link

    A boy called upon by the Great Deku Tree to set out on a fateful journey.

  • Eine leuchtende Fee mit durchsichtigen Flügeln.

    Navi

    A fairy who accompanies Link on his adventure.

  • Die junge Prinzessin Zelda in weiß-violettem Kleid mit Kopftuch.

    Princess Zelda

    The young princess of Hyrule, who wants to protect her kingdom.

  • Ganondorf in dunkler Rüstung mit rotem Haar; aus seiner Hand strömt roter Rauch.

    Ganondorf

    The menacing leader of the Gerudo, who seeks to seize the Triforce.

  • Impa mit kurzem weißem Haar und verschränkten Armen in Kampfkleidung.

    Impa

    Princess Zelda's attendant, of the Sheikah tribe.

  • Darunia, ein kräftiger Gorone mit weißem Haar und verschränkten Armen.

    Darunia

    The hot-headed leader of the Gorons, who live inside Death Mountain.

Nintendo · offiziell Pictures and text: Nintendo 2026 · checked on 4 November 2026

Who's playing it

8 channels where you can watch

Zusagen für einzelne Sendungen liegen uns nicht vor. Jeder Link führt direkt zum Live-Bereich des Kanals: Dort sehen Sie sofort, ob gerade gespielt wird.

Search for broadcasts running right now ↗

Tips

18 tips for the first hours

Six tips apply to everything that held in 1998 too. Twelve apply only to the new edition.

Read the tips18 tips

  • In the game

    Use the targeting

    Hold the target button to lock on. Link stays facing the enemy and dodges sideways. That is the core of almost every fight.

    Source: Wikipedia 2026 (secondary)

  • In the game

    Ask Navi when you are stuck

    Navi points out hints and enemies. She is the game's built-in help.

    Source: Nintendo 2026

  • New in this edition

    Open Threads of Time

    This recap names your current goal. It saves looking things up online after a few days away.

    Source: Nintendo 2026

  • New in this edition

    At night Hyrule is a different land

    Time now runs everywhere. Some people you meet only by day, some enemies only at night.

    Source: Nintendo 2026

  • In the game

    Write the melodies down

    Every song opens paths, calls the weather or switches day and night. Note the notes and save yourself the hunting.

    Source: Nintendo 2026

  • In the game

    Helping the locals pays off

    Nintendo advises exploring every corner and helping the inhabitants. It brings rewards you would otherwise never get.

    Source: Nintendo 2026

  • Tip from the player community

    Pieces of Heart add up

    Four pieces make one full heart. They sit in chests, in small games and as thanks for finished tasks.

    Source: Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary)

  • New in this edition

    Zelda Notes on your phone

    The free app shows your progress, asks questions about the game and plays melodies. You need no online membership for it.

    Source: Nintendo 2026

  • New in this edition

    Put items on the D-pad

    Ocarina, masks and iron boots sit on the D-pad. One press is enough, the menu stays shut.

    Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • New in this edition

    In the Water Temple this saves a lot of time

    The temple earned its reputation because you had to swap the boots in the menu again and again. That is gone.

    Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • New in this edition

    Look songs up instead of learning them by heart

    Hold ZL. The game shows every melody you have learned so far.

    Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • New in this edition

    After loading you stand where you were

    You used to start at home or in the Temple of Time. Now the game puts you where you last saved.

    Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • New in this edition

    The Echo Gem leads to the Skulltulas

    It replaces the old Stone of Agony. It shines and vibrates as soon as a Gold Skulltula is near.

    Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • New in this edition

    The Lens of Truth is now a pair of goggles

    It works exactly as before, but sits on your nose instead of in your hand.

    Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • New in this edition

    It gets harder through the display

    You can switch off hearts and hints. There is no separate difficulty setting.

    Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • New in this edition

    amiibo bring supplies, nothing essential

    A Zelda amiibo in the game delivers arrows, hearts or bombs. You need none of it to finish.

    Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • Tip from the player community

    Learn the targeting first

    The combat is built on it: lock on, circle, strike at the right moment.

    Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • New in this edition

    The jump attack sits elsewhere

    One button used to be enough. Now you jump yourself and strike in mid-air.

    Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

Sources of the tips: Nintendo 2026 · Wikipedia 2026 (secondary) · Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary) · checked on 4 November 2026

Warning

Tricks, faults and what they can cost

These methods are not part of normal play. They can damage your save or make the game unusable. Nintendo warns explicitly against modified hardware and software.

Use of an unauthorised device or unauthorised software that enables technical modification of the Nintendo console or the software may render this software unusable.

Nintendo, product page · Nintendo 2026 · checked on 4 November 2026
See the tricks4 points

  • Tricks from the 1998 original

    Players found faults in the old game that let them skip whole sections. „Wrong Warp“ and „Bottle Adventure“ are the known ones. Whether they still work in the new edition is open.

    Fan-Deutung Source: OoT Speedruns Wiki 2026 (secondary)

  • What a wrong warp does

    In a „Wrong Warp“ the game receives two wrong values for the destination. Link then lands somewhere the developers never intended.

    Fan-Deutung Source: speedrun.com 2026 (secondary)

  • Playthroughs without tricks

    Anyone playing against the clock but wanting to stay fair uses the category without tricks. Faults in the game are expressly forbidden there.

    Fan-Deutung Source: OoT Speedruns Wiki 2026 (secondary)

  • Hands off add-on devices

    Devices and programs that modify the console breach Nintendo's terms. In the worst case the game no longer runs afterwards.

    Nintendo · offiziell Source: Nintendo 2026

Master Quest

The second version — and why it is missing

Gezeichnete Landkarte von Hyrule auf Pergament mit Wäldern, Bergen, Wüste und Burg.

Second version · checked on 4 November 2026

Master Quest: the question everyone asks

Master Quest is a second, harder version of the same game: mirrored dungeons, different puzzles, more damage. It is not included in the new edition.

  • What Master Quest is

    The same story, rebuilt dungeons. It is aimed at players who already know the game.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary)

  • Where it existed so far

    On the GameCube as its own disc, and in the 3DS version as a bonus after finishing.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary) · Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary)

  • It is missing from the new edition

    Nintendo Life's reviewer played the game through and calls the omission the sorest point.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • Nintendo says nothing about it

    Neither the product page nor any announcement mentions Master Quest. Nintendo has never confirmed a removal.

    Nintendo · offiziell Source: Nintendo Everything 2026 (secondary) · Nintendo 2026

  • Whether it will be added later

    There is no announcement. Several reports think a later addition is conceivable, but none offers evidence.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Kotaku 2026 (secondary) · Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

Equipment

What Link needs and what it costs

Show equipment and prices6 items
Nachts greifen knochige Gestalten Link auf einer dunklen Wiese an.

Equipment · checked on 4 November 2026

Equipment and what it costs

Link buys with rupees in Hyrule. Three purchases decide your progress: the big shield and the two tunics against heat and for breathing under water.

Prices in rupees
ItemPriceWhat forSource
Deku ShieldShield40 rupeesMade of wood. Burns when fire hits it.Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary)
Hylian ShieldShield80 rupeesThe big metal shield. Holds what the wooden one cannot.Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary)
Goron TunicClothing200 rupeesProtects against heat. Without it the Fire Temple cannot be done.Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary)
Zora TunicClothing300 rupeesAllows breathing under water. Required for the Water Temple.Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary)
Magic BeanAid10 to 100 rupeesEvery further bean costs more. Planted, it grows into a ride to high places.Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary)
Deku StickWeapon10 rupeesCatches fire at torches and sets things alight. Breaks when you strike.Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary)

Prices from the game, taken from Zelda Wiki on 4 November 2026. Nintendo names no different figures for the new edition.

Easter eggs

What the developers hid

Show the finds10 finds
Ein Dorf mit Holzhäusern, Treppen und einem Brunnen am Hang. Gezeichnete Landkarte von Hyrule auf Pergament mit Wäldern, Bergen, Wüste und Burg.

Hidden in the game · checked on 4 November 2026

Easter eggs: what the developers hid

An Easter egg is the developers' nod to attentive players. Ocarina of Time holds several. Some you see only if you do something silly in the right place.

  • Mario portraits hang in the castle window

    There are two windows in the castle courtyard. In 1998 the eastern one held photos of Yoshi, Peach, Mario, Bowser and Luigi.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary)

  • A Deku seed brings money there

    Hit the eastern window with a Deku seed and you get a red rupee. In the 3DS version a Mario scene is visible there instead.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary)

  • The other window strikes back

    Hit the western window and a guard appears. He scolds you and throws a bomb. After that he never returns.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary)

  • A Star Fox ship inside the game

    The game holds an unused enemy: the Arwing from Star Fox. It is reachable only through modified game data.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary)

  • The Arwing taught the dragon to fly

    Developer Satoru Takizawa explained that Volvagia's flight path came out of the programming for Star Fox 64.

    Entwickler-Aussage Source: Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary)

  • The chant Nintendo took out again

    The first versions carried a sampled vocal recording in the Fire Temple. From version 1.2 Nintendo replaced it.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Nintendo Life 2024 (secondary)

  • The reason was one of its own house rules

    The recording was an Islamic prayer. That broke Nintendo's rule on religious content. Composer Koji Kondo did not know its origin.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Nintendo Life 2024 (secondary)

  • The windmill that speeds itself up

    If young Link plays the Song of Storms in the Kakariko windmill, it turns faster. The well drains and opens the way down.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary)

  • The man nobody catches

    A runner crosses the field at night. You can only speak to him during his break. He raves about rabbits and buys your Bunny Hood.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary)

  • What survives in the new edition

    Nintendo says nothing about it. Zelda Wiki already covers the new version but names no window detail for the courtyard yet.

    Nintendo · offiziell Source: Nintendo 2026 · Zelda Wiki 2026 (secondary)

Glitches

The most famous faults in gaming history

Show the fault tricks6 points
Link reitet auf einem braunen Pferd auf einen rauchenden Vulkan zu.

Faults in the old game · checked on 4 November 2026

Glitches: faults that players turned into tools

A glitch is a fault in the program. Players trigger it on purpose and save time with it. For the 1998 game the player community keeps its own index of 29 such tricks.

  • An index with 29 entries

    The list runs from „Bottle Adventure“ to „Wrong Warp“. It collects tricks from the old game only.

    Fan-Deutung Source: OoT Speedruns Wiki 2026 (secondary)

  • Newly found on 11 October 2026

    The player ZFG showed a trick nobody knew before. An item from a bottle overwrites damage values.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Nintendo Everything 2026 (secondary)

  • Two bosses fall without their weapon

    It lets you beat Volvagia without the hammer and Ganondorf without light arrows. Both counted as impossible for 28 years.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Nintendo Everything 2026 (secondary)

  • It works in Majora's Mask too

    The same trick works in the sequel. There it produces damage on the scale of a powder keg.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Nintendo Everything 2026 (secondary)

  • No certain time saving

    ZFG plays it down himself: the trick needs preparation. It helps most in the category without wrong warp.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Nintendo Everything 2026 (secondary)

  • Nobody knows what survives

    Nintendo rebuilt the game. Whether the old tricks still bite is open until release.

    Nintendo · offiziell Source: Nintendo 2026 · Wikipedia 2026 (secondary)

The 29 tricks by name

  • Actor Glitch
  • Blank A
  • Bottle Adventure
  • Clipping
  • Collection Delay
  • Cutscene Dive
  • Damage Boost
  • Damage Buffering
  • Doom Jump
  • Down A
  • Extended Superslides
  • Flame Storage
  • Get-Item Manipulation
  • Glitched Health
  • Ground Jump
  • Hover Boots Tricks
  • Hovering
  • Infinite Sword Glitch
  • Ledge Clip
  • Megaflip
  • Megasidehop
  • Ocarina Items
  • Power Crouch Stab
  • Quick Draw
  • Reverse Bottle Adventure
  • Superslide
  • Walking While Talking
  • Weirdshot
  • Wrong Warp

The 29 names from the players' own index, read on 4 November 2026. Source: OoT Speedruns Wiki 2026 (secondary)

Speedrunners

Who crosses Hyrule against the clock

Ein junges Pferd steht auf einer Wiese vor einer Ruine; Link streckt die Hand danach aus.

Leaderboards · retrieved on 4 November 2026

Speedrunners: Hyrule in under four minutes

Speedrunners play against the clock. For Ocarina of Time speedrun.com keeps several categories with their own rules. The fastest run takes 3 minutes and 48 seconds.

Best times per category, 1998 game
CategoryTimeWhoWhen
Any%Finish the game, no other conditions.3:47.900CountLG13 July 2024
No Wrong WarpWithout jumping into a wrong scene.6:02bradyONE19 August 2026
All DungeonsEvery dungeon in the run.23:53Amateseru14 March 2024
MSTCollect all stones and medallions, then beat Ganon.1:35:00CountLG24 April 2026
GlitchlessPlay through without fault tricks.2:09:05Smaugy26 October 2025
100 per centCollect everything the game has to offer.3:00:39zfg11 March 2021

Source: speedrun.com 2026 · speedrun.com 2026 (secondary) · The category names come from speedrun.com. A written-out rule exists there only for Any% and MST.

All times apply to the 1998 game. For the new edition the boards start at zero.

  • The new edition times you itself

    In the Hall of Fallen Foes you face bosses again. The game shows how long you took.

    Nintendo · offiziell Source: Siliconera 2026 (secondary)

  • Zelda Notes keeps a daily record

    The companion app shows, among other things, today's record and your own play data.

    Nintendo · offiziell Source: Siliconera 2026 (secondary)

Collector's edition

Collector's edition: what really exists

For collectors · checked on 4 November 2026

Collector's edition: where things stand today

There is no collector's edition to buy. Nintendo's own catalogue lists one version of the game. What is sought after is the first print run of the box: its sleeve carries embossed foil artwork and is printed only while stocks last.

Link steht mit Schwert und Schild auf einem Waldweg; daneben der Schriftzug The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Titelbild der Neuauflage
Link setzt eine blaue Okarina an die Lippen; hinter ihm blüht ein Garten.
Bild aus dem Spiel: Link spielt die Okarina
Figur des jungen Link, der auf einem Baumstumpf sitzt und eine Fee betrachtet.
amiibo-Figur Junger Link
Das goldene Triforce aus drei Dreiecken.
Das Triforce

  • Embossed foil sleeve of the first print run

    Nintendo gives the sleeve embossed foil instead of a plain print. It is printed only while stocks last.

    Nintendo · offiziell Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • Two versions, nothing else

    On 4 November 2026 Nintendo's catalogue holds exactly one entry: the game for €59.99. The same version as a boxed copy comes on top.

    Nintendo · offiziell Source: Nintendo of Europe 2026

  • Console and controller in Zelda design

    For the series' 40th anniversary a Switch 2 and a Pro Controller in Zelda design appeared. They reached shops before the game.

    Nintendo · offiziell Source: Nintendo Life 2026 (secondary)

  • The leak from France

    A French retailer listed five items, among them a collector's edition, Joy-Con and a Pro Controller. The listing gave no pictures, no prices and no dates.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Complex 2026 (secondary)

  • What that means for you today

    Collectors should go for the box from the first print run. A collector's edition may come later; it is not confirmed.

    Fan-Deutung Source: Complex 2026 (secondary) · Nintendo of Europe 2026

See the boxed copy in the price comparison

Walkthrough

The way through the game

13 sections in the order of the game: which place comes when, what there is to find, which boss waits and which mini-games stand there.

Careful: the walkthrough gives away the order of the game.

To the walkthrough (German)

For fans

What you can get for the game

Three things you need in order to play. Three more are for anyone who wants to go deeper. Prices carry a date; where no price stands, none is known.

For playing

For proper fans

Read on

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