Nintendo has officially confirmed that a remake of the seminal Nintendo 64 title, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, is in development for the Nintendo Switch 2. The game is slated for a 2026 release, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda franchise.
The reveal trailer offered a glimpse of the remake, which appears to drastically overhaul the visual presentation from the 1998 original. Nintendo has described the upcoming title as being "reborn" on the Switch 2, suggesting a significant departure from the aesthetics of recent Zelda entries like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
The brief trailer featured narration from the Great Deku Tree, echoing the opening of the original game. It depicted Link, the young Kokiri villager without a fairy, experiencing a restless dream. In this nightmare, Link envisions Princess Zelda and the knight Sheik fleeing Hyrule Castle under pursuit by Ganondorf. A notable detail shown in the remake's trailer is the Triforce beginning to glow on Link's left hand during this vision.
Originally released in 1998, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was a landmark title that transitioned the series from a 2D top-down perspective to full 3D environments. It also introduced influential gameplay mechanics such as the target-lock system, commonly known as Z-targeting, and context-sensitive buttons, which have since become standard in 3D adventure games. The game followed The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.
Ocarina of Time has seen re-releases in the past. In 2003, it was bundled with the more challenging Master Quest mode for the GameCube as a pre-order bonus for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. A further enhanced version was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2011, featuring stereoscopic 3D effects and quality-of-life improvements.
Nintendo has a history of revisiting its classic Zelda titles with visual updates, including HD or DX versions of games like The Wind Waker, Skyward Sword, and Twilight Princess. The 2019 Switch release of Link's Awakening, which featured a distinct new graphical style, represented a more radical reimagining of a classic entry.
In other Zelda-related news, Nintendo and Lego recently collaborated on a buildable set depicting the final battle from Ocarina of Time. This 1,003-piece set includes figures of Link, Zelda, and a large Ganondorf figure and is currently available for $129.99.
Looking ahead, the Zelda franchise is also set to make its big-screen debut in 2027 with an untitled live-action film directed by Wes Ball. The movie stars Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link and Bo Bragason as Princess Zelda, with a theatrical release date of April 30, 2027.