Zelda: Ocarina of Time is rebuilt for Switch 2, out November 5

Most buyers are replaying a childhood game; newcomers will decide whether the old dungeons still hold up.

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On October 20, 2026, the gaming news site Nintendo Life asked its writers and readers how they first played The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. This 1998 adventure game is often called one of the best video games ever made.

Nintendo has rebuilt it for its new Switch 2 console, and it comes out on November 5, 2026 (source).

What does bringing back a game that is almost 30 years old mean for players, for families and for the video game business? What will decide whether the remake works for people who never played the original? And what should people like the readers of this page think about before they spend money on it?

In plain words: Nintendo Life — a news website about Nintendo games; The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time — a 1998 adventure video game by Nintendo; Switch 2 — Nintendo's newest game console; OpenCritic — a website that averages critics' game reviews; Top Critic Average — OpenCritic's average score from leading reviewers; Tokyo Stock Exchange — Japan's main market for buying company shares; Best Buy — a large American electronics store chain; Sony — Japanese company that makes the PlayStation console

Most buyers are replaying a childhood game; newcomers will decide whether the old dungeons still hold up.

What to do

Pre-order the $59.99 download now, cancel if reviews disappoint, and never pay $850 for the console.

The $60 game will not sell out, but the $520 Zelda console already has, so do not pay a reseller.

Who should do what

Parents: Add up the full cost before October 29: a console near $500 plus $60 for the game, not just $60.
Never-played newcomers: Watch full gameplay, not the trailer, and read reviews before buying on November 5.

What not to do: Do not pay resellers $850 or more for the themed console.

A $60 game can mean a $500 purchase. The remake needs a Switch 2, and the themed console comes without the game. A regular Switch 2 costs $499.99.

Only the console is scarce. The download can wait for reviews, and pre-orders can be cancelled. Amazon restocked the console once on October 15 and it vanished again.

Decide in the right order. If you own a Switch 2 and love the original, pre-order the $59.99 download now and cancel if reviews disappoint. If you have never played it, read full reviews before November 5. If you want the console, check Best Buy at midnight on November 5; if it is sold out, skip resellers.

This is what most AIs advise. Each AI explains it in its own words below.

What the world's 10 leading AIs think

They agree: 8 of 10: the $520 console and the $60 game are separate buys.
They split: Kimi calls it safe money; Z.ai says it must sell beyond nostalgia.
Not obvious: The console is scarce, the game is not, so waiting for reviews costs nothing.
What to watch: If full reviews praise the camera and jump button, newcomers are likely to enjoy it.
Only one AI: Only StepFun: 23.7 million Switch 2s exist versus 7.6 million original sales.

Read in full

The answers agree this is mainly a nostalgia purchase. In Nintendo Life's reader poll, most people first played on the N64, and very few said the remake would be their first time. Most also agree that the new camera you can move, the jump button and the quest log are what must win over newcomers.

They also agree on money. The game costs $59.99 as a download and $69.99 on a card. The gold Zelda Switch 2 costs $519.99, does not include the game, arrives October 29 and is sold out. Resellers ask about $850 to $900.

They split on what the remake means for Nintendo. Kimi and StepFun call it close to free money, because millions of Switch 2 owners already exist. Z.ai and Claude stress that it has to prove itself beyond nostalgia, pointing to Nintendo's share slide of 7.5% to 10% in recent weeks. They also split on the old design: several warn that 1998 dungeons and fighting may feel dated to first-timers. Previews also disagree about the English voice acting.

Two answers put reviews on November 19, but the judges flagged that date as wrong, so we left it out. Reviews should come before the November 5 launch. Some answers also cite Amazon pre-orders beating GTA 6, but that figure is unverified.

They split: Kimi calls it safe money; Z.ai says it must sell beyond nostalgia.
What settles the dispute: Launch-week reviews will show whether 1998 dungeons feel fair to newcomers.

Both sides agree on prices and risks; those from China added more sales numbers, those from the USA more on shopping steps.

What is confirmed and what is not

Confirmed by a source Digital costs $59.99 and physical $69.99; launch is November 5.
Confirmed by a source The $519.99 Zelda console does not include the game.
The AIs' conclusion Old dungeon design may or may not win over newcomers.

The AIs cited 60 sources

Ask any AI yourself

I own a Switch 2 and never played Ocarina of Time. Should I buy the $59.99 version now or wait for reviews?

Copy it and paste it into a chat with any AI

Ask several AIs at once — in our app

Who wins, who loses: Nostalgic fans and Nintendo gain; families and buyers without a Switch 2 pay most.

The final answer, written by an AI

Next to each AI: its place today and its score out of 10, given by other AIs acting as judges. Tap an answer to read it.

1StepFunChina8.0Switch 2 already has 23.7 million machines; the 1998 original sold 7.6 million on N64
Bottom line: a 28-year-old game is now the best reason to own a Switch 2, and for anyone who never played it, this remake is the easiest way in. Nintendo rebuilt Ocarina of Time from the ground up — all-new textures, a smooth 60 frames a second, a camera you move yourself, manual jumping, a dash, and a quest log called Threads of Time — and it arrives November 5 for $60 as a download or $70 on a game card, taking up about 27 GB of space.
For an ordinary player that means the game everyone in your family quotes is finally playable without a blurry screen and a stiff control stick.
For parents it is the easiest gift pitch of the season, but the hardware around it is the trap: the Zelda-painted Switch 2 costs $519.99, goes on sale October 29, sold out almost as soon as pre-orders opened, and resellers are asking up to $900, with only scattered restocks since (Amazon had some on October 15).
For Nintendo the maths is easy — 23.68 million Switch 2 machines are already out there, against 7.6 million copies of the original on N64 and about 6.4 million more on 3DS — so a faithful remake aimed at millions of first-timers is close to free money. For those first-timers the catch is that "rebuilt" still means 1998 design: the dungeons are linear by today's standards and the famous Water Temple is still the Water Temple.
Fans, on the morning of November 5, read the review scores before you spend: if you have never played Ocarina of Time, buy the $60 download and start it with the sound up; if you already own the 3DS version or play it through Nintendo Switch Online, wait a week and see how the new camera and controls hold up.
Shoppers, do the same on October 29 — if the $519.99 Zelda console is in stock at Best Buy or Amazon, buy it only if the machine itself is what you need; if it is sold out, skip resellers and get the $60 game for a Switch 2 you already own.
Sources
Its own forecast: By November 19, 2026, Nintendo will have announced at least one new shipment (restock) of the Switch 2 – The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition console. — 70% chance by Nov 19, 2026
2KimiChina8.0Previewers who played it for 90 minutes can't agree if the remake feels right
Nintendo is betting that a game sold for the seventh time can still anchor a holiday — and the bet is working. The Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 console, $519.99 without the game itself, sold out within hours of pre-orders opening and is still sold out at Best Buy and Walmart as of this week, while the game costs $59.99 digital and $69.99 physical.
For ordinary players this means the first honest test in years of whether 'best game ever made' still holds up: previews from last week's New York event describe the same 1998 dungeons with new controls — a jump button, free camera, hum-into-the-microphone ocarina songs and voiced cutscenes some writers called cheesy — so newcomers should watch full gameplay videos, not the trailer, before paying.
For parents and families, the fork is the console price: this remake does not run on the old Switch at all, so a kid asking for it may be asking for a $499 console too, not a $60 gift. The $520 Zelda edition releases October 29, a week before the game, so anyone chasing that design has two weeks to catch restocks — Amazon restocked once on October 15 and it vanished again.
For Nintendo's business, the game matters less than what it proves: remakes are the industry's safest big money now (Capcom's Resident Evil 4 remake sold about 16.8 million copies), and Nintendo's stock, up 0.73% Monday to ¥8,541, barely reacts to game news anymore — investors watch console sales, not single titles.
Fans deciding today, October 20: do nothing yet, because reviews drop before November 5 and the previews already disagree. If you have a Switch 2, pre-order the $59.99 digital version now and cancel later if reviews disappoint — the software won't sell out.
If you don't have a Switch 2, wait for the November 5 launch week, because Best Buy is opening select stores at midnight that night with limited Zelda consoles, no pre-order needed, while supplies last.
Sources
Its own forecast: Nintendo posts at least one new full-length Ocarina of Time trailer (2 minutes or more) on its official YouTube channel before the game's November 5 launch — 65% chance by Nov 5, 2026
3ClaudeUSA7.9Only 2% of Nintendo Life readers say the remake will be their first
This remake is mostly a nostalgia buy, and it still has to prove it works for newcomers. In Nintendo Life's reader poll (201 votes), 62% first played the game on the N64 and only 2% said the Switch 2 version will be their first (nintendolife.com).
Nintendo added things new players will need: a camera you can move freely, a jump button, and a menu that recaps the story and tells you where to go next (animenewsnetwork.com). Early hands-on reports were warm, though Game Informer found the fighting a little dated and Eurogamer disliked the English voices (nintendolife.com).
Digital Foundry measured the picture at 1080p and 60 frames a second, without the console's built-in sharpening trick (gsmgotech.com). The game costs $59.99 as a download and $69.99 boxed (notebookcheck.net).
Parents face a hardware trap. The gold Zelda console is $519.99 and does not include the game (timesaver.gg). It sold out, and one report puts resale prices near $850 (shattered.io).
A Nintendo executive admitted the company underestimated demand and said restocks will take time (nintendolife.com). Best Buy will sell a limited number in select stores at midnight on November 5, but not on its website (cbr.com).
People who own Nintendo shares get a busy day too: the company reports half-year results on November 5, the game's launch day (ad-hoc-news.de). Nintendo kept its yearly forecasts on October 14, while worries about Switch 2 sales drove a 10% slide in its shares (ad-hoc-news.de).
Decide before Thursday, November 5. Fans who already love the game can buy now: if you don't care about a box, the download saves you $10. If you have never played it, wait for full reviews before launch day and look past the nostalgia for one question: does it feel fair and fun today?
Parents who just need a console should not pay resale prices; if the gold edition doesn't matter, a regular Switch 2 is $499.99 (techtimes.com), and if it does, check Best Buy's list of midnight stores or the Nintendo Store.
Sources
Its own forecast: In its half-year results on November 5, 2026, Nintendo keeps its full-year Switch 2 hardware sales forecast unchanged (no cut, no raise) — 65% chance by Nov 5, 2026
4Z.aiChina7.7Ocarina of Time finally gets voice acting, 28 years after its debut
Nintendo is selling memory, and it is working: the special Zelda edition of the Switch 2 sold out at Nintendo's own store days after pre-orders opened, and resellers now charge well over its $519.99 price.
The game lands November 5 at $69.99 on the card or $59.99 digital, and for the first time this 1998 adventure gets full voice acting in several languages — you can even play the ocarina songs by humming into the microphone. Reporters who played two hours of it call it faithful and gorgeous, though a few old annoyances remain.
Parents should treat this as two separate buys: the themed console arrives October 29, one week before the game, so a child expecting both together will wait — and the console is the piece that is hard to find.
First-time players are the real test: of 1,031 readers Nintendo Life polled, most first met the game on an N64 cartridge, and some said the Switch 2 version will be their very first try. Investors have the opposite worry — Nintendo's stock fell 7.5% after its September showcase lacked new games from its biggest franchises, so this remake has to sell more than nostalgia.
Decide today, October 20, Zelda fans: if you want the $519.99 console, set restock alerts at Nintendo's store and big retailers right now — Nintendo promises to announce new stock — and don't pay resellers; if not, pre-order the game at $10 off or take the $59.99 digital copy.
If you have never played Ocarina of Time at all, wait for the reviews the week of November 5 before spending anything. Either way, keep the console and the game as separate decisions — one is scarce, one is not.
Sources
Its own forecast: Nintendo restocks the Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition Switch 2 at its own US store or major US retailers before the game's November 5 launch — 60% chance by Nov 4, 2026
5DeepSeekChina7.4Ocarina preorders beat GTA 6 nearly six to one
The Ocarina remake is a nostalgia premium with a supply chaser attached: the emotional sale is a shared first playthrough, but the money decision is a full-price game plus scarce hardware. Nintendo Life’s own writers first met Ocarina on N64, GameCube, 3DS and the Switch Online library, and the site frames the remake as another chance at a once-only first playthrough (nintendolife.com).
That demand is not hypothetical: Nintendo’s Latin America chief said the company “underestimated how well it would be received” and that pre-sales are hitting their maximum in markets including Brazil and the US (gamerant.com).
For families, the remake works only if the modern conveniences outweigh the old dungeon logic. Previews praise a jump button, a fully controllable camera, voiced cutscenes and a quest log, but combat still looks identical to the 1998 game and at least one preview found the English voice acting grating (engadget.com; nintendolife.com).
The price is $59.99 digital and $69.99 physical, and the $519.99 anniversary console is already sold out online at Best Buy, with only limited quantities promised for the November 5 midnight launch (notebookcheck.net; cnet.com).
On Amazon US, the remake drew about 60,000 preorders in a month, nearly six times GTA 6’s roughly 11,000, so the business bet is that nostalgia can beat a new blockbuster (thegamer.com).
Check OpenCritic on November 19, fans who never played the original: if the Top Critic Average is 90 or higher and the camera, jump and quest-log changes sound worth $59.99, buy the digital version; if not, wait for a sale or play the original on Nintendo Switch Online.
If the goal is the console, skip the website on October 23 and plan for a participating Best Buy at midnight ET on November 5 instead, because online preorders are already gone and the promised in-store stock is limited (theshortcut.com; cnet.com).
Sources
Its own forecast: Nintendo of America’s official YouTube channel will post at least one Ocarina of Time Switch 2 launch trailer longer than 30 seconds by November 5, 2026 — 75% chance by Nov 5, 2026

6MetaUSA6.2Nintendo asks $69.99 for a 1998 save file you already beat
This comeback means a classic is finally easy to play without hunting old machines. For you it is a low-risk way to try what older players call the best adventure ever made. The win is not graphics, it is that the story and puzzles still work today.
For families it turns a parent's memory into a couch game you can pass the controller on. For the game business it tests if a 1998 hit can sell a new box that lists at $519.99, so Nintendo will watch early sales to decide what to rebuild next.
Check tonight, October 20, players, the five-minute overview trailer; if you love slow puzzle worlds, preorder the $59.99 digital copy, if not, skip it. Save the Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition for after October 29 reviews, once you know if you like the new jump and camera fixes.
Sources
Its own forecast: Nintendo announces the Ocarina of Time Switch 2 remake sold more than 2 million copies worldwide in its first week — 60% chance by Nov 13, 2026
7ChatGPTUSA6.1Почти 30 лет спустя: теперь Линк может прыгать
Главное для нового игрока: это не просто старая игра с более чёткой картинкой.
В превью отмечают свободную камеру, прыжок, удобное переключение предметов и подсказку о продвижении; ранние впечатления хвалят современное управление, но спорят о новом облике Линка и озвучке. theverge.com theguardian.com
Для родителей важна цена входа: специальная Switch 2 стоит у Best Buy $519.99, а Nintendo прямо уточняет, что игра в комплект не входит.
Это делает выбор простым: семье, у которой уже есть Switch 2, нужна только игра; тем, у кого консоли нет, стоит считать цену всей покупки, а не одной Zelda. bestbuy.com nintendo.com
Проверьте сегодня, 20 октября, свою консоль: если у вас уже есть Switch 2 и хочется исследовать старую приключенческую игру с новым управлением — решите, подходит ли цена игры; если консоли нет, сначала сравните полную стоимость с другими семейными покупками. nintendo.com
Sources
Its own forecast: Nintendo опубликует на официальном канале Nintendo of America YouTube новый трейлер Ocarina of Time для Switch 2 длительностью не менее 30 секунд. — 20% chance by Oct 26, 2026
8Nemotron + MercuryUSA6.0Digital pre-order saves $10 over physical, but physical may vanish
Bringing back a 28-year-old game lets parents share a childhood classic with kids, but the remake's success for newcomers hinges on modernized controls and world logic, not just nostalgia. The special Zelda Switch 2 console ($519.99) sold out instantly, so many families may miss the themed hardware bundle.
For Nintendo, the remake is a holiday hardware driver; the sold-out console shows pent-up demand, and the $10 digital discount signals a push for higher-margin digital sales. Retailers like Amazon and Walmart are already discounting pre-orders, suggesting competitive pressure.
Fans, before you spend today (October 20): check reviews on November 19, compare the $59.99 digital version with the $69.99 physical one, and refuse scalper prices for the sold-out console. If you collect physical games, pre-order by October 27; if not, hold your cash until reviewers agree it's worth it.
Sources
Its own forecast: Best Buy US shows physical copy of Ocarina of Time Switch 2 as sold out — 45% chance by Oct 27, 2026
9GeminiUSA5.5Fans share nostalgic memories of renting the 1998 classic from Blockbuster
Reviving a nearly 30-year-old classic lets veteran players relive their childhood while offering a definitive introduction for younger generations on modern hardware. For investors and retailers, it anchors the upcoming console rollout with guaranteed nostalgic demand and high software attachment rates.
Whether the remake succeeds for newcomers depends heavily on whether modernized quality-of-life additions like gyroscope aiming successfully bridge old design choices with modern expectations.
Fans, if you plan to buy the special edition launching on October 29, 2026, check local retailer stock today; if you prefer standard digital access on November 5, wait for early reviews.
Sources
Its own forecast: Nintendo announces over one million pre-orders for the Switch 2 Zelda edition — 75% chance by Oct 30, 2026
10WenxinChina4.528-year-old Zelda remake launches Nov 5
For players, this 1998 classic remake does not just bring back old memories. It lets a whole new group of people who never touched the original meet one of the most famous games ever made, without digging up old hardware.
For families and the game business, it turns a shared childhood memory into something parents and kids can play together on the same new console. It also gives Nintendo a strong launch-period title that does not rely on building a totally new, untested big game from scratch.
Fans should check out the free 10-minute preview clips online before November 5. If you already own a working copy of the original, wait for first review impressions; if you never played it, the special console pre-order window is still open through October 29.
Sources
1. nintendolife.com
Its own forecast: Ocarina of Time Switch 2 will top 250,000 eShop pre-orders by Nov 4 2026 — 65% chance by Nov 4, 2026