How Long to Beat

0:16 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time takes about 27 hours to beat: HowLongToBeat's players average 26 hours 44 minutes for the main story of the Nintendo 64 original, 30 hours 19 minutes with side content and 37 hours 22 minutes to finish everything (read Oct 20, 2026). Nintendo has not said how long the Nintendo Switch 2 remake takes, as of Oct 20, 2026. In his demonstration of Sep 8, 2026, series producer Eiji Aonuma calls the remake "a faithful interpretation using modern technologies" of the 1998 game, and the press that has played it reports the same dungeons and quest items, so the original's numbers are the best guide until players time the remake after Nov 5, 2026.

Quick facts

How long is Ocarina of Time?

HowLongToBeat collects times that players submit and averages them by play style. On its page for the Nintendo 64 game, read on Oct 20, 2026, 498 players who played only the story averaged 26 hours 44 minutes; 550 who also did some side quests averaged 30 hours 19 minutes; and 355 who finished everything averaged 37 hours 22 minutes. Across all 1,403 submitted times, the average is 30 hours 21 minutes. The guide publisher GameWith, in its guide updated Aug 24, 2026, gives a wider range of 20 to 30 hours for the story and about 40 hours for 100 percent, adding that the side quests and collectibles take about 10 more hours and that nothing is locked until after the ending.

The 2011 remake Ocarina of Time 3D measures almost the same: 25 hours 6 minutes for the story, 31 hours 18 minutes with extras and 38 hours 27 minutes for completionists, on HowLongToBeat's page for it (read Oct 20, 2026). Master Quest, with its rearranged and harder dungeons, has its own entry and is not counted here.

Most of the time goes into the nine dungeons, which are built around puzzles; how long a first-time player spends depends mostly on how often they get stuck. The Walkthrough gives the order, and the Beginner's guide covers what the game does not explain.

What the remake changes

10:14 Several of the remake's changes save time on the move. In Nintendo's demonstration, Aonuma says that in the original "some players rolled to get around faster"; now holding the A Button makes Link roll and then dash, and "Dashing is recommended whenever you're traveling longer distances." IGN, which played the remake for its preview of Oct 14, 2026, reports that sprinting across Hyrule Field from Kokiri Forest to Castle Town takes less than 90 seconds. Nintendo also promises faster load times.

3:21 Link can jump at the press of a button and "can also swim faster", Aonuma says, and he can dive when he spots something below. Equipment can be swapped from shortcuts instead of the pause menu (IGN noticed the Iron Boots on a directional button in the Water Temple), which removes one of the original's slowest chores. The full list is on What's new in the remake.

8:42 Some things stay as they were. Aonuma says "there's a loading screen whenever you move between certain areas. This is something we intentionally kept to preserve the essence of the original game." He then opens Threads of Time, a new menu that shows the story so far and "what your next objective is", which should cut the time players spend wondering where to go.

11:39 The remake also adds things to do. Hyrule Castle Town gains back alleys with "quite a few new details", gossip and "minigames in shops", and Aonuma adds: "I think there might be a few players who will spend quite some time here." Character dialogue is expanded and cutscenes are fully voiced, Nintendo says.

2:39 Nintendo's overview trailer of Oct 14, 2026 shows one new optional feature that can add hours: "somewhere in this world" lies a hall where "statues of defeated monsters reside", and players can learn about them or "engage in rematches with powerful foes". Nintendo of America's article the same day calls it the Hall of Fallen Heroes. Zelda Notes in the Nintendo Switch App adds daily records, location quests and a quiz outside the game, and the Young Link and Young Zelda amiibo due in 2027 unlock masks.

What is not known, as of Oct 20, 2026: how long the remake takes, how many Pieces of Heart, Gold Skulltulas or rematches it has, and whether it has a post-game such as Master Quest or a Hero Mode. Nintendo has announced none of these. NPR's reporter, who had a 90-minute preview session (Oct 14, 2026), wrote that the richer environments "could confuse as well as dazzle", which may cost new players some time.

What 100 percent means

1:17 Ocarina of Time has no completion percentage on screen, so "100 percent" is what players agree on: every side quest, every Piece of Heart and every Gold Skulltula Token, as Zelda Dungeon's 14-chapter walkthrough puts it when it sets out to cover "everything". In practice that means:

• All 20 hearts: 0:13 the 36 Pieces of Heart and the 8 Heart Containers from bosses, which IGN's guide of Sep 19, 2026 adds up to "a full 20 hearts".
• All 100 Gold Skulltulas: 0:12 IGN's guide of Oct 8, 2026 notes that many are needed for 100 percent, including a Piece of Heart for 50 tokens at the House of Skulltula.
• All four Bottles, including the one for ten Big Poes.
• All six Great Fairy Fountains: three spells, two Magic Meter upgrades and the defense upgrade.
• The upgrades: wallets, quivers, bomb and bullet bags, and Biggoron's Sword at the end of the adult trading quest.
• The masks from the Happy Mask Shop and the other side quests and minigames.
• The 12 Ocarina songs, all needed for the story, plus the optional Scarecrow's Song.

The longest of these are the Gold Skulltulas, many of which appear only at night, and the trading quest, whose timed steps fail if Link uses a warp song on the way.

Speedrun records

2:28 The fastest finish is far shorter. The Any% record on speedrun.com, the community leaderboard, is 3 minutes 47.900 seconds by CountLG, set on Jul 13, 2024 on a Nintendo 64 and still first as of Oct 20, 2026. His run leaves Kokiri Forest and jumps straight to the ending, using memory-corrupting glitches that the Speedrunning and glitches page explains.

2:08 Records have not always been that short. In retromeister's history of the Any% record, the run announced on Mar 31, 2003, by the player TSA took 6 hours 45 minutes 17 seconds "from start to finish" and "didn't use any form of major glitches". The other main records on speedrun.com, read Oct 20, 2026:

0:00 All Dungeons means beating "the eight main dungeons" and collecting the Spiritual Stone or Medallion from each, as ZFG explains in his commentated run; he plays the Japanese Wii Virtual Console release, which has faster text and loading. The Glitchless record, just over two hours, is the closest a speedrun comes to playing the game as intended.

10:57 The newest of these records came in August 2026: bradyONE beat the Defeat Ganon category in "6 minutes and 47 seconds on original hardware done in real time", in TheSaveFiles' narrated breakdown of the run. Guinness World Records also lists a fastest 100% completion of 3:45:46 by glitchymon (Jul 12, 2023), under rules different from speedrun.com's 100% category. Whether the remake keeps any of the glitches these runs rely on is unknown until it is out.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to beat Ocarina of Time? Ocarina of Time takes about 27 hours to beat: HowLongToBeat's players average 26 hours 44 minutes for the main story of the Nintendo 64 version (read Oct 20, 2026).

How long is Ocarina of Time 100 percent? Finishing everything in Ocarina of Time takes about 37 hours on average, by HowLongToBeat's completionist times read Oct 20, 2026 (37 hours 22 minutes on the Nintendo 64, 38 hours 27 minutes for Ocarina of Time 3D).

How long is the Ocarina of Time remake? Nintendo has not said how long the Ocarina of Time remake for Nintendo Switch 2 takes to beat, as of Oct 20, 2026; Eiji Aonuma calls it a faithful interpretation of the 1998 game, which takes about 27 hours.

Is the Ocarina of Time remake longer than the original? It is not known yet: the Ocarina of Time remake adds new Castle Town minigames, expanded dialogue and the Hall of Fallen Heroes rematches, but also dashing, faster swimming and faster load times, and Nintendo has given no playtime as of Oct 20, 2026.

What do you need for 100 percent in Ocarina of Time? 100 percent in Ocarina of Time means all 20 hearts (36 Pieces of Heart and 8 Heart Containers), all 100 Gold Skulltulas, all four Bottles, all six Great Fairies, Biggoron's Sword, the upgrades, the masks and every side quest.

What is the Ocarina of Time speedrun world record? The Ocarina of Time Any% world record is 3 minutes 47.900 seconds by CountLG, set on Jul 13, 2024 and still first on speedrun.com as of Oct 20, 2026; the 100% record is 3:00:39 by zfg (Mar 11, 2021).

How long is Ocarina of Time 3D? Ocarina of Time 3D takes about 25 hours for the story and about 38 hours for everything, by HowLongToBeat's averages read Oct 20, 2026.

Sources

• How long is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time?, HowLongToBeat, read Oct 20, 2026
• How long is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D?, HowLongToBeat, read Oct 20, 2026
• Completion Time and Game Length, GameWith, updated Aug 24, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time leaderboards, speedrun.com, read Oct 20, 2026
• Fastest 100% completion of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Guinness World Records, read Oct 20, 2026
• Hands-on with the Ocarina of Time remake, the most ornate Zelda game ever made, NPR (via WUNC), Oct 14, 2026
• You have been summoned to watch the new The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time overview trailer, Nintendo of America, Oct 14, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary celebration revealed in new Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Is More Different Than You Think | IGN Preview, IGN, Oct 14, 2026 (video)
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Mr. Aonuma Gameplay Demonstration, Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026 (video)
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Overview Trailer - Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo of America, Oct 14, 2026 (video)
• The 40 Biggest Changes in the Zelda: Ocarina of Time Gameplay, IGN, Sep 12, 2026 (video)
• Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Walkthrough 01 (1/5) "Kokiri Sword", Zelda Dungeon, Apr 22, 2009 (video)
• Zelda Ocarina of Time - All 36 Heart Piece Locations IN ORDER, IGN, Sep 19, 2026 (video)
• How to Get All 100 Gold Skulltulas in Zelda: Ocarina of Time, IGN, Oct 8, 2026 (video)
• Ocarina of Time Any% Speedrun in 3:47.900 (WR), CountLG, Jul 13, 2024 (video)
• Ocarina of Time - World Record History and Progression (Any% Speedrun, 1990s-2017), retromeister, Nov 24, 2017 (video)
• [Commentated] Ocarina of Time All Dungeons Speedrun (World Record), ZFG, Dec 17, 2025 (video)
• The Ocarina of Time Speedrun Record Was Just Broken, TheSaveFiles, Aug 23, 2026 (video)