Nintendo 64 original and re-releases

0:16 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was released for the Nintendo 64 on Nov 21, 1998 in Japan, Nov 23, 1998 in North America, Dec 11, 1998 in Europe and Dec 18, 1998 in Australia. Introducing the remake in Nintendo's demonstration of Sep 8, 2026, series producer Eiji Aonuma says over Nintendo 64 footage of the original that it "was the first 3D game in the Legend of Zelda series", in which you played "as both child... and adult Link", with a mechanic for targeting enemies and the Goron and Zora tribes. Nintendo EAD developed it (Development history), it sold 7.6 million copies by Nintendo's count at GDC 2004, and it has been sold again on almost every Nintendo home system since: GameCube, the Chinese iQue Player, the Wii and Wii U Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online. Ocarina of Time 3D (Nintendo 3DS, 2011) and the Nintendo Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nov 5, 2026) are rebuilt games rather than re-releases; Master Quest, its remixed dungeons, first shipped on GameCube.

Quick facts

The 1998 release

Ocarina of Time reached Japan first, on Nov 21, 1998, two days ahead of North America and three weeks ahead of Europe. It shipped on a 32 MB cartridge, the format the game moved to after it was first planned for the Nintendo 64DD disk drive. The launch was the biggest Nintendo had seen: more than 500,000 pre-orders in the United States, a Guinness World Records entry for advance orders, 2.5 million copies sold in the US in 1998 and 920,000 in Japan, where it was the eighth best seller of the year (IGN, Jan 7, 1999). How it was received is on Reception and legacy.

North American pre-orders came in a "Collector's Edition" box holding a gold-colored cartridge, continuing a custom that began with the gold cartridge of the original Legend of Zelda in 1986 (according to Wikipedia). Standard copies used a gray cartridge.

Versions 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2

0:28 Ocarina of Time exists in three Nintendo 64 revisions in Japan and North America, 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2, and two in Europe. OmegaX5000's version guide of Dec 25, 2013 calls them Ocarina 1, 2 and 3: the first, sold on gold and gray cartridges, was on shelves the shortest time because of its text errors and glitches, and each later revision corrected more of them. Zelda Wiki, a community reference, says the Japanese and North American copies of each revision are identical apart from a region and language byte, and that all five Nintendo 64 versions were finished before the Nov 21, 1998 launch.

1:19 The cartridges themselves differ around the world. KCTries' version comparison of Dec 7, 2020 lists Japanese, Brazilian, Australian, European, Hong Kong and Taiwan cartridges besides the North American gray, gold Collector's and Player's Choice ones, and explains the builds: NTSC for the US and Japan with versions 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2, and PAL for Europe with two versions, its 1.0 matching NTSC 1.1 and its 1.1 matching NTSC 1.2. Among the fixes in 1.1, KCTries points to a glitch that let Link leave the fishing pond with the rod.

1:40 The best known change is the Fire Temple music. Versions 1.0 and 1.1 use a chanting sample in the dungeon's theme; version 1.2 and every later release replace it with a different track, which OmegaX5000 describes as a slight remix of the Shadow Temple's music. In 2012 Nintendo told GameTrailers that the chant came from a commercial sound library, and OmegaX5000 stresses that the change followed Nintendo's own policy against religious material rather than any public outcry. Zelda Wiki and a GameTrailers episode of Feb 22, 2011, which compared debug data across versions, both place the change before the game's release.

2:32 Version 1.2 also recolored Ganondorf's blood. In versions 1.0 and 1.1 he coughs up red blood after the final battle in the collapsing castle, and blood splatters from Ganon's head at the finishing blow; in 1.2 and the European versions both are green. OmegaX5000 suggests the change was meant to protect the game's rating, which is his guess rather than Nintendo's word.

GameCube: the bonus disc and the Collector's Edition

3:38 The GameCube versions are a modified version 1.2. OmegaX5000 shows the main change: the Gerudo crest, a crescent moon and star on blocks, switches and the Mirror Shield, is replaced everywhere by the design introduced in Majora's Mask. The same build later appeared as a playable trial in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he notes.

4:21 Nintendo put Ocarina of Time on GameCube twice. The first was the "Ocarina of Time / Master Quest" bonus disc, with the original game and the remixed Master Quest, a pre-order bonus for The Wind Waker in Japan from Nov 28, 2002 and in North America and Europe in 2003 (Feb 17 or Feb 18, 2003 in North America, May 3, 2003 in Europe), sold in some regions in a bundle with The Wind Waker. The second was The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition (Japan Nov 7, 2003; UK Nov 14, 2003; US Nov 17, 2003), which held The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask with a Wind Waker demo; in North America it came with GameCube bundles, Nintendo Power subscriptions and game registrations. KCTries lists the European offers, including the Mario Kart: Double Dash!! limited pack and Club Nintendo.

7:22 The GameCube discs emulate the Nintendo 64 game rather than port it, at 640x480 with progressive scan instead of 320x240. The button colors match the GameCube controller, Z-targeting becomes "L Targeting" on the L Button, items go on the C-Stick and the X, Y and Z Buttons, and KCTries notes that the slowdown of the original, such as during the tower escape, is gone.

iQue Player, Virtual Console and Super Smash Bros. Brawl

8:13 In China, Ocarina of Time was released for the iQue Player in November 2003 (Nov 17 according to Zelda Wiki, Nov 18 in iQue's own press release as cited by Wikipedia), a full Chinese translation of version 1.2 and the first Zelda game sold in China. KCTries points out that the faster hardware removes the lag of the Nintendo 64 but puts the audio out of sync when Ganon's castle collapses. The Wii Virtual Console version followed on Feb 26, 2007 in North America (Feb 23 in Europe, Feb 22 in Australia) for 1000 Wii Points, and the Wii U Virtual Console version on Jul 2, 2015 in North America and Europe (Jul 3 in Australia, Dec 23, 2015 in Japan). Both use version 1.2 with the GameCube changes but the Nintendo 64's button colors. The Wii's controllers had no rumble, which made the Stone of Agony useless there; the Wii U restored it.

9:06 Ocarina of Time was also one of the "Masterpieces" in Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii (2008), a timed trial unlocked by playing ten battles as Toon Link. KCTries explains that it could be played for a few minutes from two saves, one as young Link at the start of the game and one as adult Link just after drawing the Master Sword.

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack

1:24 Ocarina of Time was part of the launch lineup of Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, the higher membership tier that added Nintendo 64 games on Oct 25, 2021 in North America (Oct 26 in Europe). Arekkz Gaming's launch-day video of Oct 26, 2021 lists the first nine Nintendo 64 games, Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Mario Kart 64, Lylat Wars, Sin and Punishment, Dr. Mario 64, Mario Tennis 64, Operation WinBack and Yoshi's Story, and plays Ocarina of Time on Switch.

2:42 The Switch version offers both the North American and the European game. Arekkz explains that Nintendo clarified before launch that every Nintendo 64 game in the Expansion Pack would be offered at 60 Hz: picking the North American version gives 60 Hz, and the European (PAL) version, which once ran at 50 Hz, can still be chosen from the menu. On Nintendo Switch 2 the original is in the "Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Classics" collection, which still requires Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.

The Nintendo Switch 2 game of Nov 5, 2026 is a new remake, not one of these re-releases: Nintendo calls it "built from the ground up for the Nintendo Switch 2" (What's new in the remake, Release date and time). Aonuma says in the same demonstration that it keeps the loading screens between certain areas "to preserve the essence of the original game".

Frequently asked questions

When did Ocarina of Time come out on the Nintendo 64? The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time came out on the Nintendo 64 on Nov 21, 1998 in Japan, Nov 23, 1998 in North America, Dec 11, 1998 in Europe and Dec 18, 1998 in Australia.

What is the gold cartridge of Ocarina of Time? The gold cartridge was the North American pre-order version of Ocarina of Time, sold in a "Collector's Edition" box; the game on it is the same as on the gray cartridge, and early gold copies are version 1.0.

What is the difference between Ocarina of Time 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2? Ocarina of Time 1.1 and 1.2 fix text errors and glitches found in 1.0, and version 1.2 also replaces the Fire Temple's chanting music and turns Ganondorf's blood from red to green; the GameCube, Virtual Console and Switch versions are built on 1.2.

Is Ocarina of Time on Nintendo Switch Online? Yes: Ocarina of Time has been on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack since Oct 25, 2021, and on Nintendo Switch 2 it is in the Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Classics collection, which needs the Expansion Pack.

Was Ocarina of Time on the Wii and the GameCube? Ocarina of Time was released on the Wii Virtual Console on Feb 26, 2007 (1000 Wii Points), on the Wii U Virtual Console on Jul 2, 2015, and twice on GameCube: the Ocarina of Time / Master Quest bonus disc (2002 to 2003) and The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition (2003).

Which version of Ocarina of Time should I play? For the 1998 game itself, the Nintendo Switch Online version is the easiest to reach today; Ocarina of Time 3D (Nintendo 3DS, 2011) rebuilt it with new graphics and extras, and the Nintendo Switch 2 remake due Nov 5, 2026 rebuilds it again.

Sources

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Wikidata (release dates), read Oct 14, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Zelda Wiki (community reference: revisions, re-release dates, iQue, Switch Online), read Oct 14, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time / Master Quest, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Wikipedia (gold cartridge), read Oct 14, 2026
• Zelda Breaks All Records, IGN, Jan 7, 1999
• GDC 2004: The History of Zelda, IGN, Mar 26, 2004
• Zelda's Study: Nintendo almost offended gamers of the world's second largest religion, Zelda Universe (community reference), May 28, 2019
• Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Classics, Nintendo of America, read Oct 14, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo Switch 2), Nintendo of America, read Oct 14, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Mr. Aonuma Gameplay Demonstration, Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026 (video)
• Ocarina of Time Version Differences, OmegaX5000, Dec 25, 2013 (video)
• The Legend of Zelda Version Differences: Ocarina of Time vs Ocarina of Time 3D, KCTries, Dec 7, 2020 (video)
• Ocarina of Time on SWITCH! Nintendo Switch Online Expansion is Here + N64 Game Details & More!, Arekkz Gaming, Oct 26, 2021 (video)