Release date and time

14:15 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time comes out worldwide on Thursday, Nov 5, 2026, on Nintendo Switch 2 only. Series producer Eiji Aonuma gave the date at the end of Nintendo's gameplay demonstration on Sep 8, 2026: "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches November 5th." Nintendo's stores in the US, the UK and Japan all list the same day. Nintendo has not announced the hour the game unlocks or a date from which it can be pre-loaded, as of Oct 15, 2026. What the remake changes is on What's new in the remake, and what it costs on Editions, price and pre-order bonuses.

Quick facts

Release date by region

Every Nintendo store page read on Oct 14, 2026 gives Nov 5, 2026. Nintendo of America's store says "Releases 11/5/26", Nintendo UK lists 05/11/2026 (Nov 5 in British order), and Nintendo Japan gives Thursday, Nov 5, 2026. No region gets the game earlier, and Nintendo has not announced any early access or demo.

Launch timeline

Every date Nintendo has set around the game, as of Oct 15, 2026:

0:14 The latest stop was Nintendo's overview trailer of Oct 14, 2026, three weeks before launch: a narrated tour of the story's opening, Hyrule's characters, dungeons, items and ocarina songs, a hall where players can refight defeated monsters, Zelda Notes and the new amiibo. It gives no new date or launch hour (Trailers and Nintendo Directs).

What time does Ocarina of Time come out?

Nintendo has not announced a launch hour for the Ocarina of Time remake as of Oct 15, 2026, and none of its store pages give one. The Nintendo eShop has usually unlocked new Nintendo games at midnight local time in each region, which would make Japan, New Zealand and Australia among the first to play and the Americas among the last, but that is general practice, not Nintendo's statement for this game. This page will give the hour when Nintendo does.

Pre-load and pre-ordering

Nintendo has not announced a pre-load date. Digital pre-orders can usually be downloaded before release on the Nintendo eShop, but Nintendo's pages for this game do not say when, and its US page warns that the estimated 27 GB download size may not be final at pre-order. It still said 27 GB on Oct 25, 2026, the day Nintendeal reported 24.54 GB from data mined from the eShop's back end (GamingBible); Nintendo has not confirmed that figure, and GamingBible expects the store page to change in the following days. Nintendo UK's store notes that a pre-order is paid automatically from seven days before release, and that the content cannot be played before the release date.

Pre-orders opened on the Nintendo eShop and Nintendo's own stores with the Direct of Sep 8, 2026. The first physical print run comes in special packaging with textured foil cover art, while supplies last. On the US eShop, buying the download before Nov 23, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT earns a digital wallpaper, sent by a My Nintendo link after the offer ends, Nintendo's page said on Oct 23, 2026 (more on Editions, price and pre-order bonuses).

How the date was announced

0:00 Nintendo revealed the remake on Jun 9, 2026, as the final announcement of that day's Nintendo Direct, with a window of "2026". The 98-second reveal shows no gameplay: a narrator tells the legend of Hyrule over a woven tapestry, "Long ago, there was a land called Hyrule, created by beings of supreme divinity", down to the Kokiri boy "who did not have a fairy", before Young Link is shown asleep in his treehouse. Nintendo's own listing called it "The Nintendo 64 classic returns for a new generation in 2026, reborn exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2".

3:59 The date came three months later, in The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct, streamed on Sep 8, 2026 at 7 a.m. PT. Shigeru Miyamoto opens it by marking 40 years since the first game launched on the Famicom in 1986 and announcing the live-action film The Legend of Zelda for Apr 30, 2027. Aonuma's 15-minute demonstration of the remake followed, ending on the Nov 5 date (Trailers and Nintendo Directs).

2:30 The Direct closed on a new trailer for the game. Its last seconds hold Ganondorf's line "Now this world and the Triforce belong to me!", then an end card with the Nov 5, 2026 date and the textured foil packaging of the first print run.

The 40th Anniversary Edition system comes first

29:47 The Nintendo Switch 2 The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition system arrives a week before the game, on Oct 29, 2026, with a Triforce design and dark green Joy-Con; the Direct shows it with the date "Available 10.29.2026". A matching Pro Controller and a carrying case come the same day. The system does not include Ocarina of Time, which is bought separately. Its pre-orders sold out: Bill van Zyll, Nintendo's vice president and general manager for Latin America, said in a video interview reported on Oct 18, 2026 that "We underestimated how well it would be received", apologized, and said Nintendo is working on replenishments of the system, the Pro Controller and related software, but "I can't tell you dates right now" (My Nintendo News; Game Rant, Oct 25, 2026, citing GamesRadar+).

Other dates set in the same Direct: Young Link and Young Zelda amiibo, which unlock retro-style masks in the game, are due in 2027; the 40th Anniversary concerts start in Tokyo in January 2027 and reach Chicago in February, London in April and Melbourne in May; the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto adds a Master Sword photo spot from Nov 5, 2026.

The original's release

The original 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, so the remake arrives almost exactly 28 years later. Every later version and when it came out is on Nintendo 64 original and re-releases.

Frequently asked questions

When does the Ocarina of Time remake come out? The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2 comes out on Thursday, Nov 5, 2026, worldwide. Nintendo announced the date on Sep 8, 2026.

What time does Ocarina of Time unlock on Nov 5? Nintendo has not announced a launch hour for the Ocarina of Time remake as of Oct 15, 2026. The Nintendo eShop usually unlocks new games at midnight local time, but Nintendo has not confirmed that for this game.

Can you pre-load the Ocarina of Time remake? Nintendo has not announced a pre-load date for Ocarina of Time on Nintendo Switch 2 as of Oct 15, 2026. Its US store lists an estimated download size of 27 GB (Oct 25, 2026), while data mined from the eShop's back end shows 24.54 GB (Nintendeal, Oct 25, 2026).

How big is the Ocarina of Time remake download? Nintendo's US store estimates 27 GB for Ocarina of Time on Nintendo Switch 2 and warns the figure may not be final (read Oct 25, 2026); Nintendeal reported 24.54 GB from the eShop's back-end data that day, which Nintendo has not confirmed.

What comes out before the Ocarina of Time remake? The Nintendo Switch 2 The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition system comes out on Oct 29, 2026, a week before the Ocarina of Time remake on Nov 5, 2026; Nintendo's latest video before launch is the overview trailer of Oct 14, 2026.

Is the Ocarina of Time remake coming to Switch 1? No: the Ocarina of Time remake is exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2, and Nintendo lists no Nintendo Switch version. The 1998 Nintendo 64 original can be played on Nintendo Switch through Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.

Is there early access for the Ocarina of Time remake? Nintendo has announced no early access, demo or earlier release in any region for the Ocarina of Time remake; it comes out everywhere on Nov 5, 2026.

Is the Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 sold out? Its pre-orders sold out in Oct 2026; Nintendo's Latin America head Bill van Zyll said Nintendo underestimated demand and is working on restocks, without giving dates (reported Oct 18 and Oct 25, 2026). The Ocarina of Time remake is sold separately.

Does the Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 come with Ocarina of Time? No: the Nintendo Switch 2 The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition system, out on Oct 29, 2026, does not include the Ocarina of Time remake, which is sold separately.

When was the original Ocarina of Time released? The original Ocarina of Time was released on the Nintendo 64 on Nov 21, 1998 in Japan and Nov 23, 1998 in North America.

Sources

• Nintendo: Zelda is a global phenomenon and they underestimated interest in 40th anniversary products, My Nintendo News, Oct 18, 2026
• Nintendo Issues New Official Statement on Zelda Switch 2 Console Restocks, Game Rant, Oct 25, 2026
• Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake's official download size on Switch 2 is surprisingly low, GamingBible, Oct 25, 2026 (Nintendeal's 24.54 GB from the eShop's back end)
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo Switch 2), Nintendo of America, read Oct 15 and Oct 23, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (physical, My Nintendo Store), Nintendo of America, read Oct 14, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Nintendo UK, read Oct 14, 2026
• ゼルダの伝説 時のオカリナ, Nintendo Co., Ltd., read 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 40th Anniversary Direct 9.8.2026, Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026
• Nintendo Direct 6.9.2026, Nintendo of America, Jun 9, 2026
• Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake announced for Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Everything, Jun 9, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time trailer for the Switch 2 finally gives fans gameplay and release date, Cat with Monocle, Sep 8, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Wikidata (Nintendo 64 release dates), read Oct 14, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Overview Trailer - Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo of America, 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 - Nintendo Direct 6.9.2026, Nintendo of America, Jun 9, 2026 (video)
• The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct 9.8.2026, Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026 (video)
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct 9.8.2026, Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026 (video)