Remake vs original and 3DS

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for Nintendo Switch 2 (Nov 5, 2026) keeps the story, Hyrule and the dungeons of the 1998 Nintendo 64 game and the 2011 3DS remake, but is the only version with a jump button, a free camera, a dash, voiced cutscenes, an orchestral score, time that flows in towns and the Hall of Fallen Heroes. The 3DS version alone has Master Quest, the Boss Challenge and Sheikah Stone hint videos.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Nintendo Switch 2 is the third build of the same quest: it keeps the story, the map and the dungeons of the 1998 Nintendo 64 game and of 2011's Ocarina of Time 3D, but rebuilds the visuals and adds a jump button, a free camera on the Right Stick, a dash, voiced cutscenes, orchestral music and time that keeps moving in towns, as Nintendo showed before its Nov 5, 2026 launch. The 3DS remake still has things the new one has not been shown with, as of Nov 1, 2026: Master Quest, the Boss Challenge and the Sheikah Stone hint videos. Every change, with the footage, is on What's new in the remake; the older versions are on Nintendo 64 original and re-releases and Ocarina of Time 3D.

A sunny town square seen over the shoulder of a boy in a green cap and tunic running on cobblestones with a fairy beside him. Townspeople mill around a stone fountain topped by a winged statue among half-timbered shops and market stalls, with a castle's towers in the distance. Four hearts sit at top left, a slingshot icon with the number 28 and a ZR label at top right, and a map of the square at bottom right. — Young Link runs into a crowded market square with a fountain, half-timbered shops and the castle beyond, with hearts, a slingshot on ZR and a minimap on screen, in an official Nintendo image of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo

Quick facts

	Nintendo 64 (1998)	Nintendo 3DS (2011)	Nintendo Switch 2 (2026)
Released	Nov 21, 1998 (Japan), Nov 23, 1998 (North America)	Jun 16, 2011 (Japan), Jun 19, 2011 (North America)	Nov 5, 2026, worldwide
Made by	Nintendo EAD	Grezzo, with Nintendo	No developer named by Nintendo
Frame rate	20 frames per second	30 frames per second	Not announced; previews saw 60 (IGN, Oct 14, 2026)
Camera	Behind Link, no free rotation	Behind Link; gyro look	Free, on the Right Stick
Jumping	Automatic at ledges	Automatic at ledges	A jump button
Running	Rolling	Rolling	A dash after a held roll
Iron and Hover Boots	Put on from a menu	Item buttons and touch screen	A directional-button shortcut (IGN)
Aiming	Stick	Stick or gyro	Stick or motion
Castle Town	Pre-rendered backdrops	Real-time 3D	Real-time 3D with back alleys, free camera
Time in towns	Stops	Stops	Keeps flowing
Voices	Grunts and short cries	Grunts and short cries	Characters Link meets voiced in cutscenes
Music	Sequenced	Remastered sound	Symphonic orchestral score
Hints	Navi, Gossip Stones	Navi, Sheikah Stone videos	Navi, Threads of Time
Extras	None	Master Quest (mirrored), Boss Challenge	The Hall of Fallen Heroes; Zelda Notes; amiibo masks (2027)
Metascore	99	94	Reviews not out (as of Nov 1, 2026)
Price at launch			$59.99 digital in the US

What stays the same in all three?

The quest itself. All three tell the same story of Link as a child and an adult, with the same Hyrule, the same nine dungeons in the same order, Z-targeting and the same ocarina songs (Story, Walkthrough, Ocarina songs). Series producer Eiji Aonuma said in Nintendo's gameplay demonstration of Sep 8, 2026 that the remake is not a go-anywhere open world like Breath of the Wild but keeps the original's structure, and Nintendo calls it "built from the ground up for the Nintendo Switch 2" on its store page. Previews found the dungeons largely the same, with some Forest Temple rooms and puzzles slightly changed (Nintendo Everything, Oct 24, 2026).

How is the Switch 2 remake different from the Nintendo 64 original?

It plays faster and more freely. Nintendo lists "completely overhauled visuals, voiced cutscenes, expanded dialogue, and symphonic orchestral music", faster loading, a jump button, a dash, a free camera, one-button item switching and motion aiming for the slingshot and bow (Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026). Day and night now keep moving in towns, where the original stopped the clock, and Threads of Time shows the story so far and the next objective. A learned song can be hummed into the Switch 2's microphone. IGN's preview of Oct 14, 2026 adds that the first wallet holds 200 rupees instead of 99, and previews found a fifth Bottle from a new Castle Town quest. Some loading screens stay on purpose, which Aonuma said keeps "the essence of the original game".

How is the Switch 2 remake different from Ocarina of Time 3D?

The 3DS version was a careful rebuild on a handheld with two screens; the new one changes how Link moves. Ocarina of Time 3D, made by Grezzo, kept automatic jumping and the fixed-behind camera, but moved items and the map to the touch screen, turned the Iron and Hover Boots into button items, added gyro aiming and ran at 30 frames per second instead of 20 (Ocarina of Time 3D). It also added the Sheikah Stones' "Visions" hint videos, a Boss Challenge from Link's bed and, after the main quest, a mirrored Master Quest with double damage (Master Quest).

The Switch 2 remake adds what the 3DS one did not have: the jump button, the dash, the free camera, voices, orchestral music, flowing time in towns, Threads of Time and the Hall of Fallen Heroes, where players can learn about defeated monsters and fight them again, shown in Nintendo's overview trailer of Oct 14, 2026 (Bosses). No Nintendo source mentions Master Quest, a Hero Mode or the Sheikah Stones for it, as of Nov 1, 2026.

Which version should you play?

For the newest controls, voices and music, the Nintendo Switch 2 remake from Nov 5, 2026. For the 1998 game as it was, the Nintendo 64 original in Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, which also runs on Nintendo Switch 1 (Switch 1 compatibility). For Master Quest and the Boss Challenge, Ocarina of Time 3D on Nintendo 3DS, the only one of the three that has them. How long each takes is on How Long to Beat: HowLongToBeat's players average about 27 hours for the Nintendo 64 story and about 25 hours for the 3DS story (HowLongToBeat, read Oct 20, 2026).

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the Ocarina of Time remake and the original? The Ocarina of Time remake on Nintendo Switch 2 keeps the original's story, map and dungeons but adds new visuals, a jump button, a dash, a free camera, voiced cutscenes, orchestral music, time that flows in towns and Threads of Time guidance.

Is the Switch 2 Ocarina of Time better than the 3DS version? It is newer and adds jumping, a free camera, voices and orchestral music, but Ocarina of Time 3D keeps features the Switch 2 remake has not been shown with as of Nov 1, 2026: Master Quest, the Boss Challenge and Sheikah Stone hint videos.

Is the Switch 2 Ocarina of Time a port of the 3DS version? No: Nintendo calls the Nintendo Switch 2 Ocarina of Time "built from the ground up for the Nintendo Switch 2", and it was made with new visuals and controls rather than from the 2011 3DS remake.

Does the Ocarina of Time remake have Master Quest like the 3DS version? Nintendo has not announced Master Quest for the Ocarina of Time remake on Nintendo Switch 2, as of Nov 1, 2026; the 3DS version unlocks it after the main quest.

Does the Ocarina of Time remake change the dungeons? Mostly not: the Ocarina of Time remake keeps the original's dungeons in their order, though previews showed some Forest Temple rooms and puzzles slightly changed (Nintendo Everything, Oct 24, 2026).

What frame rate does each version of Ocarina of Time run at? The Nintendo 64 Ocarina of Time ran at 20 frames per second and the 3DS version at 30; Nintendo has not announced the Switch 2 remake's, though IGN's preview of Oct 14, 2026 saw it run at 60.