Some games just show up and take over the whole conversation. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake did exactly that today. It is out now, November 5, 2026, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2, and it arrived carrying a 96 on Metacritic. The highest score any game has earned all year.
That is not a quiet launch. Stores around the world held midnight openings, thousands of fans queued up to get their copy first, and the reviews that landed a day early were almost unanimous: this is the classic, rebuilt from the ground up, and it holds up beautifully. For a game first released in 1998, that is a remarkable thing to say. And an even more remarkable thing to pull off.
If you grew up with the original, today feels like a reunion. If you never played it, today is the best possible time to find out what all the fuss has been about for 28 years.
Ocarina of Time Remake Review Scores: A 96 on Metacritic
Let us start with the number everyone is talking about. The Ocarina of Time remake holds a 96 on Metacritic, based on 84 critic reviews. And every single one of them is positive. Not one mixed review, not one negative. On OpenCritic it sits at 95, with a 100% recommendation rate from critics.
That makes it the best-reviewed game of 2026 so far, and the highest-rated game since Baldur’s Gate 3 in 2023. In fact, the remake has equalled Baldur’s Gate 3’s Metacritic score of 96. No other game since 2023 has reached that mark. For context, our own Baldur’s Gate 3 review called it storytelling at its finest, so the remake is keeping very good company.
The individual scores tell the same story. GamesRadar+ and VGC both gave it a perfect 5/5, TheGamer awarded it 5/5, IGN scored it 9/10, GameSpot gave it 9/10, and Nintendo Life handed it 9/10 while calling it “a must-buy for Switch 2”. Though it did note the remake plays things safe. In Japan, Famitsu scored it 37/40, with its four reviewers giving it 9, 9, 9 and 10.
There is one score the remake has not beaten, and it never really stood a chance: the original. The 1998 Nintendo 64 version still holds a 99 on Metacritic, the highest score the site has ever recorded for any game. The remake does comfortably beat Nintendo’s last attempt at revisiting the game, though. Ocarina of Time 3D on the 3DS sits at 94. The new version also lands among the 30 highest-rated games of all time on Metacritic, which is an extraordinary place for a remake to sit.
One score is still missing. Metacritic’s user score does not open until November 6 at noon Pacific time, so players have not had their say yet. That is usually where the real arguments start, especially with a game this beloved. But for now, the critics could hardly be clearer.
What Is New in the Ocarina of Time Remake?
This is not a quick remaster. Nintendo has rebuilt the game from the ground up for Switch 2, and the changes go well beyond prettier graphics. The world of Hyrule has been rebuilt as one seamless open world, the lighting and detail are on a completely different level from the 1998 original, and a string of modern touches bring the adventure up to date without rewriting it.
The biggest change is one you will hear before you see. Cutscenes are now fully voiced, with English voice acting throughout, and the soundtrack has been re-recorded as a full symphonic score. The music of Ocarina of Time, from the title theme to the songs you play on the ocarina itself, has always been half the reason people love this game, so hearing it performed by a real orchestra is a genuine event, not a gimmick.
The controls have been reworked too. Link can now jump with a dedicated button, something the original never allowed. In 1998 he hopped automatically at ledges. The camera can be rotated freely with the right stick, motion aiming is in for the bow and slingshot, and there is a lovely new way to play the ocarina: you can hum, sing or play the notes into the Switch 2’s microphone, and if Link knows the song, he will play it. A licensed HORI electric ocarina, priced at $49.99, plays the game’s 12 songs the same way for players who want the full performance.
Amiibo support is in as well, unlocking masks based on the original Nintendo 64 character models, and old favourites return in rebuilt form. Dark Link is back as the Water Temple’s mini-boss, now carrying a crested shield and a sharper look. On the technical side, pre-release reports point to native 1080p at a locked 60 frames per second in TV mode, with HDR and variable refresh rate support.
Is the Ocarina of Time Remake Worth It?
That is the question most people are actually asking, and the honest answer depends on who you are. But the reviews make a strong case either way.
If you never played the original, this is the easiest recommendation of the year. You are getting one of the most celebrated adventure games ever made, rebuilt with modern controls, full voice acting and an orchestral score, and it is the highest-rated game of 2026. There is a reason this game tops “greatest of all time” lists nearly three decades after it came out: the dungeons, the time-travel structure, the way young Link and adult Link play differently. It all still works. Very few games from 1998 hold up this well, and this remake removes most of the friction that used to put new players off.
If you played the original, the value is in the details. This is not the same game with a fresh coat of paint. The voiced scenes, the orchestral music, the new jump and camera controls, and the chance to hum a song into the microphone and have Link play it back. These are the kinds of touches that make a replay feel like a first playthrough again. Nintendo Life’s one reservation is worth keeping in mind: it calls the remake “a very safe remake,” faithful to a fault. If you were hoping for new dungeons or a reimagined story, that is not what this is. What it is, is the game you remember, at its best.
There is also the timing to consider. This is the flagship release of Zelda’s 40th anniversary year, and Nintendo is clearly treating it that way. The remake was the centrepiece of the anniversary Direct in September, and a limited 40th Anniversary Switch 2 console launched a week before the game. If you own a Switch 2 and have any affection for adventure games, this is the one the whole year has been building towards.
Ocarina of Time Remake Price: Digital vs Physical
The remake comes in two editions, and the choice is refreshingly simple. The digital version costs $59.99 on the Nintendo eShop, while the physical edition costs $69.99 at retail. The download is around 27 GB, so it will fit comfortably on most Switch 2 systems without much juggling.
The $10 difference buys you the cartridge and the packaging. The first print run of the physical edition ships with a textured foil cover, while later print runs will use the standard cover. So collectors will want to move sooner rather than later. There is no collector’s edition or deluxe edition, and no season pass or DLC has been announced, so you are not missing hidden content either way.
Digital buyers get one small bonus of their own: anyone who buys the game before November 23, 2026 gets a Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary digital wallpaper. A Young Link amiibo, priced at $24.99, is also available alongside the game.
Our advice is simple. Buy digital if you want to play tonight and do not care about the box. Buy physical if you collect Zelda releases or know you will value that foil cover on the shelf. Either way, you are paying the same price for the same game.
Is the Ocarina of Time Remake on Switch 1 or PC?
No. And this is the catch. The remake is exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo has not announced a version for the original Switch, and there is no PC version either. It is a ground-up rebuild designed for the new console, and it is single-player only.
That exclusivity is clearly part of Nintendo’s plan. The Switch 2 has now sold 26.35 million units as of the end of September, and a 96-rated Zelda exclusive landing in the run-up to the holidays is exactly the kind of release that sells consoles to people who have been waiting for a reason. If you are still on the original Switch, this is the game Nintendo is betting will finally pull you across.
Midnight Launches Brought Thousands Out: Physical Gaming Is Not Dead
Perhaps the most striking image of launch day did not come from the game at all. It came from the queues. Stores around the world held midnight launches for the remake, and thousands of fans turned up. In London, the queue at one Argos launch was reported to be 500 people strong. A reminder that midnight launches, once a fixture of big game releases, are not quite history yet.
That matters because physical games have been the hottest argument in gaming this year. Sony’s decision to stop producing physical games for its next console upset a lot of players, and Nintendo’s answer, at least this week, was a game people lined up around the block to buy on a cartridge. The $69.99 physical edition, foil cover and all, is selling the idea that the box still means something.
It is fitting, too, that this is happening in Zelda’s 40th anniversary year. The remake was announced during a Nintendo Direct in June 2026, with its November 5 date confirmed at the 40th Anniversary Direct on September 8. Nintendo is celebrating four decades of Zelda with its most beloved entry rebuilt for a new generation. And the crowds outside the shops suggest the celebration is landing.
What Happens Next
The next milestone to watch is the player verdict. Metacritic user reviews open on November 6, and with a game this famous, the gap between the critics’ 96 and the players’ score will be one of the most watched numbers in gaming this week. Early signs are good. But Zelda fans are protective of this one, and they will not grade on nostalgia alone.
Zoom out, and this launch caps a remarkable few weeks for the industry. Phantom Blade Zero topped Steam after selling 4 million copies in 72 hours, Modern Warfare 4 became Steam’s best-selling shooter at launch, World of Warcraft: Forever opened a whole new chapter of Azeroth this week, and GTA 6 is now just two weeks away from its November 19 console launch. November 2026 is shaping up to be one of the biggest months gaming has ever had. And it started with a 28-year-old game setting the pace.
For now, though, the story is simple. The highest-rated game of all time has a remake, the remake is the highest-rated game of 2026, and it is out today on Switch 2. If you have been waiting for a reason to return to Hyrule, this is it.
Review scores via Metacritic and the review roundup at Polygon.
