The Legend of Zelda franchise is leaving behind millions of players when the next game in the series launches to the masses. The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo’s flagship franchises, standing tall right alongside Super Mario. Zelda has consistently delivered some of the most critically-acclaimed, influential, and innovative games of all time, from the original on the NES to the massive 3D open world adventures on the Switch.
The Legend of Zelda has enjoyed great success on the OG Switch. Nintendo has made many classic Zelda games playable on the platform through things like Nintendo Switch Online’s Nintendo Classics library and remakes like 2019’s The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. The Switch has seen its fair share of Zelda spin-off games as well as brand-new releases like the landmark Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, and the first game where Princess Zelda herself is the main playable character, Echoes of Wisdom. Zelda fans have been treated well on the Switch, but they will soon be left behind.
Ocarina of Time Remake is Skipping Switch 1
The next Zelda game is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, and it’s set to launch later this year as a Switch 2 exclusive. This means those that have yet to upgrade from the Switch 1 will be unable to play the new Zelda game for the first time in nine years, and that’s likely going to ruffle some feathers. However, with the Switch 2 considerably more powerful than its predecessor, Ocarina of Time skipping a Switch 1 version is likely for the best. This way, the Ocarina of Time remake can take full advantage of the Switch 2 hardware.
That being said, there’s little we know about the Ocarina of Time remake in an official capacity. It’s possible that the game will be like the Star Fox Switch 2 remake and basically be nearly identical to the Nintendo 64 original, but with significant graphical upgrades. Alternatively, the Ocarina of Time remake could be a more ambitious project that is more in line with something like the Resident Evil remakes, staying true to its core while simultaneously making significant changes to the experience.
Until Nintendo decides to reveal more information about the Ocarina of Time remake, beyond the brief teaser trailer that it showed at its last Nintendo Direct, all fans can do is speculate about what the game is bringing to the table. Luckily, more information should come sooner rather than later. Nintendo has hosted a Direct in September nearly every year, and chances are it will do the same this year, with the Ocarina of Time remake on full display.
And while the Ocarina of Time remake is skipping Switch 1, there is still some hope that those still playing on Nintendo’s older console will get something from the franchise in the future. After all, it was leaked long ago that Nintendo has Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD Switch 1 ports waiting in the wings, and while it’s possible that it could instead be bringing those games to Switch 2, it would seem like a big missed opportunity, considering the millions that have yet to upgrade. Whatever happens with the Zelda franchise, though, anyone that wants guaranteed access to future games should definitely be sure to buy a Switch 2.
- Released
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2026
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
- Number of Players
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Single-player
