Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Switch 2 — release date, price and availability

Ocarina of Time launches November 5, 2026 — and this version is Switch 2 only

Nintendo’s new The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time arrives on November 5, 2026. This is not a patch for the Nintendo 64 version, and it is not a Nintendo Switch 1 release. Nintendo describes it as a game built from the ground up for Nintendo Switch 2.

The official Canadian listing currently shows the digital version for preorder and estimates a 27 GB download. Nintendo lists TV, tabletop and handheld play, with one player on a single system.

For anyone trying to answer the practical question — can I buy it, what does it cost, and which version do I need? — the current picture is fairly simple.

Detail	Current information
Release date	November 5, 2026
Platform	Nintendo Switch 2 only
Canada digital price	C$84.99
U.S. digital price	US$59.99
Canada physical price	C$99.99 at major retailers checked
Estimated digital size	27 GB
Physical edition	Yes
First-print physical extra	Textured foil cover art, while supplies last
Anniversary Switch 2 required?	No

The prices and stock above were checked on October 9, 2026. Retail availability can change much faster than the release details.

Preorders are open, but physical availability is already uneven

Nintendo’s Canadian Zelda storefront lists Ocarina of Time at C$84.99 with preorders open. Nintendo’s U.S. store lists the game at US$59.99.

Physical copies are more expensive in Canada. Best Buy Canada lists the Switch 2 physical edition at C$99.99. EB Games lists the same C$99.99 price, although its product page showed the game as out of stock when we checked.

That does not mean physical copies are broadly sold out. It means stock is already retailer-specific more than three weeks before launch.

The real preorder wrinkle is the packaging. Nintendo says the first print run of the physical edition will use textured foil cover art while supplies last. If you care about that specific version, preordering has a reason beyond simply reserving a copy.

If you are buying digital, scarcity is much less relevant. Nintendo’s own store is already taking preorders, and there is no limited digital edition listed.

Availability note: This guide tracks official release information and spot-checks current storefronts. A retailer showing “out of stock” today is not evidence that every physical copy is gone.

This is a remake, not the Nintendo 64 game with cleaner output

Nintendo is using unusually direct language here: Ocarina of Time has been built from the ground up for Switch 2.

The company says the remake includes:

• completely overhauled visuals;
• fully voiced cutscenes;
• expanded character dialogue;
• symphonic orchestral music;
• reworked camera controls;
• reworked movement controls.

That matters because there are now two very different ways to play Ocarina of Time on modern Nintendo hardware.

The 1998 Nintendo 64 version remains available through Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members. That collection works on Nintendo Switch and is supported on Switch 2.

The 2026 remake is a separate Switch 2 game.

Nintendo has not announced an upgrade path from the Nintendo Classics version to the remake. Owning access to the original through a subscription does not turn it into the new release.

The ocarina is becoming an actual input again

One of the stranger new features is also one of the most specific.

Nintendo says players can use the Switch 2 system microphone to interact with Link’s ocarina. Play or hum one of the melodies Link has learned within range of the console and the game can recognize it.

The remake also supports ZELDA NOTES through the Nintendo Switch App. Nintendo describes features including daily accomplishment tracking, image-based location challenges and an ocarina function on a compatible smart device.

These are not the reason the remake exists, but they are a better illustration of the project than “higher resolution.” Nintendo is not only rebuilding the old assets. It is changing how a 1998 game communicates with a 2026 device.

The Zelda anniversary Switch 2 is separate — and the game is not in the box

Nintendo is also releasing a Nintendo Switch 2 – The Legend of Zelda – 40th Anniversary Edition on October 29, 2026, one week before the game.

This is where the release gets easy to misread.

The anniversary console does not include Ocarina of Time.

Nintendo’s hardware page lists a Zelda-themed Switch 2 system, dock and Joy-Con 2 controllers with Triforce and series-inspired detailing. It is still a console purchase, not a game bundle.

As of October 9, Nintendo’s own stores show the anniversary system as sold out at C$709.99 in Canada and US$519.99 in the U.S. The standard Switch 2 is enough to play Ocarina of Time; there is no gameplay requirement tied to the anniversary model.

That distinction matters if you encounter resale listings that package the console and game together at a large markup. Nintendo itself is selling them as separate products.

What about the physical first run?

The physical version is the only edition with a clearly time-sensitive extra confirmed by Nintendo.

The first print run gets the textured foil cover art. Nintendo says it is available while supplies last. That language applies to the packaging, not to the existence of physical Ocarina of Time forever.

So there are three different scarcity questions:

Item	What is actually limited right now?
Digital Ocarina of Time	No limited digital edition is currently listed
Physical Ocarina of Time	First-run foil packaging is limited while supplies last
Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2	Nintendo’s own Canadian and U.S. stores currently show sold out

Keeping those separate is more useful than a generic “preorders are selling out” headline.

Do you need to preorder?

For most players, there is no obvious reason to rush yet.

If you are buying digital, Nintendo’s current listing does not show a limited edition or scarcity-driven preorder perk.

If you want a physical copy specifically for the first-run foil cover, there is a concrete reason to secure one while retailers still have allocation.

If you want the 40th Anniversary Switch 2, that is a different availability problem entirely. Nintendo’s direct stock is already gone at the time of this update, and the console does not include the game anyway.

The game itself is the uncomplicated part: November 5, Switch 2 only, with digital preorders open now.

What deserves more attention is which object you are actually trying to buy — the remake, the limited first-print packaging, or the anniversary hardware. Nintendo is launching all three into the same Zelda 40th-anniversary window, but they are not the same product.