Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake lands on Switch 2 with a 95 on OpenCritic

Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake on Switch 2 on November 5, and the game opened with a 95 average on OpenCritic, a Mighty rating on the aggregator. Metacritic lists a 96 across 84 critic reviews, the highest score for any new release in 2026 so far. Famitsu scored it 37/40, built from four individual grades of 9, 9, 9 and 10, the same total the magazine gave Ocarina of Time 3D in 2011.

The game is a Switch 2 exclusive. The digital edition costs $59.99, the physical edition $69.99, and Nintendo's store page lists a 27 GB download. Its launch falls in the middle of the Zelda 40th anniversary programme, a week after the limited-anniversary Switch 2 console and gold Pro Controller went on sale and quickly sold out.

What the critics said

Reviews went live on November 4, a day ahead of release. IGN and GameSpot each gave it a 9. Game Informer gave it a 9.25. Destructoid, GamesRadar+, Video Games Chronicle and Eurogamer all handed out perfect scores. CGMagazine wrote that the quality-of-life changes and reworked design make this the easiest entry point into the series. RPG Site, the most cautious of the major outlets at 80, felt the remake is built with new players first in mind and that some of its design decisions may keep returning players from replaying it soon. Across OpenCritic's tally, 100% of critics recommend the game, according to Keen Gamer and Mashable.

What changed from the N64 original

Nintendo rebuilt the game from the ground up rather than applying a resolution bump. Overhauled visuals, fully voiced cutscenes, expanded character dialogue and a symphonic orchestral soundtrack all come standard, alongside a reworked camera and movement system. Link gets a jump button and a free camera, two things the 1998 original never had. Polygon's review notes that the remake also reworks the Water Temple, long ranked among the most frustrating dungeons in the series. One feature leans on Switch 2 hardware specifically: players can perform the in-game ocarina by humming or playing a real instrument into the console's microphone.

For context on where this sits in the series' history, the numbers run as follows. The 1998 N64 original holds a 99 on Metacritic, still the highest score recorded on the site, and it was the first game to earn a perfect 40/40 from Famitsu. The 2011 3DS remake sits at 94. The Switch 2 version, at 96, lands between the two.

The Amazon preorder problem

The launch was smoother digitally than on doorsteps. Kotaku and Polygon both reported that a wave of physical preorders placed through Amazon showed delivery estimates after the November 5 release date, some pushed as far as November 11 or 12. Amazon's Help account replied to complaints on X with a stock line about "unforeseen changes in obtaining the item", without a specific explanation.

The delays had a mechanical cause worth noting. Nintendo told retail partners to hold shipments until November 4, according to the Canadian retailer Video Games Plus, a leak-control measure after physical copies reached players early on October 31. That left almost no margin for transit problems. Notebookcheck had reported on October 24 that Walmart also moved some preorder estimates to November 7, though most orders were unaffected there.

The physical channel is shrinking anyway. Polygon cites Nintendo sales data showing 61.5% of Switch software sales from April to June were digital, and most Switch 2 game cards act as download keys rather than carrying the full game. Nintendo said last month it still plans to support physical releases for the foreseeable future.