Nintendo has finally confirmed that a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is coming later this year.
Rumors from substantial leakers have been floating around for a while now, so this announcement isn’t a complete surprise but still more than welcome. The remake is set to release sometime in the coming months, likely closer to the holiday season.
The first reveal of Ocarina of Time’s remake
At the end of the surprise June Nintendo Direct, which comes at the tail end of a marathon of game showcases and announcements, Nintendo revealed a short teaser trailer. With narration describing the state of the kingdom and the Kokiri people, the trailer looks over a tapestry before transitioning to show a sleeping Link just as his hand glows with the symbol of the Triforce.
While the trailer was short and didn’t show much, it did confirm that the remake is coming this year. Nintendo’s habit of only revealing their upcoming games a few months ahead of release is a welcome change from most studios preemptively announcing projects years in advance.
A remake with high expectations
Originally released in 1998, Ocarina of Time is ranked as one of the greatest video games of all time, so any remake is going to come with incredibly high expectations. The good news is that remakes of classic games have been going pretty well in recent years, like the three part Final Fantasy 7 remake and the hot streak Capcom has been on with the Resident Evil series. While those are all obviously different game studios, it seems developers have been well tuned on what makes a remake great across the industry.
More news, like a firmer release date and maybe even word on special editions, will likely be shared in the coming months as we near the end of 2026.