Temper your expectations for the leaked Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake

The gaming audience might get to reacquaint themselves with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time soon, as it's been reported that the 1998 classic will be getting a remake in late 2026. This news comes from reputable Nintendo leaker NateTheHate, whose track record includes accurately reporting the Switch 2 release date, among other details. The leak also includes information about other 2026 Nintendo games, including a new one Star Fox.

Star Fox is exciting, but Ocarina of time is, yes, Ocarina of time. Few video games have been as long-lived as this Nintendo 64 Zelda the title, which arguably perfected the 3D action-adventure genre. To this day, Link's time-traveling adventure through Hyrule is often seen as the defining moment Zelda experience, perfectly balancing whimsy, mystery and deeper themes along with compelling game systems. In one word, Zelda: Ocarina of Time can be called timeless. It's surprisingly smooth around the edges and holds up wonderfully nearly three decades after its launch. It is precisely for this reason that I think the public should not get carried away in the speculation about Ocarina of time remake, as it will likely be on the more modest end of the remake spectrum.

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Natethehate doesn't seem sure what to expect from this Ocarina of time reprisals, despite ostensibly having confidence in its existence. According to the Natethehate podcast,

“In the second half of 2026, as we approach the holidays, if not the holidays, we'll get an Ocarina of Time remake for Switch 2. This is something I was a little hesitant about in January because I didn't think it was something they would do. I'm hearing an Ocarina of Time remake. I don't have any details on what kind of remake we might have one: 1. Demon's Souls or maybe a remake that's free to explore design choices.”

Natethehate paints Ocarina of time remake as a project where anything is possible, which may be true to some extent, but I'd be surprised if it falls too far outside Demon's Souls camp. Assuming the remake is real, it's a bit unusual for Nintendo, as most real remakes from the company are minor, like the Switch edition of Link's Awakening. Don't get me wrong, the original Link's Awakening is fantastic and its remake does it justice, but is neither as tightly designed nor as revolutionary as Ocarina of time. Plus, the changes made in Link's Awakening remakes are mostly superficial, with the structure and basic gameplay of the original remaining intact.

This is a stark contrast to something like Capcom's Resident Evil remakes or Final Fantasy 7 remake project from Square Enix. These games are more like adaptations of their source material – faithful to a point, but ultimately reworked from the ground up. These games are visually, mechanically, and structurally different from their forebears, a risk that has usually paid off. In fact, the significant creative departures of Final Fantasy 7 Remake undoubtedly create a better gaming market, as the intention is not to replace the original FF7 but rather to offer a distinct experience based on it.

This will almost certainly not be the case with Ocarina of time remake, and not just because of Nintendo's history with its greatest properties. Ocarina of time is essentially a precursor to modern adventure games, most of which embrace trends that are a bit more controversial, such as open-world copy-paste activities, too much gear, and heavy progression systems. These are the mechanics and systems as one Ocarina of time remake would risk injecting, if it would take Final Fantasy 7, Silent Hill 2or Resident Evil 4 and Nintendo are probably aware of this. Ultimately, this is a good thing.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time should be left as unchanged as possible

We've already got a tweaked version of Ocarina of time on the Nintendo 3DS, which has reworked graphics and quality-of-life features, so perhaps the rumored remake should just be another step up from this. Most Zelda fans simply want to play the original Ocarina of time built into the Switch, and if Nintendo won't, then remake off Ocarina of time (set to be released in Zeldas 40th anniversary, no less) should at least be faithful. New graphics, subtle but powerful tweaks to controls, better performance and perhaps a little extra content here and there could conceivably be better Ocarina of timebut the remake will be better if it is additive, not revolutionary.