Zelda As We Know It Officially Ends In 2026 With New Release

There's a lot to love about The Legend of Zelda, but perhaps my favorite thing of all is that it can constantly reinvent itself, coming back in entirely new and unexpected ways. A cartoon Link bobbing along the sea on a talking boat? We've been there. How about we immediately follow that up with a dark and gritty game in which an older Link turns into a wolf and fights monsters straight out of The Lord of the Rings? Been there too.

While the Ocarina of Time remake is on the way and promises a new, realistic look for the series, it has been defined by a particular look for the last decade.The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild launched in 2017, and in the nine years since, Zelda has become inextricably linked with what fans call the "Wilds era". This version of Link is the one we've seen in the most recent Smash Bros. game, and he even popped up in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. This period of Hyrule's history has been explored in two spinoff games and a full sequel. While gamers are ready to leave behind this era of Zelda, there's time for one more release.

Zelda Is Always Changing, And That's A Wonderful Thing

The Legend Of Zelda is forever

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom—Secrets of the Zonai is set to release in October 2026, and serves as a tribute to the last decade (or near enough) of Zelda. This is a hardcover book that contains 424 pages, including art from Tears of the Kingdom, sketches, designer notes, storyboards, concept art, and other bonus material.

If you're the kind of fan that has a board at home trying to make sense of the Zelda timeline, the book also contains "80 pages of Hyrule History," set to explain the history of this specific era of Hyrule and almost certainly make timeline theorists pull their hair out by raising more questions than answers. Zelda veterans Eiji Aonuma, Hidemaro Fujibayashi, and Satoru Takizawa are all contributing to the book, which is a really awesome touch.

"Start your journey with Secrets of the Zonai," reads the official product description. "Pore over 50 pages of beautiful illustrations, character art, and promotional images. Then, dive into nearly 300 pages of behind-the-scenes sketches, notes, rough designs, concept art, and recollections that provide an exclusive look at the development and creation of the game. Next, travel back to a time before the founding of the Kingdom of Hyrule, with over 80 pages of Hyrule’s history that include insights into the mysterious past of the Zonai all the way up to the events of the game."

Between the Ocarina of Time remake and the all-new look Link is getting in the live-action Zelda movie, it's clear the future of the series is a little more realistic. Or as realistic as a game series about a kid who climbs into giant trees and fish to fight monsters can possibly be. One way or the other, the release of Secrets of the Zonai and the new Ocarina remake makes it clear: Zelda as we've known it for the last ten years is finally done.