Published Jul 17, 2026, 6:01 AM EDT
Paul Farrelly is a Contributing Writer for Screen Rant’s Gaming section and the founder of GeekGasm.org, a site dedicated to celebrating all things gaming, from triple A blockbusters to weird and wonderful indie hits. Based in Louth, Ireland, Paul has spent years writing about games, pop culture, and tech, turning his lifelong love of gaming into a career that lets him talk (probably too much) about what makes this industry so endlessly fascinating.
He’s previously written and collaborated with several entertainment outlets, including LADbible, gaining a wide perspective on how gaming fits into today’s pop culture conversation. His work blends genuine enthusiasm with thoughtful analysis, exploring how design, storytelling, and community have made gaming one of the most creative mediums around.
When he’s not glued to a controller or keyboard, Paul’s usually spinning vinyl, plotting his next horror marathon, or debating which Resident Evil entry really reigns supreme.
2026 will no doubt go down in history as being the year of Zelda. Sure, many will argue that Grand Theft Auto VI will dominate the headlines, but older gamers with wistful nostalgia are looking forward to something else entirely. If your knees creak when you walk upstairs, there's a game coming this year that'll take you right back to your childhood. Celebrating 40 years of Zelda, we're getting a remake of the all-time classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. And it may be coming sooner than you think!
An all-too-brief announcement trailer back on June 9, 2026, confirmed something we've known for a while in the gaming community. A remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of TIme is coming this year to Nintendo Switch 2. We didn't get gameplay, we barely saw visuals, and we weren't given a release date beyond it coming out some time this year. An excruciating tease for fans of the franchise aching to learn more about the retelling of Link's hero's journey. Thankfully, GameStop may have just confirmed the date!
Since removed, we got a brief glimpse of the expected pre-order date for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of TIme remake on the GameStop website. The now deleted date let slip that pre-orders will begin on August 4, 2026, and will be available on Nintendo Switch 2 only (sorry all you OG Nintendo Switch owners). Whether GameStop had insider information or just made an absolute uninformed blunder remains to be seen though. C'mon Nintendo, give us more information and perhaps an Ocarina of TIme demo to keep us sweet please!
Fans are a little skeptical as this date is dangerously close, and we've seen no other confirmation elsewhere. Typically, a Nintendo Direct would be organized to cover such a big reveal and so far we've not seen any early indicators that a Direct is on its way. Sure, Nintendo never announces their Directs early, but lately we've always gotten confirmed leaks leading up to Directs. Taking this into account, it feels very uncertain that August 4, 2026, will be pre-order day.
However, we're more than halfway through 2026, and it would stand to Nintendo to try and get The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake out before the freight train known as Grand Theft Auto VI explodes onto the market on November 19, 2026. If it releases after, it will have a short window to capitalize on the holiday season whereas if it gets out of the gates prior to November 19, it could get a double boost in sales before and after Grand Theft Auto VI comes out.
The great news though, is that, logically, we don't have long to find out. August 4 is very close and if there is a Nintendo Direct coming soon, we're bound to find out about it in the coming few days. With only five months left in 2026, we still have some major Zelda reveals to come and some truly amazing titles to look forward to, which is exciting. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of TIme remake can't come soon enough and August could be the month we learn so much more about it... watch this space!
Released 2026
Developer(s) Nintendo
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Number of Players Single-player
English (US) ·