The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake has passed 5.2 million copies sold within four days, setting a worldwide sales speed record among Nintendo-published Nintendo Switch 2 games. The game launched globally on November 5, returning players to an adventure first released for Nintendo 64 in 1998.
Nintendo says it is also the fastest-selling Nintendo-published Switch 2 game in the U.S., Canada and Latin America. The total comes from Nintendo’s internal figures and combines purchases of physical copies with digital sales, rather than measuring either format alone.
An Opening Measured Against the Original
For comparison, Kotaku puts the Nintendo 64 release at one million copies during its opening week, 2.5 million after three weeks and 7.6 million worldwide two years later. Those historical figures place the remake’s opening four days above the original’s first three weeks of sales.
Players also turned up for the remake’s midnight launch at Nintendo’s New York store, where employees prepared inside as fans queued outside. Musician Jon Batiste attended that event and discussed how Zelda music had influenced him, beginning with Link’s Awakening for Game Boy, in an interview with IGN.
Image: Nintendo
The remake sends Link through Hyrule in two distinct eras, retaining the premise of the Nintendo 64 adventure. Its changes include newly imagined visuals, an orchestral score and voice acting, alongside longer cutscenes and revisions to camera handling and movement controls.
Series producer Eiji Aonuma wanted the project partly to give younger Nintendo developers experience with one of the company’s most influential games. The development group brought together people whose familiarity with the original varied, while Nintendo of America’s localization team also mixed generations.
Image: Nintendo
Nate Bihldorff, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Product Development and Publishing, said those generations brought different perspectives to localization. Some dialogue requires speaking to a character at a particular moment or acquiring an item outside the usual order, making those interactions easy for players to miss.
For buyers, the Nintendo eShop digital edition costs $59.99, and Nintendo also offers a physical version. The ocarina accepts button input, humming or a real instrument played into the Switch 2 microphone. Digital purchases made before November 23 at 11:59 p.m. PT qualify for a Zelda 40th Anniversary digital wallpaper.
Image: Nintendo
The remake forms part of Zelda’s 40th anniversary celebrations, marking the series’ Japanese debut in 1986. Nintendo’s anniversary plans extend to additional games and products.
A concert tour taking the series’ music around the world is scheduled to begin in 2027. The Legend of Zelda live-action film is scheduled for theaters on April 30, 2027.
