For years, rumors of an Ocarina of Time remake flooded forums and comment sections after every Nintendo announcement. It’s clear that fans wanted it, and Nintendo did too. The company is well aware of the reputation and adoration players feel for 1996’s The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. There’s no denying it’s an all-time great, and despite a few bumps in its marketing cycle, like the backlash to loading screens, anyone with a pulse on video games as an art form knew this would be a slam-dunk release. Still, the early numbers for Ocarina of Time sales are impressive, even by the series’ standards.
The Ocarina of Time Remake is The Fastest-Selling Switch 2 Title Now, and Nintendo is Taking Notes
Nintendo released an announcement less than a week after the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to celebrate a well-deserved victory lap. The highly anticipated title sold over 5.2 million units worldwide (including 810,000 units sold in Japan) in the first four days following its launch on November 5, 2026. For comparison, Mario Kart World, a pack-in game for many who opted for the bundle available at launch, sold just under 3 million copies in that same time frame. Granted, there are more Switch 2 consoles in homes now than there were in those first days of the console launch, but still. A remake of a game from the 1990s selling this well in under a week? Pretty wild.
Okay, I’m doing Ocarina of Time a little dirty by calling it a remake from the 90s. This is, in fact, the highest-rated game of all time, and it looks better than ever. Still, compared to all the other games that moved out of November to avoid Grand Theft Auto 6, this makes The Legend of Zelda look mightier than ever.
We Have Proof Now At Least One Hero Can Take on Grand Theft Auto 6
Nintendo had two things going for them ahead of the release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Firstly, the game’s reputation is one of the most highly regarded in all of video games. More importantly, however, Grand Theft Auto 6 isn’t coming to the Switch 2. While games releasing on Xbox and PlayStation moved titles to other months to avoid the mammoth of GTA VI, Nintendo enjoys the luxury of avoiding its impact. The only concern at the time was whether players would spend the money on other games if they intended to buy Rockstar’s latest crime epic.
Many gamers, like myself, are not solely Switch 2 owners. Many pair the Nintendo console with a PS5 or PC to maximize access to exclusive games. Overall, there was a reality where Nintendo launched a game in November, and it limped in the wake of GTA 6. However, they didn’t release any games. They released an impeccable remake of one of the greatest games of all time. Sales of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will no doubt climb higher during the upcoming holiday season. For now, however, Nintendo has to feel good about how this high-stakes remake fared in its initial time on physical and digital shelves.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is now available on Nintendo Switch 2.
