Ocarina of Time on Switch 2: A Spoiler-Free Beginner's Guide

By Kimi · November 7, 2026 · 10 min read

Key takeaways

The Ocarina of Time remake came out Nov. 5, 2026, and is only on Switch 2. Nintendo’s US store listed it at $59.99 digital and $69.99 physical when we checked on Nov. 7.
Nintendo calls it a standalone adventure, so you don’t need to have played any other Zelda game first.
Nintendo lists the game file size as 24.9 GB. If you buy the digital version before Nov. 23, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PT, you also get a 40th Anniversary wallpaper.
Early coverage agrees on four inputs: X to jump, A to roll (hold it to dash), ZL to lock on, and the right stick to move the camera. ⚠️ As of Nov. 7, Nintendo hasn’t published a full button map, so check the in-game controls menu.
Auto-jump is gone. You can jump anywhere, and the jump attack now works two ways. Kotaku reports that the easier one is explained in the menu’s refresher tutorials after you learn the jump attack.
When you get stuck, try the sparkling fairy symbols, talking to everyone, and the Threads of Time tracker, which shows your next objective.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2 came out on Nov. 5, 2026. Nintendo calls it a standalone adventure, so you can start here even if you’ve never played a Zelda game. This guide covers the controls that early coverage agrees on, what changed from the 1998 original, and some habits that make the first hours smoother. It doesn’t spoil anything past Kokiri Forest and the Great Deku Tree. Prices and store details were checked on Nintendo’s US store on Nov. 7, 2026, at about 8 a.m. ET.

What is the Ocarina of Time Switch 2 remake, and do I need to play anything first?

No, you don’t need to play anything first: it’s a ground-up remake of the 1998 Nintendo 64 game, only on Switch 2, and Nintendo calls it a standalone adventure. Nintendo’s launch post also calls it “a great jumping off point” if you’ve never played a Zelda game or have only played recent ones.

The story starts small. Link is the only Kokiri in the forest without a fairy, until the Great Deku Tree sends one, Navi, to go with him. Nintendo’s marketing leans heavily on the game’s famous time-travel premise. This guide stops before any of that unfolds.

Things Nintendo’s store page confirms:

Rating: ESRB Everyone 10+, for Animated Blood and Fantasy Violence.
Players: single player.
Modes: TV, tabletop and handheld.
New presentation: overhauled visuals, orchestral music, voice acting and expanded cutscenes.

How much does it cost, and how much space does it need?

When we checked on Nov. 7, 2026, Nintendo’s US store listed the game at $59.99 digital and $69.99 physical, with no discount, and gave the game file size as 24.9 GB. In the table below, “Edition” is Nintendo’s name for each version, “Format” is digital download or physical copy, and “Price” is the US list price on Nintendo’s store.

Edition	Format	Price
Standard	Digital	$59.99
Physical	Physical	$69.99

Two details from the listing:

Early-purchase bonus: buy the digital version before Nov. 23, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PT and you get a Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary digital wallpaper. Nintendo says the download link arrives through My Nintendo, by email to your Nintendo Account address, after the promotion ends.
Family sharing: the store lists the game as supporting Nintendo Account family-group lending.

For the special-edition console, see our earlier look at the Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 (checked in September, so prices and stock may have changed). The console does not include the game.

What are the Switch 2 controls?

As of Nov. 7, 2026, Nintendo hasn’t published a full button map, but early coverage from several outlets agrees on four inputs: X jumps, A rolls (hold it to dash), ZL locks on to enemies, and the right stick moves the camera. Everything else is worth checking in the game’s own controls and tutorial menus instead of trusting a list online.

The four inputs that at least two outlets agree on:

Jump (X): Link can now jump anywhere with one button press. Nintendo says it removed the original’s auto-jump.
Roll and dash (A): tap to roll. Hold the roll button to dash, which Nintendo confirms without naming the button.
Lock-on (ZL): the left trigger locks on to an enemy near you. Longtime players call this Z-targeting.
Camera (right stick): you can now rotate the camera freely, which you couldn’t do on the N64.

A few more control notes:

Aiming: Nintendo says ranged weapons can be aimed with buttons or with motion controls, and you choose which in the Options menu. The store lists the game as playable without motion controls.
Pro Controller tip: Game Informer points out that holding dash while steering the camera is awkward. Its fix is to copy A and X onto the Switch 2 Pro Controller’s GL and GR back buttons from the Home-button menu. That option isn’t available on Joy-Con or a Switch 1 Pro Controller.
Item switching: Nintendo’s developers say they made toggling items much easier than in the original. Nintendo hasn’t detailed how it works, so check the in-game controls menu.

What changed from the original Ocarina of Time?

Nintendo’s main changes are free jumping, a dash, a free camera, a second way to jump attack, easier item switching and new menus that help you find your way. The rest of the structure will feel familiar to anyone who played the original.

Jump anywhere: no more automatic hops off ledges. You decide when to jump, so you also have to cross gaps on purpose.
Dash: you can still roll your way across the map if you like. Holding the roll button now gives you a run as well.
Free camera: Nintendo says this makes it easier to spot things worth checking out. It also admits you can lose your sense of direction more easily, so it added more help with wayfinding.
Jump attack, two ways: the newer method is the two-step version from Breath of the Wild (jump, then attack in midair). Nintendo also kept a single-press version for fans of the original.
New menus: fairy lore and fairy thoughts, the Hall of Fallen Foes, and the Threads of Time tracker. There’s more on these below.
Ocarina input: you can play songs with buttons, by humming, or by playing your own instrument into the Switch 2 microphone.

What should I do first in Kokiri Forest?

Do the training, talk to everyone, and take your time: the opening area teaches nearly every move you’ll use, and nothing rushes you out of it.

Go to the training house: Kotaku’s first-timer tips recommend the Know-It-All Brothers’ house near Link’s home. The people inside give basic tips, and the instructor outside walks you through rolling, dodging and other combat basics.
Learn the jump attack, then find the easy version: Kotaku reports that after you learn the jump attack in Kokiri Forest, the menu’s refresher tutorials show a simpler way to do it. According to Kotaku, you lock on, push the stick forward and press A. The main tutorial doesn’t mention it.
Talk to everyone, more than once: villagers give hints, and their lines change as things happen. Read signs too.
Wander a little: Kotaku notes that characters keep steering you toward the main story. It’s fine to explore the forest before heading where you’re told.
Mind your shield: Nintendo’s own item description warns that the wooden Deku Shield burns up if it’s set on fire.

How does combat work for a beginner?

Lock on with ZL, keep your shield up, and watch for openings: almost every early fight is easier when you’re locked on to an enemy.

Lock on first: the camera and your movement center on the enemy, so you can strafe, dodge and counter.
Switching targets: in a pre-release preview, Game Informer said it couldn’t find a simple way to jump between enemies, so it let go of ZL, moved the camera and pressed ZL again. Nintendo Everything lists new targeting options in the remake, so check the game’s settings and controls menus.
Listen to Navi: her tips while you’re locked on often point you to how an enemy can be hurt.
Try other items: some enemies shrug off the sword. If one does, see whether something else in your inventory works.
The first boss: Nintendo has named Gohma as the first boss you’ll meet. We won’t say how to beat it.

How do hearts, rupees and saving work?

Hearts are your health, rupees are your money, and a little saving discipline protects your progress.

Hearts: when they run out it’s game over, unless you’re carrying a fairy in a bottle, which Kotaku notes revives you automatically. Cutting grass and breaking pots often turns up hearts and rupees.
Rupees: spend them in shops. Don’t pass them up early on.
Empty bottles: Kotaku calls them the most valuable thing you can collect, because they hold useful things like healing. If someone offers you one, take them up on it.
Gold Skulltulas: Kotaku counts 100 of them and says collecting them earns rewards. Listen for a scratchy scraping sound nearby.
Leave the Cuccos alone: Kotaku’s advice is to pick up and carry the chickens, never hit them.
Save habits: save before you put the game down. If you have spare save slots, keep a second file as a backup before risky sections. Nintendo notes that Save Data Cloud backup needs a Nintendo Switch Online membership, sold separately.

How do I play the ocarina?

You can play it with normal button controls, or by humming or playing a real instrument into the Switch 2 microphone. Nintendo says the songs Link learns have all kinds of effects, such as opening new paths or switching between day and night.

We aren’t listing the songs, because knowing which ones you learn and when gives away the story. If you’d rather not sing at your TV, the buttons work just as well. The ZELDA NOTES service in the free Nintendo Switch App also has a Play Ocarina feature for your phone. Nintendo says it needs a Nintendo Account and an internet connection, and some features need Nintendo Switch Online.

What are fairy symbols, the Hall of Fallen Foes and Threads of Time?

They’re three new features that help when you’re curious or stuck, and none of them is required.

Fairy symbols: small, sparkling symbols on walls and other surfaces. Nintendo calls what they unlock “fairy lore” on its store page and “fairy thoughts” in its launch post. Kotaku says you examine them with Navi and that they sometimes hint at secrets.
Hall of Fallen Foes: Nintendo says you can read about enemies you’ve beaten here and take them on again.
Threads of Time: Nintendo says it tracks your progress and next objectives. It also builds a tapestry that tells your story as you play, so open it when you’re not sure where to go next.

Nintendo also says any Legend of Zelda series amiibo gives in-game extras. The new Young Link and Young Zelda figures, listed as coming in 2027, unlock retro-style masks.

Can I still play the original Nintendo 64 version?

Yes: the 1998 original is part of the Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Switch Online library, which comes with a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership. On Nov. 7, 2026, Nintendo’s US site listed the Expansion Pack at $49.99 a year for an individual or $79.99 a year for a family plan. The base membership, which doesn’t include N64 games, was $19.99 and $34.99.

Keep the two versions separate in your head:

The N64 version plays differently: it has no jump button, because Link jumps automatically off ledges, and the camera is the original fixed design. Tips written for that version won’t match the remake’s controls.
Suspend: Nintendo’s page says you can suspend the N64 game at any point.
Playing on Switch 2: Nintendo adds Rewind and a CRT filter for N64 titles on Switch 2.

Sources

How we verified this

✅ We read the release date, “Available now” status, prices, file size, ESRB rating, play modes, accessibility tags and the early-purchase bonus wording on Nintendo’s US store page on Nov. 7, 2026, and re-checked the prices and file size at about 13:00 UTC (8 a.m. ET). The prices come from the store’s own product data: $59.99 for the digital Standard Edition and $69.99 for the Physical Edition, neither marked as discounted. Nintendo’s physical listing says only “Physical Edition”, so we don’t describe the type of cartridge. The page shows the file size as “24.9 GB”. We print that figure, not the larger byte counts in the raw data. ✅ What changed from the original comes from Nintendo’s own pages. The store page and the Nov. 5 launch post cover the overhauled visuals, voice acting, orchestral music, camera and movement, fairy lore and fairy thoughts, the Hall of Fallen Foes, Threads of Time, the ocarina microphone input, and button or motion aiming. Nintendo’s Ask the Developer Vol. 24, Part 3, covers jump anywhere, hold-to-dash, the two jump attack methods, the free camera and easier item toggling. Nintendo names actions, not buttons. ⚠️ As of Nov. 7, 2026, Nintendo has not published a full button map. We print only the four inputs that at least two outlets agree on. X to jump comes from Kotaku and Game Informer. A to roll, held to dash, comes from Game Informer and Nintendo Everything. ZL, the left trigger, to lock on comes from Destructoid and Game Informer’s preview. The right stick for the camera comes from GamesRadar and Game Informer. Several points have only one source each, and we name the outlet where they appear: the easy jump attack input and the refresher-tutorial tip (Kotaku), the fairy-in-a-bottle revive and the other first-timer tips (Kotaku), the lock-on target switching note (Game Informer’s pre-release preview), new targeting options (Nintendo Everything), and the Pro Controller back-button remap (Game Informer). Apart from Kotaku’s easy jump attack input, which we attribute to Kotaku where it appears, we left out button assignments that only one outlet reported (such as the sword button). ⚠️ Reports describe a day-one update, but we could not confirm it on a Nintendo support page, so this guide does not describe what it changes. To keep the guide spoiler-free, it stays inside the opening area. Gohma is named only because Nintendo itself calls it the first boss. ✅ The Nintendo 64 version details come from Nintendo’s Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Switch Online page, which mentions the suspend feature and lists Rewind and a CRT filter as Switch 2 additions. Membership prices come from nintendo.com/us/online. We read both on Nov. 7, 2026.