Ocarina of Time Remake Leaks Early as Copies Reach Players

The Ocarina of Time remake for Nintendo Switch 2 is already in some players’ hands, five days before its November 5, 2026 launch. A Reddit user says they bought a physical cartridge on Facebook Marketplace and has been sharing screenshots and gameplay details since Halloween.

The post, from user u/Robnaratt34, shows the game on the Switch 2 home menu, followed by photos of gameplay and dialogue screens in the comments. Other users in the same thread claim to have early copies too, which suggests more than one cartridge has slipped out ahead of the street date.

How the Ocarina of Time Remake Leaked Early

It is not clear how the seller got the cartridge. A retailer may have broken the street date by mistake, which happens often before big releases, but stolen stock is also possible, according to TheGamer. Retail deal tracker Nintendeal has also posted photos of stores receiving boxes of the game and of a buyer leaving a shop with a pre-order.

The cartridge reportedly boots without a day-one update, Notebookcheck reports. That matters because a mandatory patch is one of the few ways Nintendo can stop early physical copies from running before launch. The same thing happened with Donkey Kong Bananza in 2025, when screenshots and videos surfaced days before release.

What the Leaked Footage Shows

The player says they have only reached the first Spiritual Stone and Zelda’s Lullaby, so the details cover the opening hours. Based on their answers to fan questions, the remake makes these changes:

• Several areas are larger, and NPCs now follow daily schedules and move around the world.
• Kakariko Village has a reworked layout.
• Hyrule Field now leads into Lake Hylia without the old gate.
• Link has a new jump attack, and the Hylian Shield is tied to the camera.
• ReDeads and the Skulltula family have new, creepier designs.

The story, puzzles and iconic moments such as the opening ride on Epona appear to be intact. The player also described combat as a little better than the 1998 Nintendo 64 original and praised the voice acting.

Nintendo first showed the remake during its September 8 Zelda Direct, when it announced the Ocarina of Time remake with rebuilt visuals, voiced cutscenes and an orchestral soundtrack. Nintendo has not commented on the leak, but the company usually moves quickly to take down pre-release footage, so the Reddit thread may not stay online for long.

Release Date, Price and What to Expect

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches on November 5, 2026, exclusively on Switch 2. The Nintendo eShop listing prices the digital edition at $59.99, with European pricing set at 59.99 euros. The download needs about 27 GB, and players can even play Link’s ocarina by humming into the console’s microphone.

If you want to avoid spoilers, it is worth muting Zelda keywords on social media until launch. The game is one of the biggest titles in our November 2026 game releases guide.

Fans who want new hardware can also pick up the Switch 2 Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition, which Nintendo is selling alongside the game.