Ocarina of Time Remake Reviews: Scores and All the Changes

The reviews for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake are in, and the verdict is historic: with a Metascore of 96 from 83 critic reviews as of November 4, 2026, it is the highest-rated game of 2026 on both Metacritic and OpenCritic. Every single review is positive — zero mixed, zero negative — one day before the game launches exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2. Here is what critics are saying and everything that has changed compared to the 1998 Nintendo 64 original.

Ocarina of Time Remake review scores

The remake currently sits at 96 on Metacritic with 83 critic reviews, all positive, and carries a Top Critic Average of 96 on OpenCritic with a 100% recommendation rate. That makes it the best-rated release of 2026 so far, ahead of the year's other standouts, and places it at number 24 on Metacritic's best games of all time list. The bar is a high one: the 1998 original remains the only game in Metacritic history with a 99, and the 2011 3DS version holds a 94. Famitsu, the first outlet to weigh in, awarded 37/40 — the N64 original was the first game to receive its perfect 40/40.

What critics praise

Perfect scores came in from GamesRadar+, Eurogamer, VGC, Destructoid, TheGamer, NME, Dexerto and dozens of other publications. VGC calls it "the definitive way to discover or rediscover it", Destructoid names it "a must-play" and the best version of the classic yet, and Eurogamer describes a remake that rediscovers a masterpiece. The recurring praise focuses on three things: the rebuilt presentation, the modernized controls and camera, and the fact that the adventure itself has aged remarkably well — level design and puzzles that critics say still hold up nearly three decades later.

The dissenting voices: IGN and RPG Site

The disagreement is narrow but real. IGN's 9/10 calls it "an exceptional remake of an incredible game" while noting that the streamlined dungeon design slightly dulls the special feeling of solving them. RPG Site's 8/10 makes the same observation from a different angle: it reads the remake as designed for new players first, and says it succeeds at that — which is a different compliment from the one the perfect scores are paying. That is the debate worth having: whether a smoother, faster Hyrule trades away some of the friction that made the original's discoveries feel earned.

What's new vs the 1998 original

The new version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a ground-up remake instead of a simple copy with prettier graphics. Hyrule has been rebuilt with overhauled visuals, environments and character models, and the story now plays out with fully voiced cutscenes and expanded dialogue, backed by a symphonic orchestral score. The camera and movement systems have been reworked, and Link gains a manual jump. The ocarina itself gets a feature only the Switch 2 could pull off: players can hum or play learned melodies into the console's microphone, and the game also responds to real instruments (yes, you can still use traditional button controls). Two design choices stand out: fast travel has been removed on purpose, and the interface can be switched off entirely. For the official announcement and platform details, see the official Nintendo announcement, and check our earlier coverage of the November 5 release date for the full feature list.

Find the best price for Ocarina of Time

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches November 5, 2026, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2, at $59.99 digital and $69.99 physical. If you're after a better price, compare prices across all stores and grab Ocarina of Time at the lowest price through our price comparison platform.