5.2 million copies of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2 were sold during its first four days, following its launch on November 5. Nintendo announced the figure on November 11 and said it was the best worldwide debut over that period for a Switch 2 game published by the company.
The total includes physical and digital editions. In Japan, Nintendo counted more than 810,000 units; it has not specified how many of each format were sold worldwide. According to the company's announcement, the figure surpasses the previous launch record for any other game published by Nintendo for its console.
A new version of the Nintendo 64 classic
The game is a full remake of the Nintendo 64 adventure, originally released in 1998. In this edition, Link travels between two periods—as child Link and adult Link—and uses the abilities and items available in each stage to progress. Nintendo describes the result as a recreation that preserves the original experience while incorporating reworked graphics and gameplay improvements.
The remake launched exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2. It is also compatible with ZELDA NOTES, a service integrated into the Nintendo Switch app for smart devices that offers gameplay support features. Nintendo says a free Nintendo Account is required to use the app, but a paid Nintendo Switch Online subscription is not needed to access ZELDA NOTES.
The Japan Times reported that the game went on sale for $59.99. The outlet described it as a complete recreation of the 1998 game, with new graphics and level and character designs. It also noted that the remake received a score of 96 out of 100 on Metacritic from both players and professional critics.
Sales in Japan offer a look at the difference between formats. Vandal reported that the game was the country's best-selling physical game of the week, with 537,041 physical copies. Comparing that figure with the more than 810,000 total units Nintendo confirmed for Japan, Vandal estimated around 272,959 digital sales. The publication concluded that almost two-thirds of copies sold in Japan were physical.
Nintendo's fastest Switch 2 debut
The 5.2 million sales not only set a record for the first four days: they also make the remake one of the console's biggest hits. GamesRadar+ compared the result with Pokémon Pokopia, which sold 2.2 million copies in its first four days, and Mario Kart World, which reached 5.63 million during its first month, according to figures cited by the outlet.
Cumulative figures for other games show the scale of the launch. GamesRadar+ reported that, as of the end of September, Mario Kart World had sold 16.48 million units, while Donkey Kong Bananza had reached 5.05 million and the Switch 2 version of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, 4.04 million. Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave had reached 1.34 million by the end of its first month.
Game Informer also ranked Ocarina of Time as the second best-selling Nintendo game on Switch 2, behind Mario Kart World, with its 16.48 million units. The outlet noted that the racing game was included in a console launch bundle and suggested that, if the pace continues, the remake could close the gap. However, its future sales remain to be seen.
The Japan Times described the debut as a boost for a platform that was waiting for a major hit. According to the outlet, Switch 2 had had an uneven first year, amid rising memory costs that were putting upward pressure on hardware prices. The remake's initial pace also took its sales above Donkey Kong Bananza's cumulative total, the newspaper reported.
Japan, physical formats, and the catalog strategy
The dominance of physical formats in Japan aligns with Nintendo's position on boxed distribution, as described by Vandal. The publication noted that the company had recently said it did not plan to abandon this format because it knows how much its fans like it. It also mentioned that Sony announced it would stop producing discs for new PlayStation games in 2028; that decision does not affect Zelda's Switch 2 release.
For 3DJuegos, the remake's performance also presents an opportunity to bring back classic games from Nintendo. The outlet linked its success to that of Star Fox for Switch 2 and argued that both returns have retained much of the originals, with changes focused on graphics and sound. Among the possible candidates for a comeback, it mentioned Majora's Mask and Super Mario 64, although Nintendo has not announced new remakes of those games.
3DJuegos's article expands the list to include Golden Sun, Eternal Darkness, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, F-Zero GX, Star Fox Adventures, Kid Icarus: Uprising, The Last Story, and the handheld Zelda games Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, and The Minish Cap. These are the outlet's suggestions, not projects confirmed by Nintendo. The publication argues for alternating remakes with new games and suggests that bringing back classics can introduce their worlds to players who are unfamiliar with them.
That argument connects with a comment 3DJuegos attributes to Nintendo: many current fans of The Legend of Zelda know only the style of Breath of the Wild, not the classic approach with which the series began. The Ocarina of Time remake offers an entry point to that earlier design, while its commercial success shows that the series' catalog still appeals to today's audiences.
A history of weak sales before Breath of the Wild
The contrast with the present comes through in statements by Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, former marketing executives at Nintendo of America, reported by Wccftech based on a recent episode of the Kit & Krysta Podcast. Yang recalled that the series was in a difficult position and that its games were selling very poorly. Ellis said he attended focus groups where feedback indicated that the fan base was shrinking and the games were not attracting new players.
“The series was in dire straits. They were selling like nothing,”
— Krysta Yang, on the Kit & Krysta Podcast
Ellis added that, according to the data they had at the time, audience interest declined with each game and the company needed to take drastic measures. Wccftech links that period to the transformation of the series that culminated in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, although assigning a specific role to each game is the outlet's interpretation.
One figure helps explain the concern at the time: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, designed from the ground up for Wii, sold 3.67 million units, even though the console reached 101 million systems sold worldwide, according to figures cited by Wccftech. The outlet also notes that the HD version for Nintendo Switch, released in 2021, surpassed the original's sales within a few months, boosted by the series' popularity following Breath of the Wild.
The change in scale between that period and the remake's debut is striking, but sources have yet to establish what direction the series will take next. Wccftech suggests that Eiji Aonuma and his team might combine elements of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom with the more focused pacing it attributes to Ocarina of Time; it does not present this combination as a plan announced by Nintendo.
What Nintendo has confirmed about the future
Nintendo's announcement is limited to sales, the game's features, and its compatible services. It does not announce a sequel or another remake. Separately, Game Informer places Ocarina of Time among the celebrations of the series' 40th anniversary, which include other games and products, as well as a planned worldwide orchestral tour. The outlet also notes that the live-action The Legend of Zelda movie will arrive in theaters worldwide on April 30, 2027.
The release has already surpassed 5.2 million units and set a new record for Nintendo launches on Switch 2. The next question is whether the pace will hold long enough for the remake to close in on Mario Kart World, the console's sales leader.
Sources: Wccftech, Vandal, 3DJuegos, Nintendo Co., Ltd., The Japan Times, Game Informer, GamesRadar+
