Anyone worried that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s remake wouldn’t move like hotcakes can put that fear to bed. In a report from The Game Business’ Christopher Dring, Ocarina’s recent UK release sold 35% more copies than Breath of the Wild did back in 2017. While there are a ton of different reasons for that (one being the Nintendo Switch was brand-new whereas the Switch 2 is a year-and-a-half old), it’s still some incredible numbers. As Dring writes, “It is easily the fastest-selling ‘old school’ Zelda adventure we’ve ever reported on.”
On the flip side, Ocarina only moved roughly half of what Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom did in 2023. If you’ll remember, Tears of the Kingdom had a ridiculously explosive launch and moved 10 million copies globally in three days. It also released six years into the Switch’s lifecycle, giving it an even wider audience. There aren’t specific numbers for the UK, but Tears seemingly moved 200K in that same period, meaning Ocarina is already around 100K in the region. As Dring says, this is the biggest physical game launch in the UK for 2026, beating out Resident Evil Requiem, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and EA Sports FC.
Nintendo famously doesn’t disclose digital sales, and we don’t have numbers from the US, Japan, or other regions. All told, Ocarina is probably past one million units and could even be in the couple of million. It’s not like Nintendo has been struggling with its games this year, but Zelda: Ocarina of Time is likely going to be the game that gets people buying Switch 2s.
Check out more Zelda content
Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake datamine suggests Master Quest DLC is on the way
Nintendo president on continuing Legend of Zelda 40th anniversary plans through 2027
Leave a Comment
Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
