Zelda: Ocarina of Time's Switch 2 remake is 2026's best-reviewed game

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for Switch 2 is out from under the review embargo, and critics love it. It's sitting at 96 on Metacritic from 81 reviews, which makes it the highest-reviewed game of 2026 so far.

That's a comfortable lead. According to Metacritic, twin-stick shooter Sektori is second at 93 from 10 reviews, tied with the Switch 2 Deluxe Edition of the Resident Evil 2 remake, also at 93 from 16 reviews. Video Games Chronicle reports the remake has also cracked Metacritic's all-time top 30.

GameSpot expects a few more reviews to trickle in over the next few days but doesn't think the score will move much. It also floated Grand Theft Auto 6 as the one release that could knock Link off the top spot.

The first verdict came from Japan's Famitsu, whose four critics scored it 9/9/9/10 for a total of 37/40.

Western outlets followed with plenty of superlatives. IGN called it "A beautiful retelling of a legend and a rich adventure that stands on its own." Video Games Chronicle went with "Nintendo’s timeless masterpiece," and Polygon's headline says the game "Is Still Perfect on Switch 2."

Nintendo Life was a bit more measured. Its review calls the remake stunning but "Not Quite Definitive," while still describing walking out into Hyrule Field for the first time as "a revelatory experience." Siliconera highlighted the gorgeous visuals and some quality-of-life adjustments.

On the tech side, Digital Foundry's John Linneman praised the remake with only a couple of minor nitpicks. Resolution ranges from 1080p up to 1440p docked and from 720p to 1080p in handheld mode, where the game also uses more aggressive level-of-detail distances and some texture downgrades.

If you're ready to head back to Kokiri Forest, launch is less than a day away.