Zelda: Ocarina of Time Switch 2 Remake Hits 96 on Metacritic, Crowned Highest-Rated Game of 2026 and All-Time 30 Best

The global review embargo has officially lifted this Wednesday, November 4, 2026, just twenty-four hours ahead of its worldwide Nintendo Switch 2 debut: the full-scale remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has debuted to a staggering 96/100 score on Metacritic. Vaulting straight to the number one spot as the highest-rated game of 2026 so far, Nintendo's ground-up rebuild has also secured an immediate place inside Metacritic's all-time Top 30 highest-rated games in history.

A 96/100 Metacritic Score Crowns the Best-Reviewed Game of 2026 Ahead of GTA 6

Following an impressive 37/40 verdict from Japanese publication Famitsu earlier this week, the arrival of Western critic aggregates on Metacritic cements the scale of Nintendo's achievement. Settling at 96/100 right out of the gate, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time comfortably overtakes every major release from the past eleven months to claim the solo crown as 2026's highest-scored title to date.

The timing could hardly be more dramatic for the fall release calendar. By planting its flag at 96/100 on November 4, Nintendo's flagship Switch 2 exclusive sets a monumental benchmark exactly two weeks before Grand Theft Auto VI arrives on November 19. Beyond the immediate Game of the Year race, a 96 metascore instantly inducts the remake into Metacritic's all-time Top 30 across all platforms and generations, placing it in the exact same elite scoring tier as modern classics like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3, and Elden Ring.

From 1998 to 2026: How the Switch 2 Remake Compares to the N64 and 3DS Releases

Reimagining the 1998 landmark was arguably the most scrutinized creative gamble Nintendo could undertake. On Metacritic, the original Nintendo 64 release still stands undefeated as the highest-rated video game of all time with a legendary 99/100. While matching a 99 in the modern era of over a hundred aggregated critic outlets is virtually impossible, the Switch 2 remake decisively outscores the beloved 2011 portable remaster on Nintendo 3DS.

That two-point leap over the 3DS edition reflects the scope of a true ground-up reconstruction tailored for Switch 2 hardware. Combining a locked 60 frames per second performance target, a fully re-recorded orchestral score, and Eiji Aonuma's long-awaited quality-of-life refinements to classic dungeons like the Water Temple, Nintendo has modernized the adventure's moment-to-moment feel without diluting the pacing that made Hyrule timeless.

November 5 Launch Details: US Pricing and Switch 2 Pre-Order Availability

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches worldwide on Nintendo Switch 2 tomorrow, Thursday, November 5, 2026. Across the United States, both the digital edition on the Nintendo eShop and the physical retail boxed edition carry an official price of $69.99 MSRP (and £59.99 in the UK).

Players waiting on physical boxed copies to arrive at their doorstep should note that Nintendo's strict street-date enforcement has caused frozen pre-order tracking and shipping delays ahead of the Switch 2 launch across several major couriers to prevent early street-date breaks. Digital pre-loading remains live right now on the Nintendo eShop for instant midnight unlock.

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My Perspective

Let's be real: touching the untouchable 99/100 crown from 1998 was never mathematically realistic in an era where more than a hundred global outlets feed into Metacritic. Yet landing a 96/100 under that kind of generational pressure is nothing short of extraordinary. By outscoring the 2011 3DS remaster and breaking straight into the all-time Top 30, I think Nintendo has made a massive statement about what a full Switch 2 remake can achieve. With GTA 6 just two weeks away, the 2026 Game of the Year showdown officially has its first heavyweight titan.