Ocarina of Time's Switch 2 remake is at 96 on Metacritic, with IGN at 9/10. Here is what critics praise, what they dislike and how long it takes to beat.
As of Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, the Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is sitting at 96 on Metacritic and 95 on OpenCritic, according to Polygon's roundup. That makes it the best-reviewed game of 2026 so far, and by a wide margin. The game launches Thursday, Nov. 5, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2, and the review embargo lifted this morning.
Every score and verdict below belongs to the outlet that wrote it. Savvy VibeZ has not reviewed the game and gives it no rating of its own.
What score did Ocarina of Time get on Metacritic?
It got 96 on Metacritic, which is three points short of the 99 the 1998 Nintendo 64 original holds there. It is also two points above the 94 given to Ocarina of Time 3D, the last major re-release, from 2011. The 95 on OpenCritic points the same way.
Polygon's summary of the critical mood is that most reviewers have a few quibbles, mainly an art style that is not always consistent and some updates that land better than others, but the consensus is that the remake makes an aging masterpiece far easier to enjoy.
What did the big outlets say?
- IGN gave it 9 out of 10 and called it a beautiful retelling that stands on its own. Its reviewer put in 30 hours on the first playthrough, then started over.
- The Guardian awarded five stars, according to Polygon, with critic Keza MacDonald calling the visuals "hyperreal" and praising the new cutscenes.
- Eurogamer also gave five stars, per Polygon's roundup, and described the gameplay tweaks as "quietly transformative."
- The Verge and Polygon published full reviews without a numeric score. The Verge's headline says the N64 classic never gets old; Polygon's says it is still perfect on Switch 2.
Digital Foundry, also quoted by Polygon, found that the original ran at about 20 frames per second while the remake holds a steady 60, docked or handheld. IGN reports the same 60 fps target and says it stays there practically the whole time.
What are the complaints?
Reviews are not unanimous on every change. Polygon says the fully voiced new dialogue takes some getting used to, and that an early tutorial section feels more hand-holding than before. Eurogamer's reviewer wrote that it sometimes "doesn't look specifically like Zelda anymore," a nod to the realistic environments paired with puppet-like characters. The Verge also notes some frustratingly dark areas.
IGN's biggest gripe is difficulty. Its reviewer says the remake is not very challenging, rarely felt risky, and regrets that there is no harder Hero Mode of the kind earlier Zelda re-releases offered. IGN also warns about a quirk that could cost you progress: the game supports only one save file, and starting a new game then saving overwrites the original.
How long does it take to beat?
IGN published a separate guide with three accounts. One editor needed about 21 hours to reach the credits and 30 for 100 percent completion. Another, a Eurogamer guides editor, reports roughly 27 hours for everything, and a second IGN editor also landed at about 27 hours. Polygon's reviewer wrote about a 20-hour playthrough. All of them are longtime fans who know the original, so a first-time player should plan for more.
That matters for timing. GTA 6 launches Nov. 19, which gives Zelda about two weeks of clear runway before the biggest release of the year takes over. A 20-to-30-hour game fits inside that window if you start this weekend.
Our take
A 96 is not just a good number, it changes who buys this. Switch 2 owners who were waiting for a reason to open the console this month now have it, and the critics' point that it works as a first Zelda for newcomers is a real selling point for holiday gift shoppers. The difficulty complaint is the one to weigh before you pay full price: if you want a challenge, the reviews suggest you will not get one here.
Scores can also shift as more critics post, so treat 96 as the number for Nov. 4, not a final one. For pricing, the likely U.S. launch time and the pre-order bonus, see our earlier guide below.
Related reading
Picture credit: Nintendo
