Nintendo's Biggest Zelda Remake May Be a Gamescom No-Show

1 hour ago 3

Published Aug 5, 2026, 6:18 PM EDT

Tay Garcia is a Contributor at DualShockers and a Brazilian journalist who has been covering games professionally since 2017. Her work spans news, reviews, previews, lists, guides, and features, with a particular focus on horror, retro games, theories, puzzle games, Metroidvanias, Soulslikes, and story-driven titles.

Before joining DualShockers, Tay worked as an assistant editor and contributed to Jovem Nerd, one of Brazil’s largest pop culture outlets, as well as Editora Europa, a major Brazilian publisher known for gaming and technology magazines. She has also worked as a streamer, YouTube creator, and podcaster. Tay holds a B.A. in Journalism, has postgraduate training in Social Media, and is certified in professional video game journalism. She was also a member of Podcast UP, which won the Cubo de Ouro Award for Best Podcast in Brazil in 2021.

Because you are reading this article, chances are high that you are a long-time fan of The Legend of Zelda franchise. It is even more likely that Ocarina of Time holds a special, almost sacred place in your gaming heart – and most likely of all, you probably already have storage space reserved on your Nintendo Switch 2 for the remake coming this Holiday.

With Gamescom right around the corner in Cologne, Germany, many fans were hoping that this massive European showcase would serve as the grand stage for a playable debut or at least a meaty new gameplay reveal. I mean, at this point, we would literally accept anything since all we have so far is a seconds-long teaser trailer.

However, if you were already planning to pack your bags and line up at the convention center to get your hands on the Master Sword, you might want to manage your expectations because Nintendo's newly revealed lineup strongly suggests the remake will be a total no-show.

Nintendos Biggest Zelda Remake May Be a Gamescom No Show

Nintendo recently took to its social media channels to announce the batch of playable Switch 2 titles heading to Gamescom later this month. Starting on August 26, attendees will have hands-on access to a pretty solid mix of upcoming releases and major ports, including Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, 007 First Light, EA Sports FC 27, Orbitals, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and more!

Sure, that is plenty of wonderful titles, and I would even be pretty excited to take a peek into Orbitals or test out the summer minigames in Sports Resort. But there is one absence that is simply too loud to ignore: any mention of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

This exclusion comes as a bit of a sting, especially considering Nintendo's history with the franchise at the event. Historically, Gamescom has been a reliable venue for the publisher to show off major Zelda projects before launch. For instance, attendees got early hands-on opportunities with Breath of the Wild back in 2016, and the charming remake of Link’s Awakening made a splash on the show floor in 2019. Skipping out on the event altogether leaves the Nintendo 64 remake without a clear gameplay reveal window as its vague 2026 release timeframe ticks away.

There is one absence [in Nintendo's Gamescom line-up] that is simply too loud to ignore: any mention of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

So, where does that leave us while we wait for an official release date? While missing Gamescom is certainly a bummer, it doesn't mean the project is hitting any snags. In fact, several signs indicate development is progressing smoothly behind closed doors. Just last month, the Ocarina of Time remake officially picked up its ESRB rating and started popping up in physical magazine ads across Japan, both of which are huge signals that pre-orders and formal marketing pushes are just around the corner.

We can also theorize a bit further and believe that, instead of sharing the spotlight at a third-party convention, Nintendo likely wants to save its crown jewel for a dedicated showcase. It might be a test of patience, but holding out a little longer for a full-blown Nintendo Direct dedicated to Ocarina of Time sounds like a much better trade-off than a rushed convention snippet. I don't know about you, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for September and keeping my Switch 2 charged and ready for whenever Link decides to make his grand return!