Nintendo’s Switch 2 remake of a 1998 classic just landed at the top of the year’s review charts. Video Games Chronicle reported on November 4 that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time holds a Metascore of 96 on Metacritic, which puts it first on the site’s Best Games This Year page and inside the all-time top 30.
The number arrived one day before launch. Metacritic lists the release date as November 5, 2026, so critics scored the Ocarina of Time remake on review builds while players were still waiting. That timing matters for how you read the score, and we will get to it below. For the technical side of the same release, our earlier report on Digital Foundry’s 60 FPS versus 20 FPS comparison covers what the Switch 2 hardware changes.
This analysis sorts the confirmed numbers from the shaky ones. The headline claim holds up across several outlets, but the exact all-time ranking does not, because three outlets reported three different positions within hours of each other. We also look at what the score means for Switch 2, how it compares with the original and the 3DS version, and why the 2026 crown is not safe with Grand Theft Auto VI about two weeks away.
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Ocarina of Time Remake Takes the Top Spot on Metacritic
The core facts are simple. The remake carries a Metascore of 96. Metacritic’s critic review page backs the 96, and the site ranks it as the highest-rated game of 2026 at the time reported. The Independent ran the same claim in its headline. VGC says the game dethroned the twin-stick shooter Sektori, which sits at 93.
A three-point lead sounds small, but near the top of Metacritic’s scale it is wide. The gap between 93 and 96 separates a very good release from a standout one. VGC called the lead comfortable and described the 2026 position as sturdier than the all-time one because of that margin.
A note on naming before we go further. Nintendo Life’s headline calls this Metacritic’s GOTY list, but the reports we reviewed describe the page as Best Games of 2026 or Best Games This Year. Metacritic does not appear to publish an official game of the year award under that title, so we use the site’s own page names here.
What the 96 Metascore Measures, and How Many Reviews Back It
A Metascore is a weighted average of critic scores, so it moves as outlets file their reviews. That explains why the review count differs from story to story. VGC counted 70 reviews, The Independent counted 80, and Nintendo Life and GamesRadar both counted 81. Each outlet captured the page at a different minute on the same day.
The score itself held at 96 across all of those snapshots. That stability is a good sign. A score that stays put while the sample grows by more than 10 reviews is less likely to be an early-review artifact than one that swings by points.
| Outlet | Reported reviews | Reported all-time rank | Metascore cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video Games Chronicle | 70 | No. 24 | 96 |
| The Independent | 80 | Not stated | Called highest-rated game of 2026 |
| GamesRadar | 81 | No. 26 | 96 |
| Nintendo Life | 81 | No. 27 | 96 |
The takeaway from the table: the score is consistent, while the count and rank are snapshots. Any article that states one fixed all-time position as settled fact is overreaching.
The 2026 Leaderboard: Where the Next Four Games Sit
Nintendo Life listed the rest of the top five when it published. Sektori is second at 93, and Resident Evil 2: Deluxe Edition ties it at 93 in third. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt – Remaster follows at 92, and Big Walk rounds out the group at 91.
| Position | Game | Metascore | Gap to the leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Switch 2) | 96 | Leader |
| 2 | Sektori | 93 | 3 points |
| 3 | Resident Evil 2: Deluxe Edition | 93 | 3 points |
| 4 | The Witcher III: Wild Hunt – Remaster | 92 | 4 points |
| 5 | Big Walk | 91 | 5 points |
Source for the standings: Nintendo Life’s report at the time of writing. The order below the leader could shift as late reviews arrive, since two games share 93.
The mix is telling. At least two of the five entries are remakes or remasters of older games, and the leader is a 28-year-old design rebuilt for new hardware. That pattern is not new for Nintendo’s catalog, but it is unusual to see re-releases crowd a year-end list this early.
All-Time Ranking: Why Reports Say No. 24, 26 and 27
On the all-time list, VGC placed the remake at No. 24. GamesRadar put it at No. 26, and Nintendo Life put it at No. 27. All three can be correct for their own timestamps.
The tie that causes the shuffle
VGC and Nintendo Life both explained the cause. Every game ranked from 16th to 34th on the list has a Metascore of 96. Metacritic orders ties with more granular calculations, so one new review can push a game up or down several spots without changing its headline score. The remake sits inside that crowded band.
The neighbors differ by report, which is another sign of movement. VGC said the remake sits ahead of Half-Life, Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid 2, Elden Ring and Mass Effect 2, and behind The Orange Box, Baldur’s Gate 3 and the original release of Resident Evil 4. GamesRadar placed it ahead of Elden Ring and Skyrim, with Mass Effect 2 and The House in Fata Morgana just above it. Nintendo Life said it slots above Skyrim, Half-Life, Tears of the Kingdom and Wind Waker. We treat the exact neighbors as unconfirmed.
Original 99, 3D 94, Remake 96: The Three-Version Scorecard
The remake invites a family comparison. The 1998 Nintendo 64 original holds a Metascore of 99, which VGC and Nintendo Life both describe as the only 99 on Metacritic and the number one game of all time. GamesRadar reports the 3DS version at 94.
| Version | Platform | Metascore | Gap to the original |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | Nintendo 64 (1998) | 99 | Baseline |
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (remake) | Nintendo Switch 2 | 96 | 3 points lower |
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D | Nintendo 3DS | 94 | 5 points lower |
The remake beats the 3DS version by two points and trails the original by three. GamesRadar noted that the original’s score is untouched by the remake, and that framing is fair. A remake rarely displaces the game it copies in a ranking. Critics in 2026 scored a polished return that arrived with a reputation already built, and that changes what a score is rewarding.
Why a 1998 Design Still Sets the Bar
Historical context explains the reaction. The original arrived on the Nintendo 64 in 1998 and still holds Metacritic’s top spot, as VGC and Nintendo Life both noted. Nintendo Life’s readers said as much in the comments, with several arguing that a faithful rebuild of the highest-rated game ever was never going to land below 95.
That view has a catch. A faithful remake inherits praise for a design everyone already knows, so critics can score the polish without having to judge the structure. Nintendo Life’s own review took a slightly cooler line, calling it a stunning remake that falls short of being the last word on the game, and the site’s commenters questioned how much nostalgia inflates the average. Both points deserve weight. The 96 measures how well Nintendo executed a known blueprint, not whether the blueprint is still unbeatable.
For players who want a sense of the game’s pacing, we have been tracking it dungeon by dungeon in our Shadow Temple crawl, which shows how much of the original’s structure survives.
How Metacritic Builds These Rankings
Understanding the mechanics helps explain why one story says No. 24 and another says No. 27. Metacritic collects critic reviews, converts each to a numeric score and averages them into a Metascore. The Best Games This Year page sorts current-year releases by that average. The all-time page uses the same average across every game on the site.
Ties are where it gets interesting. VGC and Nintendo Life both pointed out that the 16th to 34th places all carry a 96, so the order inside that group depends on calculations the headline number does not show. That is a span of 19 positions sharing one score. A single added review can nudge the remake up or down several slots, which is exactly what the three reported ranks suggest happened across a few hours.
The practical lesson for readers and writers: quote the Metascore, give the review count and add the time of the snapshot. The score and the review count together tell you how much weight the number can bear. A 96 from 70 reviews and a 96 from 81 reviews are the same headline, but the second rests on a bigger base.
What Critics Say About the Remake
Review language backs the number. Shacknews gave the game a perfect 10/10 and called it “a tour de force that redefines what remakes can be.” The search result we found does not name the individual reviewer, so we attribute it to the outlet.
VGC awarded five stars. Its review praised Nintendo’s choice not to overhaul the original and instead add what it called “thoughtful modernizations” where relevant. That restraint is the common thread across the coverage. Reviewers are rewarding the decision to leave a masterpiece’s skeleton alone.
GamesRadar listed the additions players will notice: new sidequests, dungeon tweaks, the option from Breath of the Wild to turn off the on-screen UI, and a jump button. It also pointed to a technical gap that reviewers cited repeatedly. The original ran at an unstable 20 fps on Nintendo 64, while the Switch 2 remake holds a solid 60 fps. Our report on the listed FSR 1.0 and SMAA upscaling covers how Nintendo gets there.
Switch 2’s Highest-Rated Game, Ahead of Tears of the Kingdom
Nintendo Life added a platform-level claim. The remake is the highest-rated Switch 2 game on Metacritic to date. It beats the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Tears of the Kingdom (95), Hades II (95) and the Switch 2 Edition of Breath of the Wild (94).
- Ocarina of Time remake: 96, Switch 2 exclusive
- Tears of the Kingdom, Switch 2 Edition: 95
- Hades II: 95
- Breath of the Wild, Switch 2 Edition: 94
The remake is a Switch 2 exclusive and does not run on the original Switch. That matters for the console’s story. Three of the four top Switch 2 scores belong to Zelda titles or upgraded Zelda releases, which shows how much of the platform’s critical standing rests on one franchise. Buyers weighing the hardware can see our Switch Lite versus Switch 2 buying comparison for the price gap.
Market Impact: What a 96 Does for Switch 2 Momentum
No sales figure, pricing detail or Nintendo statement about the score appears in the sources we reviewed, so this section is analysis, not reporting. Treat it as one reading of the evidence.
Review scores matter most in the days before launch, when undecided buyers check aggregators. A 96 attached to a brand people already know gives retailers and platform holders a clean message at the exact moment preorders convert to purchases. Our look at the retail side, including Walmart’s $519.99 Zelda Switch 2 gift card offers, shows how much commercial weight this release already carried before reviews landed.
The score also sets expectations. Anything under the original’s 99 gets read as a step down, so Nintendo now has a very high bar for post-launch patches and any follow-up releases. That pressure is a feature of success, not a flaw in the game.
The GTA VI Test Two Weeks Out
Both VGC and Nintendo Life flagged the same threat to the 2026 crown. Grand Theft Auto VI is about two weeks away, and Nintendo Life wrote that it struggles to remember a game launching with as much hype. VGC said it remains to be seen whether Ocarina holds the top spot through year’s end.
Nintendo Life’s writer suggested Rockstar’s game might not be received quite as warmly as Ocarina, yet said that if anything knocks the remake off the pedestal, it will be GTA. We would add one caution. Review counts for a release that large may climb quickly, and early averages can move as they do. Readers tracking the launch can check our GTA 6 confirmed-versus-rumor scorecard for what is actually known.
What to Watch Between Launch and Year-End
Three checkpoints will show whether the 96 holds. First, watch the review count past 81. Late reviews from smaller outlets tend to arrive in the days after launch, and they decide whether the average drifts. Second, watch the 16th to 34th band on the all-time page, since the remake’s spot there is the least stable number in this story.
Third, watch the week GTA VI reviews go live. Both VGC and Nintendo Life framed that launch as the main threat to the remake’s 2026 position. If you follow the broader industry backdrop, our tracker on game industry layoffs passing 10,977 is a reminder that a year of big critical hits has landed alongside a rough year for studios.
For players, the immediate question is simpler. The game arrives on November 5 for Switch 2 owners only, and the critical consensus says the 1998 structure survives intact with modern handling layered on top. Whether that appeals depends on whether you want a faithful return or a reinvention.
What Remains Unconfirmed
Several details circulating around this story lack support in the cited reporting. We list them so you can discount them.
- A single all-time rank: the reports give No. 24, No. 26 and No. 27, with no way to name one as final.
- An official GOTY list: the pages described are Best Games of 2026 and Best Games This Year.
- Final review totals: counts of 70, 80 and 81 are snapshots, and more reviews are expected.
- Sales, pricing and Nintendo comments: none of these is established in the sources.
The score itself is not in doubt. The 96 shows up in every outlet’s report, and Metacritic’s own listing carries the November 5, 2026 date. Beyond that, the detail work is still moving.
Five Predictions for the Ocarina of Time Remake Ranking
These are our judgments, based on how Metacritic behaves, and not facts from any source.
Near-term calls
- The Metascore stays between 94 and 97 through launch week. It held at 96 across snapshots of 70 to 81 reviews, which points to a stable center.
- The all-time rank keeps moving. With the whole 16th to 34th band sitting at 96, expect the remake to change positions several times before it settles.
- It remains first among 2026 releases until GTA VI reviews arrive. The three-point lead over Sektori is hard to close for anything except a mega-release.
Longer-term calls
- Original stays at No. 1 all time. No remake has come within three points of a 99, and nothing here changes that.
- Publishers cite this score when they pitch remakes. A faithful, lightly modernized rebuild just topped a year-end list, and expect other studios to point to that result.
FAQ: Ocarina of Time Remake Metacritic Score
What is the Ocarina of Time remake’s Metascore?
The remake holds a Metascore of 96 on Metacritic, according to VGC, Nintendo Life, GamesRadar and The Independent. Review counts reported with that score ranged from 70 to 81.
Is it the highest-rated game of 2026?
Yes, at the time of reporting. VGC said it sits first on Metacritic’s Best Games This Year page, ahead of Sektori at 93. The position could change if a later release scores higher.
Where does it rank on Metacritic’s all-time list?
Reports disagree. VGC said No. 24, GamesRadar said No. 26 and Nintendo Life said No. 27. Many games between 16th and 34th share a 96, so the order shifts as reviews arrive.
How does it compare with the original game?
The 1998 original has a Metascore of 99, the only 99 on Metacritic. The remake scores three points lower. The 3DS version sits at 94, per GamesRadar, so the remake is two points ahead of it.
When does the remake release, and on which console?
Metacritic lists November 5, 2026 as the release date. The game is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive and does not run on the original Switch.
Is the “GOTY list” an official Metacritic award?
Not as far as the reports show. The pages in question are Best Games of 2026 and Best Games This Year, which are rankings by Metascore, not an official award.
Could Grand Theft Auto VI knock it off the top?
It is possible. VGC and Nintendo Life both named GTA VI, about two weeks away, as the likeliest challenger. Nothing in the cited reporting shows how that game will score.
