Revisiting Hyrule: How Much Time Does the New Ocarina of Time Demand?
The Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time offers a substantial experience, with one reviewer logging 45 hours across multiple playthroughs. Completion of the main story takes around 21 hours, while achieving 100% completion—including all side quests and collectibles—requires an additional nine hours. The game’s design encourages exploration and discovery, rewarding players who take time to absorb its rich world details.
The Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, released on November 5, 2026, demands a significant time investment from players, with completion times ranging from 14 to 45 hours depending on playstyle. According to multiple reviewers, finishing the main story takes approximately 21 hours, while achieving 100% completion—including all side quests, collectibles like Heart Pieces and Gold Skulltulas, and optional challenges—requires an additional nine hours. Logan Plant, a senior editor at IGN, logged 45 hours across two playthroughs, including one where he completed the game in just 14 hours by mainlining the story. Lottie Lynn of Eurogamer reported 27 hours for full completion, while Brendan Graeber noted similar time spent meticulously exploring every nook and cranny, even tracking new details like fairies leaving notes. The game’s design emphasizes exploration, with subtle changes to dungeons—especially the Water Temple—rewarding attentive players. Despite a single-save-file limitation that risks overwriting progress, the remake preserves the original’s core structure while enhancing its depth.
This effort reflects broader cultural trends in gaming: a growing appreciation for revisiting and re-experiencing seminal titles through modern remakes. The original Ocarina of Time, released in 2001, is widely regarded as one of the greatest video games ever made, shaping expectations for open-world design and narrative integration in 3D games. The Switch 2 remake,
The prolonged playtime required by the Ocarina of Time remake could signal a cultural shift toward valuing depth over speed in gaming, especially among long-time fans revisiting foundational titles. This may influence how publishers approach remakes—prioritizing enriching details and exploration over streamlined experiences. The game’s emphasis on discovery may also affect player expectations for future re-releases, potentially pressuring developers to include more hidden content or dynamic world elements. A comparable precedent is the 2013 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Wii U, which similarly drew attention for its nostalgic appeal and extended replayability. However, unlike that version, the Switch 2 remake appears to have been designed with modern players in mind, balancing accessibility with depth. As more players invest dozens of hours into single titles, this could impact how time is allocated across gaming ecosystems—potentially affecting engagement with