Ocarina of Time on Switch 2: How Long Does It Take to 100%?

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launched on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5, 2026. Reviews are glowing (96 on Metacritic), and completionists want to know how long it takes to finish everything. The day before launch, IGN published accounts from three IGN and Eurogamer editors who reached 100%. Their times range from 27 to 30 hours, about 28 hours on average. That number has two limits: it comes from only three players, and all of them already knew the original game inside out.

Three editors, three clocks

In its November 4, 2026 article "How Long Is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake?", IGN asked three people from its own team and from Eurogamer how long their 100% run took.

Logan Plant (Senior Editor, IGN) took 21 hours to reach the credits. He then spent 9 more hours getting to 100%: every Piece of Heart, every Gold Skulltula and every Empty Bottle. That's 30 hours in total. He then started a second playthrough and finished it in about 14 hours, thanks to what he had learned the first time.

Lottie Lynn (Guides Editor, Eurogamer) reports around 27 hours. That covers the story, all side quests, every Heart Piece and every Gold Skulltula. It doesn't count time spent comparing the remake with the original or riding Epona just for fun.

Brendan Graeber (Senior Editor, Guides, IGN) also needed around 27 hours to reach 100% and finish the game, exploring thoroughly. He knows the series well.

The average of those three numbers (30, 27 and 27) is roughly 28 hours. That's where the "28 hours to 100%" figure going around comes from. Read it for what it is. It isn't an official Nintendo number or a community average like HowLongToBeat. It's the average of three runs by editors who already knew Ocarina of Time very well. They knew where to look, and that certainly sped them up. A first-time player will very likely take longer. Because the article went up the day before launch, these times come from runs played before release.

How it compares to the N64 and 3DS versions

For the earlier versions, guide sites give estimates that are fairly close to each other. Game8 puts the main story at 20 to 25 hours and 100% at around 40 hours. It notes that these numbers come from the Nintendo 64 and 3DS versions and that it expects a similar length on Switch 2. GameWith gives 20 to 30 hours for the story and 30 to 40 hours for full completion. Games.gg suggests about 27 hours to beat and 37 to 100%, also based on the original.

IGN's 28-hour figure is therefore on the low end of the estimates for the earlier versions. That doesn't mean the remake is shorter: the three players' experience easily explains the gap. It's still too early for a solid community average on the Switch 2 version. For a first 100% run without prior knowledge, a range of about 30 to 40 hours is the safer bet.

A note for our readers: "100%" here means completing everything in-game (collectibles, side quests, items), as defined by the IGN editors.

Watch out for your save file

This is the most important point for completionists. According to IGN, the remake only allows one save file, even if the menu may suggest otherwise. Starting a new game can genuinely overwrite a 100% save. If you want to replay the adventure after finishing everything, think twice before creating a new file.

A critical triumph

Ocarina of Time is one of the very best-reviewed games of 2026. According to GamesRadar, the remake sits at 96 on Metacritic after 42 reviews, all positive, with 25 perfect scores. That makes it the year's highest-rated game on the site. It still falls short of the N64 original, the only game with a 99. It does beat Ocarina of Time 3D, which scored 94. Several outlets report that it is also 2026's top-rated game on OpenCritic.

According to Nintendo Everything's review roundup, IGN gave it a 9/10, GameSpot 9/10, Game Informer 9.25/10, GamesRadar 5/5, and both Shacknews and Destructoid 10/10.

The game is a Switch 2 exclusive. It was announced in a Nintendo Direct on June 9, 2026, and it's the second full remake of Ocarina of Time, after Grezzo's 3DS version in 2011. In the US, it costs $59.99 digital and $69.99 physical, and the download is about 27 GB.

Key takeaways

The figure of about 28 hours to 100% Ocarina of Time on Switch 2 comes from a single source: the average of three runs by IGN and Eurogamer editors (30, 27 and 27 hours). All three knew the original game very well. It's a useful benchmark for series veterans, not an official measurement or a community average. If you're new to the game, expect something closer to 30 to 40 hours, which matches the estimates for the N64 and 3DS versions. Above all, be careful with your single save file before starting over.

Sources

• IGN, "How Long Is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake?", November 4, 2026
• https://www.gamesradar.com/games/the-legend-of-zelda/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-remakes-metacritic-score-makes-it-the-highest-rated-game-of-2026-but-even-it-cant-reach-the-originals-near-perfect-score/
• https://nintendoeverything.com/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-remake-reviews-roundup/
• https://nintendoeverything.com/zelda-ocarina-of-time-remake-price/
• https://game8.co/games/Zelda-Ocarina-of-Time/archives/634510
• https://games.gg/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time/guides/how-long-is-the-ocarina-of-time-remake-about-27-hours-to-beat/
• https://maketecheasier.com/zelda-ocarina-of-time-switch-2-remake/
• https://gameinformer.com/nintendo-direct/2026/06/09/the-nintendo-switch-2-remake-of-the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time