Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launches to day-one PC emulation and strong reviews

[Daniel Sims]

Looking ahead: Despite Nintendo's aggressive efforts, PC users have often been able to play games released for the original Switch through emulation just days after launch. Generative AI coding could help recreate a similar situation with Switch 2 games, although things are still in an early, experimental stage. The latest target is a The Legend of Zelda remake that launched to glowing reviews this week.

The Nintendo Switch 2 remake of arguably the greatest Nintendo 64 game has been dumped and run on a PC emulator within hours of launch. However, users should probably stick with the console version for now.

A recent video from Unreal Gaming PC shows Nintendo's remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time running on the recently launched Lichii emulator. Centro Leaks also shared screenshots of a character model and other assets extracted from a dumped copy of the game, while X user NotRexed claims to have started preliminary work on a PC recompilation.

– Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) November 4, 2026

However, since the emulator is barely a week old, the game is far from playable. The video demonstration is plagued by visual glitches, and the framerate frequently drops into the 20s on a system equipped with an RTX 4080 and Ryzen 7 9800X3D. For comparison, the Switch 2 version maintains 60fps at dynamic 1440p when docked and dynamic 1080p in handheld mode, with AMD FSR 1 enabled.

Still, the achievement offers another glimpse of the breakneck pace of Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 hacking over the past month. A free, fan-made PC port of the 2019 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening entered public beta in October. Later that month, the first proof of concept for jailbreaking the Switch 2 emerged, and hackers began running Switch games natively on Apple Silicon devices.

– NotRexed (@NotRexed) November 5, 2026

Enthusiasm for Ocarina of Time is expected to be one of the main drivers of continued development on Lichii and other Switch 2 exploits. The original 1998 release remains Metacritic's highest-rated game of all time, with a 99 Metascore, while the remake debuted with a 96.

The Switch 2 remake earned perfect scores from The Guardian, Eurogamer, GamesRadar, Destructoid, and several other outlets, while IGN, GameSpot, and Forbes awarded it 9/10. Critics say the seminal classic, which helped popularize several conventions of modern 3D gaming, still holds up 28 years later. They also praise its new quality-of-life improvements, with multiple outlets recommending the remake to longtime fans and newcomers alike.

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Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launches to day-one PC emulation and strong reviews

 

[NumberNine]

If you've missed all the other opportunities to pay full price for this 30 year old gameplay, Nintendo has officially come back for you. No funds left behind.

 

[lostinlodos]

“arguably the greatest Nintendo 64 game”?

Just skipping over goldeneye? Perfect dark?
As for quality, Doom 64 is arguably the most impressive port of the game at the time.

 

[Burty117]

“arguably the greatest Nintendo 64 game”?

Just skipping over goldeneye? Perfect dark?
As for quality, Doom 64 is arguably the most impressive port of the game at the time.

In there defence, it does hold the world record for highest metacritic score, I believe it's the only game to get 99/100 anyway.

 

[lostinlodos]

In there defence, it does hold the world record for highest metacritic score, I believe it's the only game to get 99/100 anyway.

I’m with you. But the player reaction is lower than the professional critics. Not that it’s a bad game but Goldeneye’s player ratings were considerably higher. Perfect Dark wasn’t far behind if I remember right.

 

[Burty117]

I’m with you. But the player reaction is lower than the professional critics. Not that it’s a bad game but Goldeneye’s player ratings were considerably higher. Perfect Dark wasn’t far behind if I remember right.

Oh I completely agree, I was much more of a Goldeneye fan, user scores also usually hold more weight with me than critics, although back then, critics were at least half decent.

 

[lostinlodos]

Oh I completely agree, I was much more of a Goldeneye fan, user scores also usually hold more weight with me than critics, although back then, critics were at least half decent.

I’ve never played Goldeneye, but have watched others. Maybe time to pull out the system and break open the seal on the game.
This Zelda, just didn’t get into it. Great graphics and gameplay. Definitely a top 10 for the US, definitely not #1. Then again, toss other region exclusives in and ocarina falls out of my top 10 completely. Back when I published my collectors’ guide book about a decade ago, I believe I put it at 7 or 8. At a time I had yet to get all the regional exclusives yet. No, not even close to best.

Critics? Well, when they say hate, top of my list to watch, play, read, consume. Remember the people that made ocarina the highest rated game on the 64 are the same people that gave Xenophobia/Xenophobe a 0 some 10 years earlier. Because they are typers not players. Which went on to be one of the highest player rated NES/Famicom games on the system. With an average player rating across the internet’s larger consumer rating fan sites, at 97% today. They also gave The Notebook high scores. Fp.

A.I. just told me ocarina has an 87% average the same 25 sites I use as my averaging pool for my writing across most systems. I’m too lazy to do the math myself right now.

 

[lostinlodos]

Maybe time to

Soon: I just got handed a German Atari 2600. Gonna be playing digdug, qbert, et, and more for a few days. my games are here, long ago lost track of which box where had the systems.

BTW, for the et haters… the game was released unfinished. It is playable for the more hardcore users that are used to Japanese and Brazilian productions, which are far harder games (or implementations) than US and European releases.
I’m one of 200+ that beat it and the screenshot is on my gamefaq profile.

I blame the crash on the babying of American gamers. Not ET. He definitely could ‘go home’ if you knew how to play a real game.