*The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time* on Switch 2 is the highest-rated game of 2026 so far. Video Games Chronicle reported a Metacritic score of 96 from 70 reviews, enough to take first place on the site's Best Games This Year page from twin-stick shooter *Sektori*, which sits on 93.
The remake launches on November 5, so it got there before most players have touched it. Kotaku had the same 96 earlier in the day from 48 reviews, and said none of those dipped below an 8.
A quick note on sourcing: we couldn't check Metacritic's own pages directly for this story, so every score and ranking here is as VGC and Kotaku reported it at the time. Aggregate scores move as reviews land, so treat them as a snapshot.
Where it lands on the all-time list
VGC also put the remake at number 24 on Metacritic's Best Games of All Time list. That's ahead of *Half-Life*, *Gran Turismo*, *Metal Gear Solid 2*, *Elden Ring* and *Mass Effect 2*, according to VGC, but behind *The Orange Box*, *Baldur's Gate 3* and the original release of *Resident Evil 4*.
Here's the fun bit: the game at number 1 is still the Nintendo 64 *Ocarina of Time*, which VGC says is the only game ever to hold a Metacritic score of 99. So the remake is a blockbuster result that still falls three points short of its own source material.
The all-time spot is shaky, too. VGC says the games ranked 16th to 34th all have a 96, with their order set by more granular calculations, so the remake's position will likely shift a little as reviews come in. Its 2026 lead looks sturdier thanks to the three-point gap, VGC says, but *Grand Theft Auto 6* arrives in two weeks. Kotaku doesn't expect the crown to be safe for long either, adding after naming it the year's top game: "At least for a couple of weeks, anyway."
What the reviews are actually praising
Kotaku's round-up sums up the critical line: the remake is deeply faithful to the N64 game, with quality-of-life changes such as running, motion-control aiming and jumps that now happen on a button press rather than automatically. Hyrule Castle Town can also now be explored.
Kotaku says "beautiful" is one of the more surprising words turning up in reviews, given that early footage drew jokes from fans. It says GameSpot calls the game "gorgeous", Nintendo Life "breathtaking" and IGN "beautiful". VGC's own five-star review calls it "a remarkable restoration" and praises Nintendo for refining the game instead of reinventing it.
The catches
The complaints are small, but they're the bits worth knowing before you buy. Kotaku says the only significant criticism it found was RPG Site's objection to the game having a single save slot, which Kotaku calls "idiotic". If you share a Switch 2 with someone who also wants a run through Hyrule, check how that works before you start.
Kotaku's excerpts carry two more caveats. Game Informer says the new jump can make some encounters feel trivial, since Blade Traps are easy to hop over. Polygon says Hyrule Castle Town loses some of its aura now that smooth 3D camera controls have replaced the old fixed angles.
Kotaku says it didn't get a review copy and will review the game after launch, so there are more verdicts to come. Expect the score and the all-time ranking to keep moving a little once they do.
Jax's take: A 96 is lovely, but the one-save-slot note is the line I'd actually read twice. It's a tiny detail with a very real cost for any household sharing one console, and it's exactly the kind of thing a big number buries. Everything else points the same way: Nintendo seems to have left the bones alone and sanded the rough edges. Smart move, frankly. Beating the original's 99 was never going to happen.
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