Zelda: Ocarina Of Time 4K Is An "Entirely New Game", Fans Enthuse

The Legend of Zelda is celebrating its 40th Birthday as a franchise this year, and that significant milestone has fans feeling nostalgic, returning to the older games to recapture a little piece of that childhood magic while we wait for Nintendo to give us news on the next game in the series.

For me, the game that really defines everything the series is about is Ocarina of Time, an N64 release that served as one of the most iconic games of the generation. I'm not alone in that contention either, and calls are growing for it to return in an official capacity once again, but it turns out there's already a way to play it with spectacular visuals, and it's entirely free to download.

Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Has A 4K Remake Already

Henriko Magnifico/Nintendo

Over on YouTube, one user shared a video detailing their experience with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 4K Texture Pack, which overhauls the visuals of the base game and turns it into something genuinely beautiful. The only thing you'll need to be aware of is that it's designed to run on the 3DS version of the game, so you canTexture Pack patch the visuals if you're playing on Citra or an equivalent emulator.

Fans were hugely complimentary of what the texture pack does, advancing the fidelity of the visuals significantly without losing the original charm (looking at you DLSS 5).

"This is almost EXACTLY what I want the game to look like for future releases. I know everyone wants a remake, but IMO, this is absurdly faithful to the original N64 game while still looking modern, and especially with the shader improvements that come alongside the texture pack it just looks impeccable, and is just a better option than a remake to me," one comment read.

"I’d be completely fine if Nintendo released an Ocarina of Time 4k like this. Maybe add some voice acting from characters like Zelda, the Deku Tree, Ganondorf, Impa, Saria, Darunia, Malon, Sheik and a couple other characters," another added.

This Could Be The Best Way To Play Ocarina Of Time In 2026

Henriko Magnifico/Nintendo

The fact is that running the game via emulators with these improvements is probably the best way to play Ocarina of Time in 2026. That said, it might not be the case for too long, with rumors of an official Nintendo release for the Switch 2 now growing quickly, with most believing that we could get confirmation of it before the year is out.

Released June 19, 2011

ESRB E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes

Developer(s) Grezzo, Nintendo

Publisher(s) Nintendo

Engine Super Mario 64