The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, released November 5 exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2, is off to a historic start in the United Kingdom.

Christopher Dring of The Game Business reports that the game delivered the second-best retail launch in franchise history based on first-week physical sales in the country.

According to Game World Observer, the exact sales figures for the remake were not disclosed, and Dring's statistics cover only retail sales during the debut week.

Game World Observer also notes the release marked the largest UK retail launch of any game in 2026, a notable achievement for a Switch 2 exclusive competing against some of the year's biggest multi-platform blockbusters.

The result upends the usual assumption that remasters trail brand-new entries at retail. Notebookcheck reports that in its first week the Ocarina of Time remake outsold Breath of the Wild's 2017 launch by 35%, while tracking at roughly 50% of the pace of Tears of the Kingdom in 2023.

Context matters: Breath of the Wild arrived when the Wii U installed base stood at an estimated 13.56 million and the Switch was at zero on launch day, while Tears of the Kingdom benefited from more than 125 million Switch consoles sold by May 2023.

The remake, by contrast, targets a Switch 2 base of over 26 million owners, which makes its performance especially encouraging for Nintendo.

According to Notebookcheck, the game's limited textured foil cover proved particularly popular, and at one point on Amazon US the physical edition crossed 100,000 pre-orders in 30 days — a feat that even Rockstar's GTA 6 did not match on Amazon.

Game World Observer reports that the remake's launch was the largest in UK retail among all games released in 2026, surpassing Resident Evil: Requiem, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, EA Sports FC 27, and other major hits.

Notebookcheck adds that Nintendo's console exclusive is seeing a healthier start than any multi-platform rival this year, with Resident Evil Requiem and Call of Duty serving as the leading competition for 2026 disc and cartridge arrivals in the UK.

The fact that Ocarina of Time is a remake rather than a new Zelda project has, per Notebookcheck, not been an obstacle so far — a signal that nostalgia-driven premium releases can still anchor a console's software lineup.

The strong start positions Nintendo well heading into the rest of the year, but competition is close behind.

Notebookcheck reports that Grand Theft Auto 6 will likely post historic sales when it unlocks on November 19, and while the game lacks a physical disc, a rumor that retail cases will include a double-sided poster has led fans to reconsider digital purchases.

The different console install bases remain a major caveat when comparing launches, and Notebookcheck notes the Switch 2 may take several years to reach 100 million units even if it outperforms its predecessor.