Summary
- Tears of the Kingdom signals the end of Zelda on the Switch, with no DLC and the Switch 2 supposedly releasing in the next year or so.
- The series is likely following a reliable year release pattern, so the next major Zelda game may not come until 2028 or 2029.
- Rumors of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess ports to the Switch are circulating, but Tears of the Kingdom is probably the last Switch game before the console's successor arrives.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and its predecessor, Breath of the Wild, are undoubtedly two of the Nintendo Switch's most successful games. Breath of the Wild reinvented the franchise by approaching the world of Zelda from an entirely different standpoint and creating an open world that quickly established a new industry standard. Tears of the Kingdom then upped the ante by expanding Breath of the Wild's open world even further and implementing a variety of innovative tools like Link's Ultrahand ability, which arguably set a new precedent for creativity in the open-world and action-adventure genres.
Despite all that it and Breath of the Wild have accomplished on the Nintendo Switch, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is most likely the franchise's last game on the console. While it was originally rumored to launch in late 2024, new reports suggest the Nintendo Switch 2 won't be released until early 2025. Even with the delay, however, there is still very little time between now and then for Nintendo to do anything else with the Legend of Zelda series on the Switch, especially if the developer has other highly anticipated games like Metroid Prime 4 already lined up for release.
Tears of the Kingdom Is Most Likely the Franchise's Last Switch Game
Nintendo is currently quiet about its plans for the Legend of Zelda franchise, despite having already made it known that Tears of the Kingdom will be receiving no DLC expansions. This, as well as the Switch 2's alleged impending release, suggests the series' time on the Nintendo Switch has come to an end. Still, The Legend of Zelda is far from its retirement.
The Legend of Zelda has been following a regular five-to-six-year release pattern since Majora's Mask was released in 2000.
There was a six-year gap between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, which were released in 2017 and 2023, respectively. Before Breath of the Wild came Skyward Sword, which launched on the Nintendo Wii six years prior in 2011. If Nintendo follows that pattern, the Legend of Zelda series may not see its next major installment until well into the Switch 2's lifespan — specifically, somewhere between 2028 and 2029. However, that may be a good thing, as it would likely mean that Nintendo is taking full advantage of its new hardware, whatever it ends up being.
None of this is to say that fans won't see any Legend of Zelda titles released before the next mainline installment, as Nintendo undoubtedly knows it would be leaving money on the table by completely abandoning the franchise for the next several years. There have been constant rumors surrounding potential Wind Waker and Twilight Princess ports coming to the Switch in the near future.
Both titles are beloved and despite their poorly received HD versions released in 2013 and 2016 for the Wii U, a full remaster of each game for the Switch would likely garner a more positive reception. However, as there has been no confirmation of these rumored remasters, it will likely be 2025 before the ports are released if they are indeed legitimate. In that case, they would come with the Switch 2. Unfortunately, Tears of the Kingdom is likely the franchise's last Switch game, but that is probably for the best.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Released
- May 12, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to the beloved open-world adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This installment once again sees Link and Zelda battling to protect Hyrule from falling to Ganondorf. This new adventure takes place in the same land of Hyrule as Breath of the Wild but sees something called the Upheaval, which allows link to travel to Sky Islands, as well as deep into the Depths beneath Hyrule. Players can use special abilities to fuse together weapons, and build items to help them progress through the release.
- ESRB
- Rated E for Everyone 10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Franchise
- The Legend of Zelda
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Action, Open-World
- How Long To Beat
- 59 Hours
- Metascore
- 96
