Nintendo’s Star Fox reveal backs up Zelda Ocarina of Time remake rumors

Nintendo is remaking Star Fox 64 (again) for Switch 2 with this summer’s Star Fox. While the news that Nintendo is treading familiar ground yet again with Star Fox may be disappointing to some, there’s also some good news to take away from the company’s surprise Nintendo Direct on Wednesday — particularly when it comes to rumors about a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

2026’s Star Fox will be the second direct remake of Star Fox 64, following the 2011 release of Star Fox 64 3D for Nintendo 3DS. That same year, Nintendo also brought another remake to its 3D handheld: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. The dual remakes of Nintendo 64 games were released just months apart, and both titles helped to fill out the Nintendo 3DS’ weak launch-window library.

In 2026, it appears that Nintendo may be pursuing a similar tactic, with a confirmed Star Fox remake and a rumored Ocarina of Time remake possibly arriving within months of each other.

Granted, the Nintendo Switch 2 library isn’t nearly as dire as the 3DS’ was back in 2011, when Nintendo was all but forced to slash the handheld’s prices and give early adopters a bunch of free games. Nintendo already has a major Switch 2 hit on its hands in 2026 with Pokémon Pokopia, but with rumors of a 3D Mario game still far away and no direct follow-up to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the… horizon, Nintendo fans could use a few new AAA games to play. Even if they’re technically old ones.

Confirmation of a new(ish) Star Fox helps to affirm a rumor from earlier this year by prolific leaker NateTheHate. He said in March that Nintendo was not only working on a new Star Fox, but also an Ocarina of Time remake for the second half of 2026. He also correctly called a summer release for Switch 2 games Splatoon Raiders and Rhythm Heaven Groove, prior to Nintendo confirming those dates. All of that would certainly lend more credibility to an Ocarina of Time remake coming in 2026, which we could really use.

With The Legend of Zelda movie coming in 2027 and fresh rumors of a Star Fox stand-alone animated movie from Nintendo and Illumination, Nintendo repeating its 3DS-era remake strategy makes a lot of sense. The only question that remains is what N64 classic Nintendo will revive for Switch 2 next. (Nintendo, if you’re reading, we’d be OK with an F-Zero remake of any kind.)

Nintendo’s new Star Fox comes to Switch 2 on June 25. The rumored Ocarina of Time remake is supposed to arrive later this year.