Zelda: Ocarina of Time Beats The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim in One Major Way

Published Nov 8, 2026, 7:00 AM EST Jason Venter is a long-time gamer from beautiful Oregon who has spent much of his life inside playing games or writing. He contributes to Polygon to share those passions, after previously freelancing at sites like IGN, GameSpot, GamesRadar, and HonestGamers, among others. Absence makes the heart grow fonder Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks After years spent dreaming of a remake or remaster of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the highest-rated video game of all time according to Metacritic, fans finally saw their wish fulfilled in 2026. Nintendo announced a remake for Switch 2 earlier this year, and the title arrived in stores this week. Nintendo has taken some heat for relying on remakes and remasters to bolster the Switch 2 library, but time after time, they seem to delight fans and earn favorable critical reviews. Such positive performance suggests the remakes ought to continue, at least for now. It also highlights one major way Ocarina of Time beats other games that have received numerous releases over the years, such as The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Depending on how you count it, Skyrim has appeared on 13 unique platforms as of November 2026, including Google Stadia (since shut down) and Amazon Alexa. There have been VR editions and bundles gathering fan-created content and expansion packs. The game originally launched on Nov. 10, 2011, and since then, it has appeared almost everywhere a large audience exists. For its part, Ocarina of Time has appeared on far fewer platforms since its debut in 1998. That comparative rarity means each new version feels like an event, as we see with the anticipation and hype surrounding Ocarina of Time in 2026. After it was released on the Nintendo 64, Ocarina of Time got two ports for the GameCube in North America. Nintendo included it as part of The Legend of Zelda: Collector’s Edition, a bundle of four games from the series that also included Majora’s Mask and the original NES entries, along with a demo for The Wind Waker. It also headlined a separate compilation that included the Master Quest, which previously had been available only on the Nintendo 64DD in Japan. Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo Next came The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D in June 2011 for the handheld Nintendo 3DS. It presented the classic adventure with quality-of-life improvements and a 3D visual effect so players could see Hyrule with extra dimension. This version also included improved texture quality throughout the adventure. If you could handle playing on a tiny screen, it was the best way to enjoy that classic version of Hyrule for years. Ocarina of Time on the Switch 2 includes even more quality-of-life improvements, better controls, and dramatically improved visuals that incorporate an aesthetic we wouldn’t find out of place in a classic volume of fairy tales, or even in a high-end doll shop. Critics consider the game one of the year’s finest, awarding it a current Metacritic score of 96 out of 100. There was no guarantee Nintendo could produce that result. Ocarina of Time is generally considered one of the finest games of all time, but some players find its mechanics dated. Some people just don’t like Zelda all that much. And so on, and so forth. Despite those obstacles, the development team pulled through and the result of their labor seems to be pleasing both returning fans and newcomers who have stepped into Hyrule for the very first time. Compare that stellar reception to the one that accompanies yet another new version of Skyrim, and the difference is clear. Bethesda simply doesn’t give players time to miss the game that has accounted for more sales than any other in the company’s history. There’s always a new version of Skyrim waiting just around the corner, it seems. Perhaps we’ll even see another few editions launch before we finally get our hands on The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel. Free sign-up Get Polygon’s Wishlister newsletter A weekly cheat sheet to what you’ll eventually love to play. No buying, no commitment — just saving for later. Sign up free Free. Unsubscribe anytime. New Skyrim ports usually bring genuine enhancements, but they tend to be minor if you’ve already played the original game and its expansions. Humorously, one of the most interesting versions of the game came to Nintendo hardware with Zelda-related content, starting with the Switch in November 2017. Players could dress like Link by acquiring the Champion’s Tunic, and equip themselves with the Master Sword and Hylian Shield. I don’t mind seeing companies release multiple versions of the games players love most, because it makes them accessible to a wider audience. They also prevent me from having to haul out all my old consoles the next time I’m in a retro mood. But the slew of releases can grow tiresome when they are priced as premium titles but don’t add content or meaningful improvements. Ocarina of Time, the crown jewel in Nintendo’s library, has avoided that fate. Skyrim, the best thing Bethesda has built and launched so far, has not.