Zelda: Ocarina Of Time is now Metacritic’s highest-rated game of 2026

| Games News Writer Published November 4, 2026 4:51pm Updated November 4, 2026 4:51pm A classic through time (Nintendo) Nintendo has shot up Metacritic’s highest-rated games of the year with Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, but its score hasn’t eclipsed the original. Aside from GTA 6 on the near horizon, The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time on Nintendo Switch 2 is one of the last major games of the year. The remake is set to be released on Thursday and after reviews went up earlier today, it has become the highest-rated game of the year so far on review aggregate site Metacritic. At the time of writing, Zelda: Ocarina Of Time has a rating of 96, beating the previous frontrunner Sektori which has 93. The latter came out on PC last year, but was released on Switch 2 in May 2026. The rest of the list is also filled with ports and remasters of old titles, with Resident Evil 2: Deluxe Edition on Switch 2 at number three, with a score of 93, while The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered is at four with 92. The 96 score for Zelda also means the game has made the site’s Best Games Of All Time list, where it currently sits at number 27, ahead of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, the original Half-Life, and Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, even though they all share the same score. Want GTA 6 news? Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for the latest GTA 6 news, reviews of new games you should play and exclusive analysis of the biggest stories of the week. In fact, from Half-Life 2 at number 16 to GTA Double Pack at number 34, every entry has the same 96 score – seemingly ordered based on the amount of reviews in total. However, the remake hasn’t beaten the original Nintendo 64 version of Ocarina Of Time, which sits at number one with an almost perfect score of 99. This is ahead of SoulCalibur, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and GTA 4, which all have 98. That rating is based on reviews from 28 years ago though, and while no one doubts that the original is a cast iron classic, the methodology of its Metacritic rating was called into question earlier in the year. Unless you’re an ardent fan of Shrek 2 Remastered, the only other game left that seems likely to top the 2026 list is GTA 6. However, it’s also likely to be more controversial in comparison to a polished remake of one of the best video games ever, so we’re not convinced it will achieve a unanimous consensus in the same way. We don’t have long to wait to find out, with GTA 6 set to launch worldwide on November 19. Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake is Nintendo’s big Christmas game for the Switch 2, but the console’s line-up for 2027 is pretty strong too, between Metroid Ravenous, Kirby And The World Beyond, The Duskbloods, Xenoblade Genesis, and Pokémon Winds and Waves. Will GTA 6 take the crown? (Rockstar) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. Arrow MORE: Rockstar will take down videos with GTA 6 story spoilers even after launch Arrow MORE: Ubisoft looking to buy Deathloop’s Arkane Lyon from Xbox claims report Arrow MORE: 007 First Light is 50% off in massive PlayStation Store Black Friday sale GameCentral Get the latest GTA 6 news, reviews of new games you should play and exclusive analysis of the biggest stories of the week.