If you already pay for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, you do not need to buy the new The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake just to play Ocarina on Switch. The Nintendo 64 original is already included in Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics while your Expansion Pack membership is active.
The separate Nintendo Switch 2 remake launches November 5, 2026 at a regular U.S. digital price of $59.99. Its value is not basic access to the same adventure. Nintendo is rebuilding the presentation and controls, adding improved Right Stick camera control with free camera movement in fully remodeled locations, new jump and run commands, voiced and expanded scenes, orchestral music, Threads of Time guidance, microphone-based ocarina input, and ZELDA NOTES support. The subscription version still has useful features of its own on Switch 2, including Rewind, a CRT filter, Suspend Points, and customizable controls.
Ocarina of Time Switch 2 vs the Expansion Pack original
| Question | N64 original via Expansion Pack | Switch 2 remake |
|---|---|---|
| How you get it | Included while an active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership remains valid | Separate standalone purchase |
| U.S. price reference | $49.99/year for an Individual Expansion Pack membership, which includes a broader game library | $59.99 regular digital price |
| Hardware | Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 | Nintendo Switch 2 only |
| Download size | Part of the Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics app | Estimated 27 GB before launch |
| Camera control | Original N64-style camera behavior | Improved Right Stick control; free camera movement in fully remodeled locations |
| New jump and run commands | No | Yes |
| Voiced and expanded cutscenes | No | Yes |
| Symphonic orchestral music | No | Yes |
| Threads of Time guidance | No | Yes |
| Microphone ocarina input | No | Yes |
| ZELDA NOTES | Not the remake-supported experience | Yes |
| Rewind on Switch 2 | Yes | Not announced |
| CRT filter on Switch 2 | Yes | Not announced |
| Suspend Points | Yes | Do not confuse the Classics Suspend Point system with the remake’s ordinary save behavior |
| Save Data Cloud | Part of the Nintendo Switch Online service ecosystem | Supported; Nintendo says a Nintendo Switch Online membership is required for cloud backup |
| Subscriber upgrade or remake discount | None currently announced | None currently announced |
The important pricing distinction is that $49.99 is not the price of the old Ocarina of Time by itself. It is the annual U.S. price for an Individual Expansion Pack membership, which also includes a wider classic-game library plus other Expansion Pack benefits. The $59.99 remake is a separate game purchase.
If you already have Expansion Pack, what do you already get?
Nintendo lists Ocarina of Time in the Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics library, and access to that library requires an active Expansion Pack membership. That means an existing subscriber does not need another game purchase to start the N64 version.
On Switch 2, Nintendo has also added features that make the classic version easier to live with today. Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics supports Rewind on Switch 2, a CRT filter, and customizable controls. The Classics service also supports Suspend Points, so you can save your place outside the original game’s native save structure.
Those additions matter because the choice is not between a featureless emulation of the 1998 game and a modern remake. The subscription version preserves the original presentation while adding its own convenience features.
What does the $59.99 Switch 2 remake actually add?
Nintendo describes the new version as being built from the ground up for Switch 2. The confirmed changes go well beyond higher-detail graphics.
More direct movement and camera control
Nintendo says the remake adds dedicated jump and run commands plus improved Right Stick camera control. It also lets you freely move the camera in fully remodeled locations. Those changes address some of the most obvious differences between a late-1990s 3D control scheme and a modern action-adventure game.
Rebuilt presentation
The remake has completely overhauled visuals and material textures, fully voiced cutscenes, expanded character dialogue, and symphonic orchestral music. Nintendo also says it offers smoother performance and faster loading, although it has not provided enough pre-release evidence for us to publish an exact final frame-rate or loading-time comparison.
Threads of Time and new ocarina features
The new Threads of Time system shows your story progress and next objective while gradually filling in a tapestry as the adventure continues. Nintendo is also adding microphone recognition so you can hum learned songs and have Link play them on the ocarina.
ZELDA NOTES
The remake supports ZELDA NOTES through the Nintendo Switch App. Nintendo has announced features including a daily activity record, Gossip Quest, a touchscreen ocarina feature, shared music scores, and an Ocarina of Time quiz with more than 2,000 questions. Nintendo’s UK material says a Nintendo Switch Online membership is not required to use ZELDA NOTES, although a Nintendo Account, compatible smart device, and internet connection are still part of the service requirements.
Do you need Nintendo Switch Online for the remake?
Not for ordinary single-player access based on Nintendo’s current product listing. Nintendo sells the remake as a standalone single-player Switch 2 game, while the Nintendo Switch Online feature listed on the product page is Save Data Cloud.
That is different from the N64 original. Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics itself requires an active Expansion Pack membership, so losing that subscription also removes access to the Classics library until the membership is active again.
For the remake, Nintendo specifically says a Nintendo Switch Online membership is required for Save Data Cloud backup. It does not list the membership as the licence required to play the standalone single-player game.
Is there an Expansion Pack upgrade, discount or save-transfer path?
Nintendo has not currently announced an upgrade pack, subscriber discount, previous-owner credit, or save-transfer path that turns access to the Nintendo 64 original into ownership of the Switch 2 remake.
That distinction is worth checking because Nintendo does offer some Switch 2 upgrade packs through Expansion Pack. For example, Nintendo advertises the Switch 2 Edition upgrade packs for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom as Expansion Pack benefits for players who own the required base games. Ocarina of Time is currently presented differently, as its own Switch 2 release.
This is a current-status finding, not a permanent promise. Nintendo could still change or expand its offers before or after launch.
Which version makes sense for you?
| If this describes you | Current evidence-led choice |
|---|---|
| You already have Expansion Pack and mainly want to play Ocarina | Start with the included N64 version. You already have access while subscribed, and Switch 2 adds Rewind, CRT filtering and other Classics conveniences. |
| You already have Expansion Pack but want modern controls and presentation | The remake has a real additional value proposition. Consider it if the improved Right Stick camera control, free camera movement in fully remodeled locations, new movement controls, rebuilt presentation, Threads of Time and ZELDA NOTES matter enough to justify a separate purchase. |
| You do not subscribe and mainly want this one Zelda game | Compare two different models: a recurring Expansion Pack subscription with a larger classic-game library, or a standalone purchase of the rebuilt Switch 2 game. |
| You only have an original Nintendo Switch | The new remake is Switch 2-exclusive. The Expansion Pack N64 version remains the Nintendo route available on the original Switch. |
| You care most about final technical quality | Wait for launch evidence. Nintendo has confirmed the feature set, but final frame rate, image quality, loading behavior and stability need release-day evidence. |
What is still unknown before November 5
This comparison can answer the access and feature questions now, but it should not pretend to be a review. Current Nintendo material does not yet provide enough evidence for a final call on exact frame rate, resolution behavior, input latency, measured loading times, image-quality differences, or launch stability.
There are also content questions still worth checking at release, including whether features associated with earlier versions such as Master Quest or Boss Challenge are present, and whether Nintendo adds any last-minute upgrade, discount, or save-transfer option.
If those details materially change the value equation, this page should be updated rather than leaving a pre-launch recommendation frozen in place.
Bottom line
If you already subscribe to Expansion Pack, the N64 original remains the sensible no-extra-purchase starting point. The Switch 2 remake earns its separate place through a substantially modernized control and presentation layer, not by being the only way to play Ocarina of Time on current Nintendo hardware.
That makes the buying decision fairly simple before launch: buy the remake if those confirmed modern features are what you want, keep using the subscription original if you mainly want the classic game, and wait for November 5 evidence if your decision depends on final technical performance.
For broader Switch 2 ownership questions, IGZ also maintains a Nintendo Switch 2 Upgrade & Compatibility Checker. Our Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Switch 2 upgrade guide shows a different ownership model where a paid Upgrade Pack exists.
Sources and freshness
Last checked: October 6, 2026.