Reservations Open Today for Ocarina of Time Midnight Launches

We are officially ten days out from the release of the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo Switch 2 which, with all of its changes and new features, has a roughly 50/50 chance of being your personal biggest release of November 2026. You can probably guess where the other 50% is going.

There’s a good chance most retailers around the United States will be flooded upon opening when the game launches on November 5, and even if you’re buying digital, there will probably also be some hefty traffic on the eShop that morning as well. Even pre-orders have been going at record-breaking rates. If you want to get your hands on this major remake as quickly as possible, a midnight release for physical copies would probably be the optimal play.

Obviously, I don’t know if any random brick-and-mortar stores where you live will be doing midnight launches, but at the very least, I can resolutely confirm that the official Nintendo Stores in New York City and San Francisco will be doing midnight launches, albeit with a few rules and regulations to keep in mind.

Reservations are Available for Both New York City and San Francisco

According to the respective websites of Nintendo NEW YORK and Nintendo SAN FRANCISCO, both storefronts will be holding midnight launch events for the Ocarina of Time remake. The San Francisco store’s event will run from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM Pacific time on November 4, while the New York store’s event will run from 12:00 AM to 2:00 AM Eastern time on November 5, a more literal “midnight launch.”

However, if you want to participate in one of these events, it’s not going to be as simple as walking in through the front door five minutes beforehand. Attendance at both events will require a reservation via Nintendo’s Warp Pipe Pass system. Basically, you need a Nintendo Account, and you need to sign up for a pass online through Nintendo’s events website.

Attendance at both events will require a reservation via Nintendo’s Warp Pipe Pass system.

These reservations are free, but they’re also first come, first served, and limited in quantity, with a one-pass-per-person rule. Reservations will officially open later today at 3:00 PM Pacific time for the San Francisco event and 6:00 PM Eastern time for the New York City event. It’s also worth noting that there will be separate reservations for purchasing the game, and purchasing the Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 console, which will also be sold at the event. The announcements note that all purchases will also come with a free gift while supplies last, though they don’t specify what the gift will actually be.

Attendants Get First Crack at Zelda Anniversary Items

While these midnight launches are primarily for physical copies of the Ocarina of Time remake, participants will also get an easy opportunity to purchase related Zelda 40th Anniversary accessories. As I mentioned, the primo ticket here is the Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2, which will be releasing for normal sale a week ahead of the event on October 29. If you couldn’t get a pre-order, this may be your chance. Just remember, if you want the console, you need to make a separate reservation for it on Nintendo’s events website, or they won’t sell it to you.

Besides the game and console, event participants will also be able to purchase the Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition Switch 2 Pro Controller and stand, as well as the Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition Switch 2 carrying case and screen protector. Presumably, all of these items will be sold for the same price that they go for in most other storefronts, but it does mean that you could walk out at midnight with a full bag of Zelda-branded Switch 2 hardware and accessories.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

RPG Action Adventure Systems OpenCritic ReviewsReleased November 5, 2026 ESRB Everyone 10+ / Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence Developer(s) Nintendo Publisher(s) Nintendo 17 Images

Franchise The Legend of Zelda Number of Players Single-player Platform(s) Nintendo Switch 2 Genre(s) RPG, Action, Adventure 0:00 / 0:00