Start with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. It is the clearest follow-up to Ocarina of Time if you want familiar exploration and puzzle-solving expanded into a genuinely open-ended world. Play Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition next if you want a direct sequel with even more systems and experimentation.
If what you loved most was Ocarina’s linear dungeon progression, choose Skyward Sword HD instead. For a shorter top-down adventure, pick Link’s Awakening or Echoes of Wisdom. A Nintendo Switch Online membership is the route to selected classic 2D and Nintendo 64-era Zelda games.
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The short list, ranked by the experience you want
The ranking below is an editorial recommendation, not an official Nintendo score. It weighs how naturally each game follows Ocarina of Time, how different its structure feels, and whether it is available or supported on Switch 2.
| Rank | Game | Best for | World scale | Structure | Dungeons | Puzzle freedom | Viewpoint | Combat complexity | Direct sequel chain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | Most players; discovery and freedom | Open Hyrule | Self-directed | Present, but flexible and supplemented by shrines | Very high | 3D | Moderate, with physics and equipment choices | No |
| 2 | Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | Players who want maximum systems and experimentation | Hyrule’s land, sky and depths | Self-directed | Present, with broad approaches | Extremely high | 3D | High, with construction and ability combinations | Yes; sequel to Breath of the Wild |
| 3 | Skyward Sword HD | Traditional items, dungeons and a guided journey | Focused regions | Mostly linear | Strong emphasis | Structured | 3D | Moderate | No |
| 4 | Link’s Awakening | A compact classic-style adventure | Focused island | Guided with some exploration | Strong emphasis | Structured | Top-down | Light to moderate | No |
| 5 | Echoes of Wisdom | New puzzle-solving rhythm and a different protagonist | Focused regions | Guided with flexible solutions | Moderate | High through Echo creation | Top-down | Light to moderate, ability-driven | No |
| 6 | Classic Zelda through Nintendo Switch Online | Sampling earlier 2D and N64-era design | Varies by game | Varies by game | Usually central | Varies by game | 2D or 3D | Varies by game | Varies by game |
Nintendo’s catalog identifies the Switch releases and Switch 2 Editions; the preference labels and ordering are editorial judgments based on the design differences shown in the table.
#1 Best Overall
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Why Breath of the Wild is the best default follow-up
Ocarina of Time teaches you to read a deliberate 3D adventure: enter a region, obtain an item, use it to solve a dungeon, and unlock the next part of Hyrule. Breath of the Wild keeps the recognizable ingredients—exploration, environmental puzzles, shrines, enemies and secrets—but removes the requirement to follow one intended route.
You can climb most surfaces, approach objectives from multiple directions, use weather and terrain to your advantage, and solve problems with combinations of runes, weapons and environmental objects. That makes it a meaningful next step rather than a repeat of Ocarina’s formula. The surprise of discovering a path or solution replaces the certainty of waiting for the next story gate.
Nintendo lists Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition as released on June 5, 2025. This is the version to seek on Switch 2 when available in your region. It is the safest recommendation for a player who has finished Ocarina and wants to see how the series’ 3D design evolved.
What may feel unfamiliar after Ocarina
- Weapons wear out, so combat includes inventory decisions instead of one permanent sword.
- The game does not insist on a fixed dungeon order or a single route through Hyrule.
- Shrines provide many short puzzle spaces, while the larger dungeons are less item-gated than Ocarina’s temples.
- Survival details such as temperature, cooking and stamina matter more than they do in Ocarina.
Those changes are deliberate. If you want the largest structural contrast with Ocarina, choose this edition first.
When Tears of the Kingdom should be your second game
Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is the follow-up to Breath of the Wild, not a standalone replacement for it. Nintendo describes it as a sequel and highlights exploration across Hyrule’s land, sky and depths. Its story, locations and systems assume that the player understands the broad shape of the earlier game.
The sequel adds a much denser toolkit for building, combining and manipulating objects. You can construct vehicles and devices, alter equipment, and solve many challenges through creative chains rather than a prescribed item sequence. This gives it the highest systems and experimentation score in the list, but it can also feel overwhelming if you have not yet learned Breath of the Wild’s basic open-world language.
Rank #2
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Nintendo lists the Switch 2 Edition as released on June 5, 2025. The recommended order is therefore Breath of the Wild, then Tears of the Kingdom. Starting with Tears is possible, but it gives up story context and makes the sequel’s improvements harder to appreciate.
Choose Skyward Sword HD for a traditional Zelda structure
Skyward Sword HD is the best alternative when what you want after Ocarina is another guided 3D quest rather than an open world. Regions are revisited with new abilities, items have clear purposes, and dungeons remain the main source of progression. The result is closer to Ocarina’s rhythm: explore a defined area, solve its puzzles, defeat its boss and use the reward to continue.
Nintendo lists Skyward Sword HD as a Nintendo Switch release from July 16, 2021. Because Nintendo says Switch 2 compatibility is title-specific, check the individual game listing before buying or assuming every feature works identically on the newer hardware.
Why it suits Ocarina players
- Dungeon layouts and item-based progression are central rather than optional.
- The journey has a stronger intended order and more frequent story direction.
- Its focused regions make navigation less demanding than a giant open world.
- It preserves the 3D viewpoint while offering a different setting and timeline context.
Who may prefer something else
Choose Breath of the Wild instead if you want to experiment, ignore objectives or explore at your own pace. Choose a top-down game if you want a shorter, more immediately readable adventure.
Link’s Awakening is the compact classic-style choice
Link’s Awakening is a top-down remake built around a focused island, a clear sequence of dungeons and the kind of item-driven puzzles that define classic Zelda. It is substantially smaller in scope than either Switch 2 Edition, which makes it useful when you want a complete adventure without committing to a huge open world.
Nintendo lists the remake as a Nintendo Switch release from September 20, 2019. Its viewpoint, compact rooms and deliberate dungeon progression offer a change of pace after Ocarina’s 3D spaces while retaining the series’ essential loop of exploration, keys, items and bosses.
Rank #3
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Pick it when you want
- A top-down perspective rather than another 3D world.
- Frequent dungeon puzzles and a relatively direct path through the story.
- A self-contained adventure that can fit between larger games.
- Classic Zelda structure presented with a modern remake style.
Echoes of Wisdom changes who solves the puzzles
Echoes of Wisdom is another top-down option, but its central idea is different from Link’s Awakening. Nintendo lists it as a Switch release from September 26, 2024, and presents a distinct protagonist and puzzle-solving rhythm. Instead of relying primarily on a conventional weapon-and-item ladder, you create echoes of objects and creatures and use them to overcome obstacles.
That system makes the game more flexible than a traditional top-down Zelda. A puzzle may have several valid solutions depending on which echo you select and how you position it. The world remains more focused than Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, so the result is easier to scan while still rewarding experimentation.
Choose Echoes of Wisdom over Link’s Awakening if
- You want the series to change its puzzle vocabulary rather than reproduce a familiar dungeon formula.
- You prefer a distinct protagonist and a different way to interact with enemies and objects.
- You want top-down exploration with more systemic freedom than a fixed item sequence usually provides.
Use Nintendo Switch Online to sample older Zelda design
Nintendo’s Zelda portal says classic Zelda games are playable on Switch 2 and Switch with a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership. This is the best route if you are curious about how the series moved from early 2D exploration to the N64-era 3D design represented by Ocarina.
The catalog depends on the membership service and the titles Nintendo makes available in your region. Treat this as a sampling option rather than one single game recommendation: older entries differ greatly in viewpoint, dungeon design, difficulty and save features.
Why classics are useful after Ocarina
- They show the compact room-to-room logic from which later 3D dungeons evolved.
- They let you compare fixed-screen or top-down navigation with Ocarina’s camera-based spaces.
- They are a lower-commitment way to revisit familiar characters and items.
Match the game to the part of Ocarina you loved
If dungeons were your favorite part
Choose Skyward Sword HD first, followed by Link’s Awakening. Both make dungeon sequencing and item-based progression more prominent than the two open-world games.
If discovering Hyrule mattered most
Choose Breath of the Wild. Its open-ended map, climbing and environmental systems create the biggest sense of personal route-finding after Ocarina.
Rank #4
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If you want to experiment with systems
Choose Tears of the Kingdom, ideally after Breath of the Wild. Its land, sky and depths provide a larger playground, while construction and ability combinations make solutions unusually varied.
If you prefer a shorter, top-down game
Choose Link’s Awakening for a more traditional item-and-dungeon structure or Echoes of Wisdom for more flexible object-based puzzles.
If you want historical context
Use Nintendo Switch Online to sample the classic catalog, then return to a modern release when you know which era’s design you prefer.
How the games differ from Ocarina at a glance
Ocarina’s defining balance is a 3D world with a guided route, item-gated temples, real-time swordplay and a clear progression from one major objective to the next. The choices above deliberately move one or more of those characteristics.
- Breath of the Wild: keeps 3D exploration and combat but makes the route, tools and solutions self-directed.
- Tears of the Kingdom: expands that freedom into multiple layers of Hyrule and a broader set of systems.
- Skyward Sword HD: keeps 3D presentation while returning to a more guided, dungeon-centered structure.
- Link’s Awakening: changes the viewpoint to top-down and compresses the world into a focused island.
- Echoes of Wisdom: changes the viewpoint and makes object creation the core of many puzzles.
- Classic games: let you experience the earlier 2D and N64-era versions of the series’ ideas, with design varying by title.
Switch 2 compatibility, editions and services
Nintendo Support states that Switch 2 can play compatible physical and digital games released on Nintendo Switch. It also warns that some Switch games may not be supported or fully compatible because the hardware is different. Compatibility is therefore a title-by-title question, especially for games that were originally released for Switch rather than as Switch 2 Editions.
For the two open-world recommendations, buy or select the editions specifically labeled Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition when those editions are offered in your region. Nintendo lists both as released June 5, 2025.
Best Value
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Nintendo also says Nintendo Switch Online benefits continue across Switch 2 and Switch. The Switch 2 Editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom support ZELDA NOTES through the Nintendo Switch App. That feature is an optional aid; it does not change the underlying recommendation or replace learning the games’ systems yourself.
Check before purchasing a Switch release
- Open Nintendo’s listing for the exact title and confirm that it supports your Switch 2 system.
- Check whether you are buying a standard Switch release, a free update, or a separately identified Switch 2 Edition.
- For a digital copy, verify that the Nintendo Account and region match the store where you intend to buy it.
- For a physical copy, confirm the listed compatibility and any required download or update before starting.
Where Ocarina of Time fits in the Switch 2 timeline
Nintendo UK lists Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2 with a November 5, 2026 release date. The page describes reimagined visuals, a refreshed soundtrack and modernised gameplay, while retaining Hyrule exploration, item-based progression, dungeons, puzzles and amiibo compatibility.
That date matters if you are planning a play order now: as of October 15, 2026, the listed release is still in the future. Once you have played that Switch 2 version, the recommendations in this guide are about what to play next, not about replacing it. The open-world editions provide the most dramatic design change; Skyward Sword HD provides the closest modern continuation of its dungeon-led rhythm.
Recommended play orders
The broadest modern journey
- Ocarina of Time
- Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
- Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
This order moves from guided 3D design to open exploration and then to a more elaborate version of that open-world formula.
The traditionalist route
- Ocarina of Time
- Skyward Sword HD
- Link’s Awakening
This keeps dungeons, items and deliberate progression at the center while changing the viewpoint between the 3D and top-down entries.
The experimentation route
- Ocarina of Time
- Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
- Echoes of Wisdom
- Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
This order lets you compare three different kinds of freedom: open-world physics, echo-based puzzle solving and large-scale construction systems.
The sampler route
- Ocarina of Time
- A classic Zelda title through Nintendo Switch Online
- Link’s Awakening or Echoes of Wisdom
- Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Use this route when you want to understand the series’ 2D roots before committing to its largest modern worlds.
Quick Recap
Practical tips for moving from Ocarina into the open-world games
- Do not wait for a single “correct” dungeon order. The open-world entries are designed around choosing your own objectives.
- Experiment early. Test environmental interactions, cooking, equipment and abilities instead of saving every resource for a future situation.
- Read the map as a tool, not a checklist. Mark discoveries and routes that interest you rather than trying to clear every icon immediately.
- Expect combat to include preparation. Equipment choice, terrain and improvised tactics matter alongside direct sword strikes.
- Take a break with a top-down game if the scale becomes tiring. Link’s Awakening and Echoes of Wisdom provide shorter, more concentrated puzzle cycles.
Final recommendation by player type
| Your priority | Start with | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| The best all-round next game | Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | It is the strongest bridge from Ocarina’s 3D adventure to open-ended exploration. |
| The most ambitious systems | Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | It adds land, sky and depths plus extensive construction and combination mechanics; play Breath of the Wild first. |
| Classic dungeon progression | Skyward Sword HD | It is more linear and item-driven than the open-world entries. |
| A compact top-down remake | Link’s Awakening | It delivers a focused island, traditional dungeons and a shorter overall structure. |
| Flexible top-down puzzles | Echoes of Wisdom | Echo creation changes how you solve obstacles and features a distinct protagonist. |
| Series history | Classic Zelda through Nintendo Switch Online | It provides access to selected earlier 2D and N64-era designs, subject to the service catalog and membership. |
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