Honestly, a Wind Waker Switch port sounded like a dream come true at the advent of the console, but now we're hoping it will arrive on the console's successor. I've been a Zelda fan since I could pick up a controller, and in my many years exploring the lands of Hyrule or riding the waves on the King of Red Lions, few games have recaptured the magic and the wonder that emanates from every second of Wind Waker.
Despite being pretty happy to port or remaster many previously released games, Nintendo hasn't quite gotten around to bringing either Wind Waker or the improved HD version to the Switch yet. So, let's speculate and do some guesswork, as to when Ninty might do the sensible thing and put one of the best games ever made on one of the best consoles ever made.
Here's everything you need to know about a potential Wind Waker Switch port.
Is Wind Waker on Nintendo Switch?
Yes and no - we don't have a Wind Waker edition for Nintendo Switch, but you will be able to play an updated version of the GameCube title on Nintendo Switch 2. It comes as part of an expansion to Nintendo Switch Online's catalog, which introduces GameCube titles like the classic Zelda and Super Mario Sunshine. You will need a subscription in order to play the game.
Wind Waker Switch release date speculation
There have been rumors of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess coming to the Nintendo Switch every year since the console launched, but we still don't have a Wind Waker Switch release date. With two of the most successful Wii U titles thanks to their respective HD remakes and two of the most highly acclaimed entries in one of Nintendo's premier franchises, it just makes sense. So are the rumors anything more than wishful thinking?
Firstly, Nintendo wouldn't ordinarily release two Zelda titles within a year. It waters down the brand and affects marketing. 2017 saw the huge success of Breath of the Wild, and the DLC packs known as The Master Trials and The Champions Ballad helped to push sales and interest well into 2018. 2019 saw both Cadence of Hyrule and the remake of Link's Awakening, as well as the announcement of the sequel to Breath of the Wild, now known as Tears of the Kingdom.
2020 saw Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a Musou-action game, and a prequel to Breath of the Wild, telling the events of the great war 100 years before the original. In 2021, we got The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, a ground-up remake of the Wii title, mapping the motion controls to buttons and giving the game a significant visual overhaul.
2022 was the first year without any sort of Zelda content for quite some time, and because of that, many assumed that this was the year fans would finally get a Wind Waker Switch port, and maybe even a Twilight Princess Switch port. Both games are already HD and easily run on the Wii U, so the porting process shouldn't be as strenuous as a full remake or new game. Right? Right? But here we are, into 2025 with the release of Tears of the Kingdom now in our rearview mirrors, and still, we cannot wake the wind on our Nintendo Switch.
If there was ever going to be a Wind Waker Switch release date for a remake, 2022 felt like it would have been it, so now with silence on the matter, it's looking increasingly likely that these games aren't coming to the console any time soon. Perhaps now that the Nintendo Switch 2 is confirmed and starting to get game announcements, Wind Waker HD HD with enough visual upgrades from the ten-year-old port (oh god) could appear in the future. Perhaps Nintendo could even include the dungeons they removed from the original release due to time constraints.
Why isn't there a Wind Waker Switch remaster?
Honestly, we're not sure, as it would print money. The Wii U port of Wind Waker HD would run great on the Switch, but perhaps one day, fans will see a Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD double pack come to the Switch 2. We still hope for a total remake, though.
Are there any Wind Waker Switch leaks?
While we haven't seen nary as much as a screenshot, a leaked classification, or so much as a whiff of Wind Waker Switch, many industry insiders and prominent leakers have still spoken about the game's Switch port with apparent authority, helping to churn the rumor mill further and fan the flames of player's hopes over the years.
Industry insider and Giant Bomb staff member Jeff Grubb and his podcast co-host Mike Minnoti brought up Wind Waker HD, Twilight Princess HD, and a Metroid Prime remaster all heading to Switch at some point in the coming months on several episodes of Games Mess Decides. The speculation was that Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD would be announced in the September 2022 Nintendo Direct, but that ultimately didn't come to pass. One day, Link, one day.
We hope this guide answered some questions you may have had and helped ease the wait for our favorite green little adventuring boy to finally sail onto the Switch. If you still have a couple of titles to play in the series though, figure out where to start with our guide to the best Zelda games next.