The Legend Of Zelda Officially Switches Genres February 2027

Published Oct 17, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT

Bruno Yonezawa is a Gaming Senior Writer for Screen Rant. He's been practicing professional journalism for over 10 years, and is also a communications specialist. He's played games all his life and turned that passionate hobby into a passionate career, in an industry where he's worked as a writer, editor, analyst, and more.

The Legend of Zelda is officially changing its core gameplay genre in February 2027 with a new release for the Nintendo Switch 2. The classic action-adventure franchise created by Nintendo has been celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026, with several new releases planned. There’s a ton of merch scheduled to arrive soon, but there’s likely no larger project than the long-awaited remake of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, set to arrive in early November. The game was officially announced in June, and its release date was confirmed in September.

Even before its release, the game has already sold out in certain regions, like Brazil, which is a testament to how much anticipation revolves around it. Apart from the retelling of what is one of the most important stories in video game history, there will be new features in Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake, as well as a very clear change to the visual style. Of course, this is not the only thing planned for the future of the franchise, and in 2027, we’ll be looking at a change to the core gameplay genre of the series.

As was reported in a post made on the official Nintendo website, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - Definitive Edition is going to be released on February 25, 2027, for Nintendo Switch 2 devices. This special pack contains the base game and all of the Expansion Pass content, as well as enhanced visuals, improved frame rates, and even a new Calamity difficulty mode. For reference, this is a re-release of the 2020 Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

Age of Calamity is set 100 years before the events of Breath of the Wild, making it a great option for players who want to continue to expand the new Zelda era while playing something that feels a bit different. Instead of the exploration-based action-adventure gameplay from the core The Legend of Zelda games, Hyrule Warriors offers players hack-and-slash combat with Koei Tecmo’s Musou style.

Age Of Calamity Is A Change In The Classic Zelda Formula

Effectively, this means slashing through hordes of dozens of enemies at once with only a few attacks. This is a huge change in the gameplay you’d expect from a Zelda game, but one that works marvelously given its context in the official The Legend of Zelda timeline. A cool thing about Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is that you get to control Link, Zelda, and several other characters, including Impa, Mipha, Sidon, and more, as you face the forces of Ganon.

If you don't really enjoy puzzles and would much rather just be smashing Moblins in the face with a huge arsenal of unique weapons, this is definitely the game for you, so don't be shy about picking up. If you haven’t played it yet, I highly recommend checking out Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. It’s a fun, fast-paced action game, and it positively adds to the already great story of Breath of the Wild. Playing this The Legend of Zelda game on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027 will be a blast.