New Open-World Legend Of Zelda Game Teased

Published Oct 13, 2026, 5:52 AM EDT

James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC.

The Legend of Zelda is obviously going through an exciting time in its history right now, with the 40th anniversary bringing all sorts of delights to the proverbial party. Nintendo's raft of announcements included confirmation of the Ocarina of Time Remake, as well as plenty of other physical releases to allow fans to mark the occasion.

As exciting as that has been, we don't know too much about what exactly Nintendo is planning to do with the main series. It has been a little over three years since the release of Tears of the Kingdom, and fan sentiment has now turned to discuss whether the next game should be a continuation of the Wilds era, or something entirely new.

Now, some evidence has started to emerge on what exactly they have planned, and it's leaning a lot more towards continuing the current course, rather than pushing towards anything too revolutionary.

As first reported by GameRant, leaks have started to emerge on the next Legend of Zelda game, and they categorically state that the release will lead directly on from Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. This would be a significant departure for Nintendo, who almost never do trilogy releases, particularly in this franchise.

The news comes via the Xbox Era Podcast, in which Shpeshal Nick and Jeff Grubb discussed the former's information about the next game. The game will supposedly be open-world once again, with the big new feature this time around being the ability to hop between dimensions, with different gameplay mechanics when you do so.

The key here though is that it will also operate in the same engine and world as both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, which would likely make the experience relatively similar to play. Both previous efforts were brilliant games in their own right, so it would be little surprise if that is the direction Nintendo has taken.

It will be interesting to see exactly what fan reaction is like if that does turn out to be the case, as there has been plenty of sentiment online from those who feel it's time for the series to take a more contrasting next step. Either way, another game is very much the order of the day, so it's nice to hear that one is on the way.

At the same time, The Legend of Zelda fans have the entirely original story of the upcoming movie adaptation to look forward to in April of next year, giving them plenty of time to work through everything the Ocarina of Time Remake has to offer while we wait.

The Legend of Zelda franchise follows the adventures of Link, an elf-like Hylian, and Princess Zelda as they protect the land of Hyrule from the evil warlord-turned-demon king Ganon. The series is known for its mix of action, adventure, and puzzle-solving elements, often revolving around the collection of the Triforce, a powerful relic left by the goddesses who created Hyrule.