Nintendo is marking The Legend of Zelda’s 40th anniversary with a limited-edition Nintendo Switch 2, giving its latest console a Hyrule-inspired redesign just as one of the franchise’s most important games prepares to return.
The Nintendo Switch 2 The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition will launch on October 29, ahead of the new version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time arriving on November 5. The hardware release is part of a broader anniversary push that Nintendo plans to continue into 2027, including merchandise and live events.
Rather than dramatically altering the Switch 2 hardware itself, Nintendo is leaning heavily on visual nostalgia. The anniversary model uses a gold, black and green colour scheme associated with Link and the wider Zelda series, with the Triforce appearing prominently across the design. It is essentially a collector-focused cosmetic edition rather than a new Switch 2 configuration, at least based on the information announced so far.
Nintendo is also extending the design beyond the console. A matching display stand and carrying case with a screen protector are planned, while the Switch 2 Pro Controller is getting its own Zelda-themed edition. That makes the anniversary range more of an ecosystem than a single commemorative console, which will probably be particularly tempting for collectors who have followed Nintendo’s long history of limited-edition Zelda hardware.
The timing makes sense. The Legend of Zelda debuted in Japan in 1986 and has since become one of Nintendo’s defining franchises, while Ocarina of Time remains one of its most influential releases. Pairing anniversary hardware with the upcoming Ocarina of Time release gives Nintendo a straightforward way to connect the Switch 2 generation with a game closely associated with the Nintendo 64 era.
It also continues a familiar Nintendo strategy. Special-edition consoles and accessories have long turned major game releases and franchise anniversaries into hardware events of their own. The difference this time is that Nintendo is doing it relatively early in the Switch 2 lifecycle, potentially giving existing owners another reason to buy accessories while offering Zelda fans who have not yet upgraded a more distinctive console option.
There is still one rather important piece missing: price. Nintendo has not announced pricing for the Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2, Pro Controller or accompanying accessories. That will determine whether these releases are reasonably accessible commemorative products or primarily expensive collector bait.
Either way, Nintendo clearly intends Zelda’s 40th birthday to stretch beyond a single game launch. With the anniversary celebrations continuing into 2027, this Switch 2 makeover looks less like the finale and more like the opening wave of what could become a very busy year for Hyrule.
