If The Legend of Zelda is known for anything besides its puzzle-laden dungeons and an abundance of endearing art styles, it’s surely the franchise’s wonderful music. And, after a whopping 40 years of The Legend of Zelda being celebrated this year, there are countless terrific songs across more than a couple dozen games and counting.

This music plays a massive role in helping to define the games it appears in, and the legacy of The Legend of Zelda’s music has blossomed far beyond the games themselves in order to be performed in symphony orchestras worldwide, including the concert tour for The Legend of Zelda’s 40th anniversary.

Shockingly, no Legend of Zelda game competes with one another in terms of which may or may not have better music—it’s all simply different flavors dabbing the taste buds of a palate that’s been well-refined after 40 years of gorgeous melodies. It isn’t surprising in the slightest, though, that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time itself has sensational music, as players routinely perform music in-game on the eponymous wind instrument that has easily produced some of the most memorable and iconic songs in any Legend of Zelda game to date. Soon, a brand-new album will arrive to memorialize The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s songs further.

Quartet Of Time Celebrates Ocarina Of Time Nearly 30 Years Later

Inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Quartet of Time is an ATLYS and ZREO: Second Quest production arranged for string quartet. It’ll be a full album, but fans can hear each track early, before they are made public, by becoming a ZREO Patreon supporter or joining the subscription list provided on its website. Likewise, there is no release date yet for the album, though it would be quite fortuitous if it was released alongside the launch of the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake this holiday season.

Formerly Zelda Reorchestrated, ZREO: Second Quest has crafted performances of songs from both classic and newer Legend of Zelda games like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Here’s To Another 40 Years Of The Legend Of Zelda, God Willing

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom have outstanding songs of their own, even if their music is decidedly more ambient, and the franchise’s sound design has never been more charming. For as long as Nintendo is developing new Legend of Zelda games and/or remakes, we can confidently expect new batches of incredible songs that demonstrate why the series has flourished for 40 years.

Now, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s remake could be the dawn of a new era. Nintendo has had several HD re-releases for The Legend of Zelda that have been colloquially labeled as either ports, remasters, or remakes, of course, and Grezzo’s Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening remake truly is a full-fledged remake.

However, this Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is also shattering molds by depicting the original in a modern, CGI-esque art style with remarkable graphical fidelity, which has more or less subtracted from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s cartoonish whimsy. This may imply that many more remakes of classic Legend of Zelda games are on the horizon, possibly with this remake’s art style.

Regardless, Nintendo diving back into its storied catalog of The Legend of Zelda games can only be great news for fans of these games’ music, and there’s virtually no way that orchestral reimaginings of them will be botched. If 2026 crescendos with the releases of both the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake and ZREO’s Legend of Zelda: Quartet of Time album, it will truly be a milestone anniversary to remember.

Released

November 5, 2026

ESRB

Everyone 10+ / Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence

Developer(s)

Nintendo

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Number of Players

Single-player

Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date

November 5, 2026