Link vs. GTA/November?

Two of the biggest launches in recent memory might very well be landing in the same month this year – GTA VI and The end of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake. Grand Theft Auto VI will land on November 19, this we know for sure, but it looks like there now might be good reason to believe Nintendo could go toe-to-toe with the Rockstar behemoth. 

Nintendo has confirmed the Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, we all know this by now. But it is yet to actually show us the game and hasn’t said anything about release other than that it is indeed landing in 2026. 

At this point, it is really anyone’s guess as to when the iconic Zelda adventure from the N64 days will appear in remake form on Switch 2, but, in combination with leaks and rumors as well as some basic analytics, it looks like it might very land just before GTA VI in November. 

As some folks over on Reddit have pointed out recently, Nintendo has been releasing new amiibo on the same day as new first-party games. And even if those new amiibo releases have nothing to do with the game itself – this is perhaps due to hardware shipping logistics and the like. 

That Mineru’s Construct amiibo’s release date was announced well before Fire Emblem Fortunes’ Weave, but they have the same release date. The same goes for Kirby Meta Knight and Shadow Star amiibo and Pokemon Pokopia, as well as the Dedede figurine and Rhythm Heaven Groove. 

And now that Nintendo has listed the some additional Kirby Air Riders amiibo for release on November 11, many gamers are assuming this will also be the day a first-party Nintendo game releases. 

Nintendo typically releases no more than 1 major first-party title in a given month, and November is still largely wide open:

• July: Splatoon Raiders
• August:
• September: Fire Emblem Fortune’s Weave
• October: Nintendo Switch Sports Resort
• November: ???
• December: Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

As seen above, August is also by and large wide-open, but there are some major third-party titles landing this month – Lies of P: Complete Edition, The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Remastered, and Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition – as well Mario Sunshine on August 13, and some Pokemon Pokopia add-on content. 

That’s not technically enough to stop Nintendo from launching a first-party game or the Ocarina Time remake this month, but it is also already August, and some expect we might see something from the game in and around Gamescom in a few weeks time. It’s possible to see it this month, but highly unlikely at this point, especially considering this is widely expected to be Nintendo’s big holiday title. 

All of this is clearly speculation, but the whole amiibo connection does have some validity if you ask me, and November would likely be the month everyone guessed for Nintendo’s big holiday title had it not been for GTA VI. 

Nintendo just officially announced an August Nintendo Direct, but tomorrow’s show is dedicated to the new Fire Emblem Fortune’s Weave that is set for release in mid-September. Some have suggested we will see more from the game this month, which also falls in line with expectations on the next showing for GTA VI ahead of its release in November, but my guess is not until September.