Versions and Differences

Ocarina of Time has been released many times, and the differences matter if you are chasing 100%. The Nintendo 64 game is the baseline for this guide: every location, item and total refers to it. Master Quest is a harder set of redesigned dungeons, and the 3DS version changes the controls, the item menu and a few small things while keeping the same story and item locations.

Release list

Nintendo 64 revisions

Five versions of the cartridge were made for Nintendo 64: three for Japan and North America and two for Europe. The Japanese and North American versions are identical apart from the region code. The revisions correct text and fix glitches, and they changed Ganondorf’s blood from red to green and removed a sample of an Islamic chant from the Fire Temple music. The GameCube version also replaced the Gerudo crest, which had borrowed a star and crescent, with the design from Majora’s Mask, and the Virtual Console releases carry that change too. None of this alters a Heart Piece, item or route, so a 100% run is the same on every Nintendo 64 revision.

Master Quest

What changed in the Master Quest

Master Quest is a second version of the game with every dungeon redesigned. Rooms, puzzles, enemy placement and the contents of chests are changed, and the dungeons are harder, so a route you know from the original will not match. The overworld stays the same. A route from the walkthrough applies up to the dungeon doors, but not inside the dungeons.

On GameCube it is on the bonus disc that came with pre-orders of The Wind Waker, and the disc also has the original game. On the 3DS you unlock it after you finish the main game. It has three save files of its own, and the whole game is mirrored, so Link is right-handed and the overworld and dungeons are flipped. Enemies deal double damage on the 3DS Master Quest. Because the dungeons are changed, Gold Skulltula and Heart Piece locations inside them differ from this guide.

Nintendo 3DS version

Controls and menus

The 3DS version moves the inventory, map and equipment to the touch screen, so you can swap tunics and boots with a tap. The Iron Boots and Hover Boots become items you place on a button. Fire, Ice and Light Arrows come from a sub-menu on the bow. Link can aim the Slingshot, Bow and Hookshot by moving the console. On the Ocarina, the L Button replaces the A Button, and you can play on the touch screen. The game also runs at 30 frames per second instead of 20.

Items and names

The Stone of Agony becomes the Shard of Agony. Instead of rumbling, it flashes in the corner of the screen and plays a tone near a secret. The Odd Potion is renamed the Odd Poultice, and the Gerudo’s Membership Card is the Gerudo Token. The Giant’s Knife and Biggoron‘s Sword each have their own sheath and different looks. The Boomerang returns to Link on command. A bug in the original, where you cannot get the Deku Nut upgrade at the Forest Stage once you have the Poacher’s Saw, is fixed. The Fishing Pond is redesigned and the Sinking Lure sits in a different place.

Hints and extras

Sheikah Stones show short animated hints of what to do next, called Visions, so you can get unstuck. A Boss Challenge mode, opened from the bed in Link’s house, lets you re-fight bosses against the clock as soon as you have beaten them, starting after the Forest Temple. The Boss Gauntlet unlocks once you finish the game. None of these change items or rewards in the main quest.

Nintendo Switch Online

The Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack release arrived on 25 October 2021 as part of the first group of Nintendo 64 titles. It runs the same Nintendo 64 game, so the dungeons, items and enemies match this guide and the route applies unchanged. The C buttons are mapped to the right stick by default, and the service offers suspend points and rewind that the cartridge does not. Reviewers have criticised the emulation for visual issues such as fog and reflections, so some scenes can look different from the Nintendo 64 original.

The 2026 remake

Nintendo has announced a rebuilt Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2, due on 5 November 2026, with new graphics, voiced cutscenes, a free camera and other changes. It is not the game that this guide covers. For the news and details, see our Ocarina of Time remake page.

Which version to play