Ocarina of Time Remake Is Outsolding GTA 6 on Amazon — but the 6-to-1 Gap Isn’t What It Looks Like

✅ CONFIRMED

The two biggest releases of November 2026 are on a collision course. Nintendo’s ground-up remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5 — exactly 14 days before Grand Theft Auto VI arrives on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on November 19. And according to Amazon’s preorder labels, the remake is currently outselling GTA 6 nearly six-to-one. The figures are real, but they are not what they look like.

Quick answer: Amazon US’s “bought in the past month” labels show roughly 60,000 preorders for the Ocarina of Time remake against about 11,000 for GTA 6 (9,000 on PS5, 2,000 on Xbox), per TheGamer’s October 16 check. The gap is real — but the labels track physical editions only, exclude the PlayStation and Xbox digital storefronts, and GTA 6’s boxed edition ships a download code rather than a disc.

Key takeaways

• Nintendo confirmed November 5, 2026 for the Ocarina of Time remake on Switch 2 during the Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct — 14 days before GTA 6’s November 19 launch (Notebookcheck, October 19).
• Amazon US’s rolling preorder labels show around 60,000 Ocarina preorders in the past month versus about 11,000 for GTA 6 — a near 6-to-1 split (TheGamer, October 16).
• The comparison is physical-editions only and excludes all digital sales: Nintendo is selling a real disc for $69.99, while GTA 6’s $79.99 “physical” edition contains a download code.
• Nintendo is the only major publisher holding its ground near GTA 6 — Nacon just delayed Edge of Memories from November 5 to December 3 to avoid Rockstar’s launch window (Push Square, October 15).
• Best Buy is bringing back midnight store openings for the remake, with nearly all US stores opening at midnight ET on November 5 (Final Weapon, October 16).

How is Zelda outselling GTA 6 on Amazon?

The headline comes from TheGamer editor Josh Coulson, who checked Amazon’s “bought in the past month” labels on October 16 and found the Ocarina of Time remake at roughly 60,000 preorders on Amazon US against about 11,000 for GTA 6 — 9,000 on PS5 and 2,000 on Xbox. That puts the remake at almost six times GTA 6’s total, despite being available on a single platform with an install base of just under 23 million, against at least 130 million consoles that can run GTA 6.

The Xbox split is its own talking point: Xbox accounts for barely a quarter of GTA 6’s Amazon preorders, which lines up with the generation’s console split — PlayStation has sold roughly three times the hardware Xbox has. A widely shared Instagram meme of the figures drew over 17,000 likes, with comments split between celebrating Nintendo’s punch and questioning the methodology. The debate is the real story, and the methodology deserves a closer look.

Why does the 6-to-1 gap favour Nintendo so heavily?

Three structural reasons tilt this particular scoreboard toward Hyrule. First, the metric is physical-editions only. Second, the two “physical” products are fundamentally different objects: Nintendo is selling a genuine disc (or a proper cartridge) for $69.99, while GTA 6’s boxed edition is code-in-box — a download code in packaging, with physical copies of Rockstar’s biggest releases increasingly a collector’s item rather than the way anyone actually plays. Third, Amazon is only a third-party slice of the market, and the largest slice of GTA 6’s preorders — digital purchases on the PlayStation and Xbox storefronts — never appear in these labels at all.

TheGamer’s own write-up concedes the point: the figures are “an indicator of just where those fighting for physical media’s survival play their games,” and if digital pre-orders were factored in, “the numbers would not only be far closer, but likely skewed in GTA 6’s favor.” In other words, Amazon’s labels measure which game’s audience still buys at retail — and that is overwhelmingly Nintendo’s audience, not Rockstar’s.

Is Nintendo really picking a fight with GTA 6?

Nintendo is, at minimum, the only major publisher willing to launch in GTA 6’s blast radius. The rest of the industry is fleeing November: Nacon pushed the JRPG Edge of Memories from November 5 to December 3 this week specifically to avoid GTA 6, Microsoft moved Forza Horizon 6 to May, and multiple outlets have documented publishers steering clear of the entire month. A tech-insider.org rundown updated two days ago framed the Ocarina remake’s November 5 slot as a “deliberate buffer to claim its own dedicated release window.”

Nintendo can afford the gamble because the overlap is smaller than it looks. The remake is a Switch 2 exclusive — there is no announced Switch 2 version of GTA 6 — and it is rated Everyone 10+, aimed squarely at family players and longtime Zelda fans rather than GTA’s mature open-world audience. With an 18-year gap since the last numbered GTA, Nintendo is betting the two games can coexist in November the way few publishers think any game can near November 19.

What’s actually new in the Ocarina of Time remake?

This is a ground-up rebuild, not a remaster. The 1998 Nintendo 64 original ran at roughly 20 frames per second; Digital Foundry measured the remake at 1080p and 60fps in the September footage, per Notebookcheck’s October 19 breakdown. Link has a dedicated jump button for the first time, the camera is fully controllable, and slingshots and bows support motion aiming. Hyrule Castle Town is now freely explorable in 3D with time flowing continuously, though producer Eiji Aonuma kept loading screens between areas to preserve the original’s feel.

Major cutscenes are now fully voiced — Zelda, Saria, Darunia, Ruto and Ganondorf all speak, while Link remains silent — and the October 14 overview trailer revealed the Hall of Fallen Foes, a museum room where defeated bosses can be fought again with best times tracked. The Switch 2 microphone lets players hum ocarina melodies, and the Nintendo Switch app’s Zelda Notes service adds maps, a virtual ocarina and a quiz with over 2,000 questions. It costs $59.99 digitally and $69.99 physically, with an estimated 27 GB download, and the Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition Switch 2 arrives October 29.

Does GTA 6 have anything to worry about?

No. GTA 6’s own preorder story is one of records, not retreat — Matthew Ball reported in September that pre-orders were setting new marks on both consoles with PlayStation in the lead, and GTA 6 pre-order interest has only intensified as the launch marketing has ramped up, from the October 15 launch trailer to the Miami campaign. The game that will actually decide GTA 6’s commercial fate is digital: pre-loading opens November 12, and PSN and Xbox digital charts will tell the story Amazon’s labels cannot.

There is a scenario in which the Zelda comparison matters to Rockstar, and it is not sales. Nintendo stealing two weeks of November mindshare — midnight openings, a remake of the highest-rated game ever made, a physical disc in an all-digital industry — sets the bar for what a confident launch looks like. With GTA 6 now exactly one month out, Rockstar’s answer is coming: reviews are expected to land before launch, and the real preorder battle begins when the digital floodgates open. See our GTA 6 editions compared for the full pricing breakdown.

Ocarina of Time remake vs GTA 6

What this means

The viral takeaway — “Zelda is beating GTA 6” — is technically true on one retailer’s scoreboard and deeply misleading everywhere else. The useful read is different: November’s only real head-to-head is a referendum on two business models. Nintendo is monetising physical collectors with a real disc, midnight openings and a $69.99 box; Rockstar is selling a digital-first product whose “physical” edition is a code in a case. Amazon’s labels simply cannot see GTA 6’s actual market.

The longer-term signal is Nintendo’s nerve. Every other major publisher is clearing November; Nintendo chose to stand its ground 14 days from the most anticipated launch in industry history. Watch November 5’s sell-through and Best Buy’s midnight lines to see whether that confidence pays off — and watch the digital preorder charts after November 12 for GTA 6’s real answer. Neither number will change the other game’s fate, but together they will define the biggest November gaming has ever seen.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Notebookcheck — Ocarina of Time remake release details (October 19)
• TheGamer — Ocarina pre-orders outpacing GTA 6 on Amazon (October 16)
• Final Weapon — Best Buy midnight opening for Ocarina of Time (October 16)
• Siliconera — Ocarina of Time remake trailer and new features
• ZeldaCentral — Best Buy midnight launch announcement
• Pixel Herald — Edge of Memories delayed to avoid GTA 6 window (October 15)
• tech-insider.org — games dodging GTA 6’s November window
• Nintendo — Ocarina of Time remake overview trailer (YouTube)
• thegta6gaming.com — GTA 6 boxed copy sold out at Amazon/Target (code-in-box verified)

Every claim above was verified on October 19, 2026 against the primary source plus at least one independent second source. The November 5 date was confirmed by Nintendo in the Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct and corroborated by Notebookcheck’s October 19 breakdown; the Amazon preorder figures are Amazon US’s rolling “bought in the past month” labels as reported by TheGamer on October 16 — observed retailer data, not publisher sales figures, and physical-editions only. Best Buy’s midnight opening was announced by the retailer and reported by Final Weapon, Siliconera and ZeldaCentral; the Edge of Memories delay was reported by Push Square via Pixel Herald. The Instagram engagement cited is from this site’s own social scan.