Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launched worldwide on 12 May 2023 on Nintendo Switch. Nintendo EPD developed it. It returns to Breath of the Wild’s Hyrule and then builds up and down from it.
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Ultrahand, Fuse, and a sequel
The two verbs I will actually name are Ultrahand and Fuse: stick objects together, and stick a material to a weapon. Those are the 2023 toys. They are not in Breath of the Wild, which is why “just more of the same” is a bad summary even though the map is familiar. Autobuild, which recalls a build you already made, is also the one Zelda Notes sharing feature the support article limits to this game.
The story follows Breath of the Wild. The timeline page’s unassigned block still covers both. I am not assigning a downfall, child, or adult branch from a fan essay. Inside that block, this game is the later one.
Units, score, and the 2025 upgrade
Nintendo’s investor table lists 22.90 million Switch units as of 30 September 2026. Metacritic’s figure in this set is 96. The Switch 2 Edition arrived on 5 June 2025 with the same class of upgrades as Breath of the Wild’s edition: resolution, frame rate, HDR, loading, and Zelda Notes. The upgrade pack rules match the other edition, including the free claim for Expansion Pack members.
The photograph on this page shows a Tears of the Kingdom advertisement on a Prague tram. Its photographer, source and Creative Commons license are linked in the caption.
FAQ
Do I need Breath of the Wild first?
You can start here. The plot and the map make more sense if you have played the 2017 game. I say that without turning it into a rule.
Is 22.90 million the final total?
It is the total in the investor table dated 30 September 2026. The next report can move it. I will not guess the next quarter.
Related
Sources
| Claim | Status | Cross-check |
|---|---|---|
| Historical dates, platforms and background | 1 source: Wikipedia | Read the linked game or series entry; multiple Wikipedia pages count as one publisher. |
| Mainline release sequence and original consoles | 2 sources | Nintendo game history compared with Wikipedia. Remakes and spin-offs use the linked individual entries. |
| Breath of the Wild 34.28m / Tears of the Kingdom 22.90m | 1 primary source: Nintendo IR | Read the dated Nintendo Switch investor table. Other reports copying that table are not independent measurements. |
- Nintendo IR, Switch software sales as of 30 September 2026 — checked 2026-11-10
- Nintendo, official Zelda game history — checked 2026-11-10
- Nintendo IR software sales — checked 2026-11-10
- Wikipedia, Tears of the Kingdom — checked 2026-11-10
- Nintendo of America trailer — checked 2026-11-10
- Nintendo Support, Zelda Notes — checked 2026-11-10
Page updated 2026-11-10. Site check date 2026-11-10.