The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) | Release, Platform & History

03

Overview

An action-adventure game released by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 in 1998, and the Zelda series' first 3D entry. The music was composed by Koji Kondo.

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Development

Nintendo EAD developed the game from 1994 onward with more than 200 staff and a budget exceeding $12 million.

Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo

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Gameplay

Gameplay overview

Z-targeting lets players lock onto enemies or objects while the camera follows, supporting combat and exploration in 3D.

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Technology

Platform: Nintendo 64
CPU: NEC VR4300 (MIPS R4300i-based) 93.75 MHz
Media: ROM cartridge (4–64 MB)
Bits (period term): 64-bit

Platform specifications are sourced on the console page.

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Historical Context

Historical context

Japan: 21 Nov 1998[1]
North America: 23 Nov 1998[1]
Europe: 11 Dec 1998[1]

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Platforms

Nintendo 64

NINTENDO64

Nintendo · 1996

The archive lists the original platform

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Creators

Director: Toru Osawa, Yoichi Yamada, Eiji Aonuma, Yoshiaki Koizumi, Toshio Iwawaki
Producer: Shigeru Miyamoto
Composer: Koji Kondo

Credits are limited to what the sources state.

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Related Games

Related games

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Legacy

It sold more than seven million copies worldwide (English Wikipedia) and was remade for Nintendo 3DS in 2011.

Series: The Legend of Zelda

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Sources

[1]
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Wikipedia (English)
ReferenceAccessed 2026-09-26
[2]
ゼルダの伝説時のオカリナ
Wikipedia（日本語版）
ReferenceAccessed 2026-09-26

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Image Credits

Image credits

This page uses no box art or screenshots, because their rights cannot be individually verified. The background artwork is an abstract pattern generated from the title's data. Credits for the platform photograph are on the console page.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time