The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the newest entry in the Zelda franchise and the direct sequel to the award-winning Breath of the Wild. Unfortunately, we know little about the game besides the short blurb on Nintendo’s website: In addition to the vast lands of Hyrule, the latest entry in the storied Legend of Zelda series will take you up into the skies! The last time we experienced islands hovering over the kingdom of Hyrule was in Skyword Sword (2011), and there are a lot of fan theories on what the newly announced title could mean. If you’re wondering how to pre-order The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, you’ve come to the right place.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Pre-Order Guide | Release Date, All Editions, Retailers, and Versions Explained
The only thing Nintendo has officially released is the title and launch date. The launch date is over six years since the release of Breath of the Wild, and a lot has happened in that time! Nintendo announced Tears of the Kingdom as the official untitled sequel to Breath of the Wild during E3 2019 when they released this teaser trailer. During Nintendo Direct 2021, Nintendo provided us with another teaser trailer. We were eagerly awaiting a launch date but were soon disappointed when Nintendo announced in March 2022 that the game would be delayed and pushed to Quarter Two of 2023. Finally, during Nintendo Direct in September 2022, Nintendo officially announced the title and set an official launch date.
Release Date for Tears of the Kingdom
A definite release of May 12, 2023, has been given by Nintendo.
Finally, we have a solid date for the most anticipated Nintendo sequel ever. Development on Tears of the Kingdom started after the release of Breath of the Wild in 2017 after the team decided there was nothing more that can achieve with Breath of the Wild. Hidemaro Fujibayashi, Breath of the Wild director, and Eiji Aonuma, series producer, are back in the same roles for Tears of the Kingdom.
Eight months still seems like a long time away, but at least we have an official date. As we get closer to its launch, Nintendo will begin releasing more details about the game. These tidbits will hopefully satisfy us until we can finally control our favorite video game protagonist.
All Tears of the Kingdom Editions Available for Purchase
Nintendo has released no information regarding what editions will be available for purchase, but we can speculate based on the editions available when Breath of the Wild launched.
Breath of the Wild came out with two different editions: Master Editon and Special Edition.
The Breath of the Wild Master Edition bundle came with:
- Physical copy of Breath of the Wild
- Master sword of resurrection statue
- Tapestry and map of Hyrule
- Nintendo Switch carrying case
- 24-song soundtrack
- Collectible coin
The Master Sword of Resurrection statue was one of the coolest launch statues for any recent game. We are hoping that Nintendo will surprise us again with another fantastic statue.
Retailers Where You Can Purchase Tears of the Kingdom
Here are convenient links to all the places you can pre-order Tears of the Kingdom.
Retailers will offer both digital and physical versions of the game.
Tears of the Kingdom Different Versions Explained
No version information is currently available.
Breath of the Wild was available on both the Wii U and Switch console, but we suspect Tears of the Kingdom will only be available for the Switch. Nintendo announced that the eShop will be discontinued for users on the Wii U and 3DS devices as of March 23, 2023. The discontinuation date is a full two months before the release of Tears of the Kingdom. Nintendo’s announcement all but spells the end of the Wii U console.
The official trailer #2 for Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was just released by Nintendo:
We will provide additional details as Nintendo releases them!
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will launch exclusively on Nintendo Switch on May 12, 2023.
