Nintendo Switch players will finally be able to get their hands on a copy of the latest Legend of Zelda game, when it is released on Friday 12 May. It will be available to play from 12.01am digitally and will release physically in stores during retailers' regular business hours.
If you've already pre-ordered a physical copy of the game online, you might not get it right away on release. Depending on who you ordered from, it might come on release day, the day before or several days after.
Tears of the Kingdom won 'most-anticipated game' at the 2022 Game Awards. We can't comment on how good it is, as we don't review games, but can give buying advice on how to save money on a pre-order and explore whether it may be cheaper to buy a bundle.
What console will The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom be on?
Since the game is a Nintendo exclusive, it will only release on Nintendo's current flagship consoles: the Nintendo Switch, Switch OLED, and Switch Lite.
The game will not release on Nintendo's other older consoles, the 3DS or the WiiU.
As Nintendo closed the eShops of both the 3DS and WiiU at the end of March 2023, new Nintendo releases will likely only be available on the Switch, Switch OLED, and Switch Lite.
Should you pre-order Tears of the Kingdom or wait for launch?
Like most video game pre-orders, it depends on the game, the price, how long you want to wait to play it and if you want a physical or digital copy of the game.
Tears of the Kingdom likely won't cost less than launch price from most retailers for quite some time. Since a new, physical copy of Breath of the Wild (released in 2017) still sells for around £45 from third-party sellers and doesn't go on sale as much as other Nintendo games, we can probably expect similar prices for Tears of the Kingdom.
You can buy second-hand physical copies of the game a few months after release for a cheaper price, but those might not come with a returns policy or warranty.
Our best advice when thinking about pre-ordering any game is to watch or read pre-release reviews and to try any gameplay demos or betas if they're available. If you like what's in the demo or beta, chances are that the end product won't be too far off that experience.
On the whole, Zelda games fare extremely well from critics and gamers – especially main-series Zelda games, which Tears of the Kingdom is. On Metacritic, the lowest-scored Zelda game, Tri Force Heroes, still scores decently with a 73 out of 100 Metascore.
pre-order.wait until release. Read our advice on .The cheapest place to pre-order Tears of the Kingdom
There are several retailers taking pre-orders for Tears of the Kingdom, but out of the dozens selling the game, we've found these are cheapest:
GameSoldSeparatelyHMVHit.co.ukThese might not be the biggest discounts, but new game releases are rarely discounted below the typical RRP of £59.99, especially pre-orders.
Should I pre-order Tears of the Kingdom from ShopTo?
ShopTo, a Berkshire-based budget games retailer, is currently offering one of lowest prices for Tears of the Kingdom at £49.85.
It sounds appealing, however before you rush to pre-order from them, know that some reviews of the company indicate towards poor customer service and game pre-orders taking longer to deliver.
While it has one of the biggest discounts, we can't guarantee you'll have the best experience. We would recommend buying the game from HMV instead.
Where to buy Tears of the Kingdom after it launches
While you can pre-order from larger retailers, such as Amazon and Argos, their prices aren't likely to dip below RRP until after launch. Below, you can check the price of Tears of the Kingdom from major retailers, but they'll typically be £59.99.
Are gaming chairs worth it? Read ourWhere to buy the special edition Switch OLED, Pro Controller or carrying case
As a part of the release of Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo is releasing a special edition Switch OLED that features designs from the game printed onto the JoyCons, dock and console.
The special edition Switch OLED costs £10 more than the regular Switch OLED, which isn't new for Nintendo. All special edition consoles that are released ahead of popular games have always cost slightly more than base models.
Nintendo is also releasing a special edition Switch carrying case and pro controller that feature similar designs. Both are also slightly more expensive than their regular counterparts.
The special edition Switch OLED releases on 28 April and costs £319.99. Since it's a new console, there won't be much variation in price.
You can pre-order the Zelda Tears of the Kingdom special edition Switch online from these retailers:
Or check prices from Amazon below:
Major retailers are currently out of stock of both the Pro Controller and the carrying case.
More stock may be available again closer to the launch of the game.
Can I buy the special edition Zelda Switch OLED directly from Nintendo?
Once the game releases in May, you might be able to buy a special edition Switch OLED from Nintendo if it still has stock. Luckily, several third-party retailers still have consoles available.
What is the difference between a Nintendo Switch, Switch OLED, Switch Lite and the special edition Switch OLED?
Nintendo's three models of its flagship console are extremely similar at their core. They offer similar levels of gaming performance but have slight differences when it comes to their screens, functionalities and prices.
The Nintendo SwitchYou can check prices from retailers below:
OLED modelYou can check prices from retailers below:
The Switch LiteYou can check prices from retailers below:
All Switch models can have their storage expanded with a mirco-SD card to fit two terabytes of games.
Where can I buy Tears of the Kingdom as a bundle with a Switch?
Buying the bundle from Game will set you back £379.98. If you order the £379.99 bundle from Box, you'll be paying them a penny more than if you bought both separately!
Once Tears of the Kingdom launches, Nintendo may start to include the game as a bundle when you buy a Switch. Looking again to Breath of the Wild as an example, it can come bundled with each model of Switch and a case.
Typical prices for a bundle like this would be £359.99 for the game, some accessories, and a Switch OLED; £319.99 with a regular Switch; and finally £259.99 with a Switch Lite. So the bundles from Game and Box aren't very good bargains.
You can buy bundles like this both directly from Nintendo and from retailers such as Game, Amazon, Currys, John Lewis, and Smyths Toys.
If you're looking to pick up Tears of the Kingdom as a part of a bundle like this, we'd recommend waiting until it's released.
Should I play Breath of the Wild first?
Yes, absolutely. There's a reason it scored so well on Metacritic: it's a great game.
The entire Legend of Zelda series jumps all over the place with different timelines, thousand-year time jumps, and main character.
Luckily, you can get away with just playing Breath of the Wild and not all 19 Zelda games prior to Tears of the Kingdom. Although, if you have favourites – definitely play those.
The Nintendo Switch has the remake of Skyward Sword (HD version), the remake of Link's Awakening (released in 2019), plus the two Hyrule Warriors spin-off games available on the Switch eShop.
Where to buy other Legend of Zelda games
Plus, if you subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online you can play classic Zelda titles such as A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask.
Unfortunately, as of 27 March 2023 Nintendo has stopped supporting new purchases on the eShop for the 3DS and WiiU. This means you can no longer buy digital copies of releases such as the HD remasters of Twilight Princess and Wind Waker on the WiiU.
However, you can still download games you've already bought and some updates are still being supported.
One of the easiest ways to save money on games is to buy second-hand. Even waiting a few weeks after a popular launch you can find people trying to sell their games or systems once they've finished playing them.
Here's our advice on how to not get ripped off when rummaging for your favourite games.
Second-hand games
When buying second-hand games, take a look at the disc or cartridge before you buy.
Make sure there are little to no scratches on the disc and check to make sure any contacts on cartridges aren't corroded or damaged.
If you have a console with you – especially a handheld one – ask if you can test the game to make sure it runs properly on your system.
When buying from stores such as CeX, the games on sale are usually tested and in good condition, but it's always good to check before you buy.
Second-hand consoles
When going to buy a second-hand console, make sure it powers on before anything else.
Next, check for signs of damage on both the chassis and controller: this includes cracks, wear and water damage.
It sounds strange, but give it a sniff. If you smell something funky – like mold or cigarette smoke – there could be internal damage. Smoke and mold can cause damage to electronics, especially ones air-cooled by fans, like game consoles.
Take it for a test drive: is the game running how it's supposed to? How loud and fast are the fans spinning? If they're sounding too loud, that could mean they're clogged with dust or damaged.
Is it overheating? All these are signs that something could be wrong with the console or that it could be damaged.
Finally, make sure the previous owner has signed out of any accounts and factory reset the device.
Read our advice on .undefinedsource https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/where-to-buy-the-new-legend-of-zelda-game-aNH2a4Q7gLQk