Tears of the Kingdom

The Breath of the Wild sequel is called The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and it's launching May 2023 for Nintendo Switch.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gameplay is set to build expansively on the more open traversal and combat systems that helped define the original Breath of the Wild. [The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD](https://www.gamesradar.com/legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-hd-review/), now may be the time as there's clearly some synergy here. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has received three trailers. So keep on reading to find everything we know on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom so far. It teased new story details, showed off some of the stunning sky vistas we'll be able to explore, and confirmed that the Breath of the Wild sequel will officially be called "Tears of the Kingdom" when it launches on May 5, 2023. If you haven't been keeping up with the slow release of news over the last few years, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will see Link return to the vast lands of Hyrule – expanded massively as he's now able to explore islands in the sky.

Ever since the reveal we've seen this ethereal green energy emanating from all manner of different objects. Ganon's corpse beneath Hyrule Castle and the world ...

Breath of the Wild reinvented what it means to be an open world game, so it only makes sense for its successor to take that perception even further with a more nuanced story, deeper characters, and an evolution of its world that brings everything we believe into question. I’d be here forever delving into all the details, but to me, it’s already clear that Tears of the Kingdom is eager to subvert our expectations for the series. Ganon’s corpse beneath Hyrule Castle and the world itself also seem ripe with the stuff, as if it is not just a source of magic, but the lingering presence of a world that has ceased to exist for centuries. Once again, it would explain so much, and immediately cement the validity of this sequel and Nintendo’s decision to build so succinctly on what came before. We will need to uncover the dark history behind its existence, and possibly even realise that Hyrule was responsible for its downfall in the first place. Link is capable of hopping aboard floating rocks to take to the skies, which itself is populated with floating islands to discover and puzzles to solve.

Nintendo reveals the 'Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' sequel's name is 'Tears of the Kingdom.' The long-awaited 'Legend of Zelda' installment comes out ...

(Are those floating islands in the trailer the tears of the kingdom?) There are plenty of Skyward Sword influences here, though hopefully a much better control system, as well as art from an ancient (crying?) kingdom that recalls Twilight Princess. The sequel, which is also for the Switch, builds upon the open-world format of the original series and adds a bunch of gameplay that takes place in the sky above Hyrule. [2017 masterpiece The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild](https://www.vulture.com/2017/12/10-best-video-games-2017.html) and given it a name: Tears of the Kingdom.

Although brief, the trailer offers a look at some new gameplay footage, showcasing several new powers Link will be able to wield in the upcoming game. You can ...

"When we released the DLC for Breath of the Wild, we realized that this is a great way to add more elements to the same world," Aonuma said. "We previously announced that we were aiming for a 2022 release for this game. The game will launch for Nintendo Switch on May 12, 2023.

The sequel to Breath of the Wild is up for preorder on Amazon and Best Buy, if you just can't wait to secure your order.

You can check out the latest trailer below, and if you want to learn more about the Nintendo Direct announcement, be sure to check out our [coverage](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/zelda-botw2-is-now-titled-tears-of-the-kingdom-releases-in-may/1100-6507417/) of the event. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 has officially been renamed The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. [September’s Nintendo Direct](https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/nintendo-direct-september-2022-the-biggest-games-and-announcements/2900-4327/), we saw a bit more footage of the upcoming game. With Amazon's history of randomly discounting game preorders, that's not a bad reason to preorder Tears of the Kingdom today. If you do decide to preorder Tears of the Kingdom early, you won't be down $60 right away. Both Amazon and Best Buy have listings up, and we expect more to follow in the coming months.

Breath of the Wild's sequel gets a release date - Quite possibly the most anticipated title on Switch's list of upcoming g...

Thankfully, while we all wait for Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 to appear, there are plenty of other Zelda games on Switch. Let us know in the comments below. In the US, Amazon and Best Buy have pre-orders open at $59.99.

The long-awaited sequel will finally be available on Nintendo Switch in May.

That’s six years after the release of BOTW, and therefore also six years after the release of the Nintendo Switch, so if Nintendo wants to finally release the similarly long-awaited Super Switch successor (or whatever they call it), that seems like a good excuse for it. [elsewhere](https://www.avclub.com/oh-god-what-if-i-don-t-like-breath-of-the-wild-2-eith-1847118195), The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild is the best game Nintendo has ever released that isn’t [Kirby Super Star](https://www.avclub.com/happy-anniversary-to-kirby-super-star-the-best-game-ev-1846494822) (the best game ever made), so the hype train has been running at a feverish pace for its long-awaited sequel—which was announced in 2019 and didn’t get [a proper trailer of any sort until last year](https://www.avclub.com/link-needs-a-parachute-in-the-legend-of-zelda-breath-o-1847107066). Speaking of the trailer, it shows a little more of the sky world floating above BOTW’s Hyrule, plus some falling, climbing, and riding on a Green Goblin glider of some kind.

During the September Nintendo Direct, we got a confirmed title for the 'Breath of the Wild' sequel called 'Tears of the Kingdom.' Here's what we learned.

Collecting one of the aforementioned orbs could trigger rainfall in a certain area, ridding that particular section of Hyrule of the [deadly disease](https://www.inverse.com/gaming/best-games-nintendo-switch-online-zelda-majoras-mask). [“Kingdom” in the sky](https://www.inverse.com/gaming/zelda-skyward-sword-hd-accessibility-review-controls). It ends with Link landing on some sort of flying device as he journeys back to the land below. It then cuts to Link leaping from a platform in the sky and it begins to rain as he freefalls. Based on the trailer, it’s possible Link will need to rescue Zelda from imprisonment somewhere in the sky, perhaps by collecting the seven orbs. While the trailer was short, it offered a number of hints about the game’s story and mechanics, giving us a clearer idea of how Tears of the Kingdom might unfold.

With new details confirmed for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, fans are theorizing about the new green magic in the upcoming sequel.

How this will manifest and factor into the game if true remains unclear, but it could add new depth to the lore of Zelda between Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, and Twilight Princess. With all these things considered, it could be more likely that the green magic seen in Tears of the Kingdom is not of Sheikah origin but instead from the Twili. However, one snag to this interpretation is that the Sheikah technology in Breath of the Wild had been stylized with blue, not green. This was further supported by that same Sheikah technological designs appearing across Link's arm, implying that this technology would factor into Tears of the Kingdom and likely allow [The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom](https://gamerant.com/tag/tears-of-the-kingdom/) fans can only work from the various trailers that have been released so far. For example, the reveal of Link's arm being "corrupted" in some mystical way looks visually reminiscent of Sheikah technology, leading some to believe that this will be the origin and application of magic within the game.

So, we decided to round up some of the biggest and most thought-provoking fan theories we've found so far. Again, none of this is confirmed news, but it's a ...

Needless to say, there’s still so much we don’t know about the Breath of the Wild sequel. Also, people have [pointed out that the design of Midna](https://youtu.be/ClTNVq6I7Ko?t=2607), who accompanies Link in Twilight Princess, looks similar to that of the new stone monster we see in the trailer. In the trailer, Link appears to use some sort of time travel power to push a spiked ball back up a hill. Besides those visual similarities, there’s a also bit of lore in Breath of the Wild that may support this theory. Probably the most prevalent unconfirmed theory is that we won’t play Breath of the Wild 2 as Link. Once again, this theory sort of hinges on the fact that we don’t know with 100 percent certainty that we play as Link, since we don’t see his face. Amber Relics are a resource found throughout the Surface in Skyward Sword. They are referred to as the Zonai, but we don’t know much about them other than that they made some of the Hylian landmarks seen in the game, like the dragon carvings and some of the ancient architecture. [The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.](https://www.polygon.com/game/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword/1825) The opening cinematic of Link from the trailer is pretty much the same exact scene of Link falling through the clouds in Skyward Sword. However, from the character’s design — they wear a tunic that covers half their chest — we can assume that the character we see isn’t Zelda. The idea is supported mainly by the visual similarities between Ganon and the character in the trailer, who wears a one-shoulder tunic like Ganon. So, we decided to round up some of the biggest and most thought-provoking fan theories we’ve found so far.

The subreddit saw no other activity until today, when fans eager to discuss the new Zelda game stumbled across it in Reddit's search results. One of the ...

[kusoge](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=kusoge) (opens in new tab),' or 'shitty games,' among Japanese players, and though it was released in North America on the NES, it's certainly not so well-known among Western players. A single ' [lounge](https://www.reddit.com/r/tearsofthekingdom/comments/x60xpt/rtearsofthekingdom_lounge/) (opens in new tab)' post, common in new Reddit forums, was created on the same day, labeled as a "place for members of r/tearsofthekingdom to chat with each other." [milonssecretcastle](https://www.reddit.com/user/milonssecretcastle) (opens in new tab). The milonssecretcastle account was created six months ago - long before the subreddit was created - but it has no post history. [bruh](https://www.reddit.com/r/tearsofthekingdom/comments/xd9iob/bruh/) (opens in new tab)," sums up the sentiment. Milon's Secret Castle is one of the Famicom's most famous examples of '

The Zonai have become something of a meme among Zelda lore enthusiasts. Since the group is so vaguely defined in Breath of the Wild, it's easy to map them onto ...

[a year ago](https://www.ign.com/articles/zelda-breath-of-the-wild-2-official-title-secret) (opens in new tab) that it was holding back the title reveal for fear of spoiling too much. As Reddit user [PartEmbarrassed5406](https://www.reddit.com/r/Breath_of_the_Wild/comments/xd9h6i/zelda_tears_of_the_kingdom_is_the_name_for_botw_2/io9j0df/?context=3) (opens in new tab) puts it, "this trailer really screams Zonai to me." The Zonai Ouroboros also appears on the big door Link opens as he starts to explore the sky areas in the trailer, suggesting that the Zonai may have fled Hyrule to build a new kingdom in the clouds. [look exactly like](https://www.reddit.com/r/botw/comments/xdawir/zonai_in_the_trailer/) (opens in new tab) the Zonai dragon statues in Breath of the Wild. The Zonai have become something of a meme among Zelda lore enthusiasts. If you just play Zelda games and don't spend your time trawling forums for lore discussions, there's a decent chance you don't know who the Zonai are, and that's okay, because there's not actually that much to say.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom pre-orders have begun, and our guide will show the best and cheapest way to get your copy.

[365games](https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=5778&awinaffid=103504&clickref=grd-gb-1414575401419330600&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.365games.co.uk%2Fnintendo-switch-games%2Fthe-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-2-nintendo-switch-game) (opens in new tab) [Base](https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=2694&awinaffid=103504&clickref=grd-gb-1025794483208202500&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.base.com%2Fbuy%2Fproduct%2Fthe-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-nintendo-switch%2Fdgc-zeldabow2ns.htm) (opens in new tab) However, that's often the best place to start. [ShopTo](https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=2943&awinaffid=103504&clickref=grd-gb-1548560317101675500&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shopto.net%2Fen%2Fswze07-the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-2-p1139969%2F) (opens in new tab) Little is truly known about the plot of the game, but as we speculate in our [early guide](https://www.gamesradar.com/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-guide/), it seems that the desiccated corpse of Ganon has arisen from under Hyrule Castle, and the tendrils of Malice are potentially starting to spread again... The retailer might still be using some placeholder art, but don't let that put you off, as the mega-retailer has its bona fide pre-order page up now and ready for your perusal. However, with only trailers and glimpses to actually work with, the community is still deep in investigation mode, trying to work out what might actually be going on. There's no word on any UK extras or pre-order bonuses though so it remains only a simple straightforward standard edition (we think) right now. Pre-order The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in the UK [Best Buy](https://shop-links.co/link?publisher_slug=future&exclusive=1&u1=grd-gb-8336531001476681000&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fthe-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-nintendo-switch%2F6464080.p%3FskuId%3D6464080&article_name=The%20Legend%20of%20Zelda%3A%20Tears%20of%20the%20Kingdom%20pre-order%20guide&article_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamesradar.com%2Fpre-order-the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom%2F%2Fpre-order-the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom) (opens in new tab) Even though it was only announced during the recent Nintendo Direct on September 13, pre-order options and listings have started popping up already. Pre-order The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in the US

Firstly, Death Mountain appears to be chock full of Malice now. You might remember Malice as the tar-like substance from Breath of the Wild, which hurt Link ...

Could it be that this fan theory is accurate, and Calamity Ganon ends up ascending from underneath Hyrule Castle, causing it to rise up into the air? Thankfully, there's not long until we find out what really is going on with Calamity Ganon, Hyrule Castle, and Death Mountain. Buried in the new trailer, though, as one Reddit user has pinpointed below, was a brief display of Hyrule Castle and Death Mountain, both looking decidedly different from in Breath of the Wild.

"Those subtitles… they start to give little bits of hints about maybe what's going to happen," Nintendo Treehouse's Bill Trinen said at the time. "We're still ...

[Nintendo said it couldn't reveal the sequel's full name](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-sequel-name-is-being-kept-secret-for-a-very-good-reason/) for fear of giving away too much of the game. Now though, with the name of the sequel revealed, Breath of the Wild fans are confessing they're none the wiser. A new trailer showed Link diving headlong through clouds, before a release date of May 12, 2023 was finally announced for the eagerly-anticipated sequel.