The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom pre-order guide

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom pre-order guide

Time Stamp: May 5, 2023 10:24 AM

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for the Nintendo Switch will arrive in a matter of days. Before the May 12 launch date arrives, let our detail-rich preview of the game whet your appetite a bit. In addition to our that, we have more coverage on the new machines Link will be able to build, new characters, and the return of Ganondorf.

You don’t have much time left to pre-order a physical copy of the game, which you can do right now from Amazon, GameStop, Best Buy, Walmart. If you plan to buy a digital copy, you’ll get a code to download it right at launch.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom collector’s edition

Sadly, it has been a long while since there was an opportunity to buy the collector’s deluxe edition of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which costs $129.99. You can see it at Best Buy, GameStop, Target, and Amazon. The collector’s deluxe edition includes a physical copy of the game in addition to an array of items, including a concept art booklet, a steelbook case, a poster, and a set of four enamel pins. Here’s to hoping that it’ll go up for sale again soon.

The Collector’s Deluxe Edition of Tears of the Kingdom comes packaged with a SteelBook case, a concept art booklet, a poster, and a set of four enamel pins in addition to a physical copy of the game.

Best Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom pre-order deal

The game’s $70 price tag is uncommonly high, even for a new Nintendo release, but there is a clever workaround for Nintendo Switch Online members. Nintendo Switch Online members can purchase a pair of Switch game vouchers for $99.98 through the Nintendo eShop. Each voucher can be redeemed for a single digital title on this list, regardless of cost, and you can bank up to eight vouchers for up to a year.

Ultimately, this saves you about $30 if you buy Tears of the Kingdom and another full-priced game. It’s a good deal, even though you have to pay to be a Switch Online member. If this all sounds a bit confusing, this article by Polygon editor Cameron Faulkner which breaks the process down in detail.

Nintendo Switch Online Individual Membership

Prices taken at time of publishing.

For $19.99, you’ll get access to Switch Online for a year. It lets you play online, back up your game saves to the cloud, and access classic NES, SNES, and Game Boy games. It also allows you to save on games by purchasing digital vouchers.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom pre-order bonuses

While Nintendo doesn’t often include pre-order bonuses with standard copies of its games, some retailers have been known to bundle new releases with specific accessories to sweeten the deal. For instance, GameStop is currently offering a limited edition wooden plaque for anyone that pre-orders the standard edition of the game for $69.99.

Pre-orders placed at Best Buy also score some exclusive loot with a collector’s print of the key art for the game. Unfortunately, there aren’t any details regarding the size or print quality, but this is still a good way to score something extra if you were planning to pre-order the game anyway.

More recently, Walmart announced its own pre-order bonus for Tears of the Kingdom, which includes a black wall scroll featuring a decaying Master Sword. Unfortunately, much like the other available pre-order bonuses, there isn’t any information on the size of the scroll, but it looks cool. The bonus won’t be given retroactively to previous pre-orders.

If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, my colleague Nicole Carpenter sorted through all of the (much cooler) global pre-order bonuses you can get if you purchase non-US versions of the game. While you may pay hefty import fees, the game will still work in your Switch console, as it’s region-free.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED

If you want to go all-in on your Zelda fandom, Nintendo’s Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED is now available for $359.99, the same price as Nintendo’s other limited-edition consoles (note: it doesn’t include the game). The special edition Switch is functionally identical to the Nintendo Switch OLED that debuted in October 2021, with its 7-inch 720p OLED screen and 64 GB of internal storage, but its Joy-Con controllers and dock are gilded with runic inscriptions inspired by Tears of the Kingdom.

Update (May 5): Updated the post to reflect the upcoming release, which is just a week away.

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