Nintendo Website Hints at a Surprise 3DS Zelda Drop for Switch Online

A 3DS classic on NSO? Nintendo's site hints that A Link Between Worlds may join Switch Online.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, featuring a young hero in green with a sword and shield, standing in a mystical landscape illuminated by golden light.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, featuring a young hero in green with a sword and shield, standing in a mystical landscape illuminated by golden light.

With The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake having been released earlier this year, the internet has been buzzing about the game. However, an old Zelda game is now an emerging topic of conversation.

If you have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, you'll be able to play plenty of Zelda games from the NES, Game Boy, and N64 era. It allows players a chance to play their favorite old-school Zelda game on their current-gen console. While Nintendo hasn't released a Wii or 3DS Zelda game on the NSO, fans believe it may happen sooner than we think.

Here's what we know of the situation.

On November 12, eagle-eyed fans claimed to have found proof that The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds will be playable with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

A character with a sword and lantern stands on a stone pathway in a dimly lit castle, with various creatures and a flying creature in the background.
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Credit: Nintendo

On the Zelda Game History page on the Nintendo website, people can see all the Zelda games that have been released. If you click on a game, you'll see a little blurb regarding the game, when it was released, and the platform it was released on.

READ MORE: 8 Things the Ocarina of Time Remake Doesn’t Tell You

Some will also mention if it's playable on the Switch 2 with an NSO subscription. Previously, the games that were available with an NSO subscription included:

  • The Legend of Zelda
  • Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
  • The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
  • The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
  • The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
  • The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
  • The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
  • The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
  • The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords

However, it appears another game is being added to the lineup.

It was noted that when you clicked on The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, it claimed the game is playable with the NSO subscription. This has fans believing Nintendo will announce that the game will be released on the platform.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds game cover, with the release date and platform information displayed.
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Credit: Nintendo

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This would make it the first 3DS game available on the Switch 2. However, its release has yet to be confirmed. Some believe Nintendo might have made a mistake, mixing up The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages' "playable with Nintendo Switch Online" disclaimer with A Link Between Worlds, as the latter is missing its title.

Nintendo has yet to comment on the situation.

For more like this, check out how to get the Sinking Lure in the Ocarina of Time Remake.