'The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom' Switch Console Rumor May Be Legit

It's not uncommon to see a special edition Nintendo Switch based on the many beloved games by the company that made Super Mario. For instance, fans could get their hands on the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Switch console on Nov. 4, 2022, and Nintendo also rolled out a Splatoon 3 model less than a month before its Sep. 8, 2022 launch date.

Nintendo has an easy-to-figure-out rhythm for dropping special edition models before and after game releases. Despite that, a recent rumor about there being a Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch console release on the horizon has fans skeptical. As with all rumors, they should be taken with a grain of salt if not officially confirmed; however, multiple sources have made the Tears of the Kingdom rumor seem more believable. Here's everything we know about it.

According to a report from Video Games Chronicle, images originating from a Famiiboard forum showed an alleged special edition Nintendo Switch OLED themed after The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, posted overnight by user Kysen. The user never confirmed where they acquired the pictures or if they had the Switch in their possession, leading the publication to say it may be an "elaborate fake."

Around the same time, a Twitter post by @pixelpar shows the exact same Tears of the Kingdom OLED Switch and claims they originally came from Baidu Tieba, a Chinese social media platform. Afterward, the images spread to Reddit and Resertera, according to the post.

In the supposedly leaked photos, the Tears of the Kingdom OLED version had a silvery white dock with a golden insignia at the center and further gold detailing curving on one side. The Joy-Cons have the same colors and designs, but the left stick has a deep sea green at the bottom and a small symbol. Design-wise, the alleged Tears of the Kingdom model looks passable even if it's an elaborate fake, but judging from Nintendo's history, it could very well be real.

While we don't have an official price, release date, or even any acknowledgment that a Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED is coming, sometime between April and May could be the ideal time for Nintendo to drop news about it.

The game is supposed to launch on May 12, 2023, and Nintendo may unveil details on the themed model within weeks of its release. Whether the model matches the alleged leaked photos or not is still yet to be seen, though. In the meantime, if you're hoping to score Tears of the Kingdom merch or tech that might release before it launches, it's best to start saving up for any surprise announcements later.