The highly anticipated follow-up to Breath of the Wild is near its release. Want to find out the preorder bonuses, editions, and potential DLC of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? Check out Game8's preview for all the juicy details!

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Release Date

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is Already Out!

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was released on May 12, 2023, making it more than six years since the release of the critically-acclaimed Breath of the Wild.

Everything We Know About The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Latest Trailer

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Story Plot

In the follow-up to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, we are once again in the shoes of Hyrule’s strongest warrior, Link. Though information on the story itself is thin at the moment, we see Link and Zelda facing off against an ancient evil while undertaking an adventure both underground and in the skies.

Aside from Link and Zelda, the vile Ganondorf has also made a return with his dark army, which threatens to ravage the already-ruined land of Hyrule. You'll face off both against classic enemies like the Bokoblins, the Lizalfos, and the Hinox, as well as new enemies called Constructs – golem-like enemies that come in a variety of forms for Link to fight off.

Aside from the exploration gameplay we’ve already seen in BoTW, Tears of the Kingdom also shows Link traveling between Sky Islands – massive landmasses that have rooted themselves among the clouds that he can travel between in real-time. We also see Link transitioning between the Sky Islands and the land of Hyrule below, so it’s safe to say that the game world has been expanded considerably.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Editions, Price, and Pre-Order Bonuses

Tears of the Kingdom will come in three separate editions: Digital, Standard, and Collector’s Edition. Both the Digital and Standard editions have the same prices, but the bonuses that come with your pre-order can change depending on the retailer.

For example, Walmart sells the Standard Edition but pre-ordering the game from there nets you a Tears of the Kingdom baggage tag as well as a wall scroll.

GameStop Pre-Order Bonuses
Link and Zelda Pin Set
Exclusive Wooden Plaque

Meanwhile, those who get TLoZ from GameStop will receive both a Pin Set and a Wooden Plaque.

If you’re willing to put out more cash, you can get the Collector’s Edition from Best Buy, which has a physical copy of the game, an art book, a SteeBook, a steel poster, and a Pin Set.

Will The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Have DLC?

Though there’s no solid confirmation yet, Tears of the Kingdom will most likely have DLC just like its predecessor Breath of the Wild. So far, it’s been speculated that the additional content will provide new challenges for Link to overcome, rewards to earn, and new outfits.

For further information, read the Game8 TLoZ: Tears of the Kingdom wiki's article on potential DLC here!

Games That Will Come Out Alongside The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Games Releasing in May 2023	How It Matches Up With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
RedFall	RedFall is a far more horror-centric game than Tears of the Kingdom, which will appeal more to those who enjoy a relaxed but still exciting experience filled with exploration.
System Shock (Remake)	Just like with RedFall, the System Shock remake is an extremely intense horror game that will have you sleeping with the lights on. ToTK is a fantastical heroic adventure with epic stakes. If you are not fond of being frightened but still want an immersive experience, then ToTK is probably the better game for you.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum	The Lord of the Rings: Gollum offers a more stealthy gameplay style, unlike Tears of the Kingdom, which possesses a more direct, aggressive approach. Overall, ToTK is more wide-ranging in scope and contains open-world elements, while Gollum's game is more linear and plot-focused.

How The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Matches Up to Similar Games

Games Similar to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom	How It Matches Up With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild	ToTK is an expansion on the foundation that Breath of the Wild put down six years ago, with more abilities, vehicles, weapons, enemies, and environments. If you loved BoTW, you'll definitely love ToTK.
Genshin Impact	Genshin Impact takes a lot after BoTW in terms of gameplay, so Genshin players will have no trouble getting used to playing Tears of the Kingdom.
Immortals Fenyx Rising	Those who liked Immortals Fenyx Rising, which also has a lot of hints from BoTW's gameplay mechanics, will like the range of exploration and combat options ToTK has to offer.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Trailers

E3 2019 First Look Trailer (Released June 12, 2019)

Here, we see Link and Zelda skulk in an underground cavern, where they find the mummified remains of Ganondorf. Though he is sealed by a mysterious hand-like object, it falters, leading to his re-awakening.

E3 2021 Teaser Trailer (Released June 16, 2021)

This teaser gives us the first look at the Sky Islands that fly above the land of Hyrule, as well as new gameplay elements like time reversal, handheld flamethrowers, and walking enemy encampments.

Official Trailer Number 1 (Released September 13, 2022)

This trailer is focused on laying out hints as to what the story is, as we see different hieroglyphs pertaining to things in the story like a ‘hero’ facing off against an army of monsters, a figure that looks like Princess Zelda, and Ganondorf.

Link also has a host of new outfits and gliders to use in his journeys between the Sky Islands and the land of Hyrule below. Link may travel between these locales in the game.

Official Trailer Number 2 (Released February 9, 2023)

We see a few new tools in Link’s toolkit in this trailer, such as new vehicles like a hot-air balloon and a car. We also see a variety of enemies, old and new, as well as various puzzles.

Mr. Aonuma Gameplay Demonstration (Released March 3, 2023)

This roughly 13-minute gameplay demonstration shows us link traveling across the land of Hyrule, and how he’ll traverse between that place and the Sky Islands above.

Link also has new abilities like Recall – a time reversal mechanic that will allow him to reverse the fall of objects, and Fuse, which allows him to stick two objects together to use as weapons. Another ability called ‘Ultrahand’ lets Link manipulate large objects in the environment, which he can then combine to create vehicles. Finally, Ascend pulls Link toward a ceiling, which he can phase through to gain a height advantage when traveling.

New enemies called Constructs – robot-like beings that come in different forms – are also featured. They can make use of weapons that can give Link a hard time if he's not careful in fighting them.

Official Trailer Number 3 (Released April 13, 2023)

The latest trailer for Tears of the Kingdom revealed some brand new and exciting gameplay mechanics. We get to see Link jumping into floating water orbs, gliding through laser grids, and even piloting his own moving golem against those of his enemies. Link will also have the ability to launch himself into the air with a rocket, face of against enemies on minecarts, and fight alongside various allies.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Product Information

Title	THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM
Release Date	May 12, 2023
Developer	Nintendo
Supported Platforms	Nintendo Switch
Genre	Action RPG
Number of Players	1
ESRB Rating	Everyone 10+
Official Website	https://www.zelda.com/tears-of-the-kingdom/

Michael Mendoza Ab..

Reviews video games by day, tries to write novels by night. He's a sucker for open-world games (Bethesda Fallout titles, Mount and Blade Bannerlord, Grand Theft Auto), CRPGs (Planescape: Torment, Disco Elysium), and First-Person Shooters (Call of Duty, Battlefield, and immersive sims like Bioshock..