Nintendo is bringing back Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, just not how Zelda fans wanted

Nintendo and Panini are producing The Legend of Zelda: Master Collection, a trading card set that features artwork from every mainline entry in the series, including The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. The set forms part of the franchise’s 40th anniversary celebrations and is a physical collectible, not a game or remaster. Panini, the Italian company behind the cards, is best known for sports trading cards and World Cup sticker albums.

The collection was revealed during The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct, but only in the presentation’s UK and European broadcasts. Panini UK and Ireland confirmed the set the same day, while the North American and Japanese versions of the Direct did not show it.

Artwork in the set runs from the original 1986 The Legend of Zelda through Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Early sample cards show Link from Tears of the Kingdom, Princess Zelda from Skyward Sword, and a scene from Ocarina of Time.

Panini has shown box art in a white and gold design featuring Link across four decades and etchings of the Hyrule map, along with a black and gold variant. A black collector album with an elastic closure and an embossed gold Zelda logo will be sold alongside the cards. Packaging shown at the reveal lists six cards per pack.

Nintendo and Panini have not announced a price, release date, total card count, or the regions where the set will be sold. A retailer listing places the release in the fourth quarter of 2026, but neither company has confirmed that window.

Nintendo released its Ocarina of Time remake exclusively on Switch 2 on November 5, priced at $59.99 for the digital edition and $69.99 for the physical release. The company has not announced a remake or remaster of The Wind Waker or Twilight Princess.

The Wind Waker HD launched on Wii U in September 2013, followed by Twilight Princess HD on the same console in March 2016. Neither HD version has been ported to Switch or Switch 2. The original GameCube release of The Wind Waker has been playable through the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack GameCube library since Switch 2 launched on June 5, 2025.