Forgotten retro Zelda game leaked for Switch

The long lost game of The Legend of Zelda franchise, The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets, could be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 later this year if a recent leak is to be believed. The Legend of Zelda the series turns 40 this February, having released its first game for the Famicon in Japan in 1986, and while most of its official entries have been big hits, this 16-bit game is one that most fans have probably never heard of before.

The first two Zelda the games were released in the west in the 1980s and featured vastly different play styles. While the original game was a top-down affair with minimal dialogue and almost no NPCs, Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link shook things up wildly, providing incredibly difficult side-scrolling areas and towns full of characters for Link to interact with. Then came the SNES and in 1991 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the PastCreative palaces, improved swordsmanship, and added tools like the Hookshot took the series to a new level.

8 Best Legend Of Zelda Games To Play On Switch 2, Ranked

The Switch 2 is the perfect system for Zelda fans, considering there's plenty of fun and exciting content to be had on Nintendo's latest hardware.

The 16-bit Zelda game from 1997 may finally be released outside of Japan

Legend of Zelda Ancient Stone Tablet Emulator

While another well-known non-handheld Zelda games, Ocarina of Time and The Major's Maskwere released for the Nintendo 64, there was actually another 16-bit entry that served as a quasi-sequel A link to the pastbut it only released outside of Japan in very limited quantities. That could soon change, as leaker Nash Weedle shared on Twitter and YouTube The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets could be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 sometime in 2026. There has been no official word from Nintendo about the upcoming forgotten Zelda a title from the past that is poised to make a comeback, but if the rumor turns out to be true, fans of the franchise should be in for a unique experience.

Started in 1997, about six years after A link to the past, The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets it used the exact same engine, characters and world as its 16-bit predecessor, along with similar gameplay mechanics. However, it brought some new ones The Legend of Zelda dungeons and a unique story set several years after Ganon's defeat in the previous game. Playable only on the Super Famicon console connected to the Satellaview BS-X broadcast system, the game was released in four weekly episodes. Using the console's satellite modem capabilities, each episode could only be played for about an hour, and players had a limited amount of time to access them. Additionally, in-game events would be triggered after players had been in the game for a certain amount of time, and one of the main goals was to collect as many points as possible during a game session in order to win real prizes.

Legend of Zelda Ancient Stone Tablets Super Famicon Cropped-1 Cartridge

Another interesting note about The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets is that it was a Zelda a game in which players did not control Link, one of Nintendo's most famous characters. Instead, players would step into the role of a Hero of Light and their in-game appearance would reflect the physical attributes assigned to their avatars through their profiles with the BS-X Broadcasting System. Switch 2 is not linked to this system because it no longer exists. However, player-created Miis have been providing personalized gaming experiences since the days of the Nintendo Wii, so transforming their likenesses into 16-bit sprites can be a relatively simple process.

If The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets is actually coming to Switch 2, its unusual features that set it apart from other games in the series could potentially be a boon. Studio AdHoc Send was one of the best games of 2025, and its episodic release scheduled between October 22nd and November 12th only added to the tension and excitement as players waited for the next installment to arrive. While Ancient stone slabs has much less narrative weight, sticking to a similar format to its original release from the late 90s could give Nintendo Switch 2 players something special to look forward to each week.