What Consoles Can You Play Zelda: Breath of the Wild On?
The latest installment in Nintendo‘s acclaimed The Legend of Zelda series, Breath of the Wild, is currently available on two consoles: the Nintendo Switch and Wii U.
Nintendo Switch
Breath of the Wild was a launch title for the Nintendo Switch when it debuted back in 2017. As one of Nintendo‘s most ambitious and highly-anticipated games at the time, it drove significant hype and sales for the new hybrid console.
According to VGChartz, over 92% of Switch owners have purchased Breath of the Wild, demonstrating an incredibly high attach rate. This makes sense given it‘s one of the highest rated and most popular games on the system.
On Switch, Breath of the Wild is available both physically and digitally:
Physical
The physical edition came in a standard case initially. There was also a special edition produced with a soundtrack CD, map, and coin. And more recently for the game‘s 5 year anniversary, Nintendo released a limited quantity physical reprint bundled with a keychain. So collectors have some nice options!
Digital
The digital version can conveniently be downloaded directly from the Nintendo eShop without needing an activation code. This allows playing instantly on the go without carrying cartridges.
Digital purchases also earn My Nintendo Gold Points, which can be used towards discounts on other games. And there have been several DLC packs released for Breath of the Wild that expand the massive game.
Wii U
Since development started years prior for the Wii U, Breath of the Wild also launched for Nintendo‘s previous home console system simultaneously with the Switch version.
While only accounting for 8% of total sales, the attach rate for the Wii U still reached over 30% based on the console‘s smaller installed base.
On Wii U, both physical discs and digital downloads are supported as well. The digital version can be purchased on the Wii U eShop.
And players on both systems receive the same post-release support, with additions like a higher difficulty Master Mode and quality of life upgrades.
Other Consoles and Port Prospects
Given Nintendo publishes the Zelda series exclusively for their own hardware, Breath of the Wild is currently restricted to the Switch and aging Wii U platforms. But could that change in the future?
PC
There is definitely demand from PC gamers to be able to play Breath of the Wild based on discussion threads on Reddit and gaming forums. Nintendo has ported select titles to PC over the past couple years like Horizon Zero Dawn, so there is some precedent.
However, a technically ambitious first party game like Breath of the Wild would likely require significant development work to properly optimize and scale across all combinations of PC hardware. Nintendo may not see sufficient return on investment given most core fans already own their consoles. But never say never!
PlayStation and Xbox
Releasing Breath of the Wild outside of Nintendo‘s ecosystems onto competing home consoles also seems unlikely. Perhaps tied to a larger partnership or crossover promotional deal down the road it could theoretically happen. But Nintendo prefers keeping iconic characters like Link strongly associated with their own brand identity.
Porting would again require non-trivial development costs depending on the platform. And there would be less incentive for those without Nintendo hardware to purchase another console just for access to more Zelda games.
Suffice to say, Breath of the Wild joining the prestigious likes of Elder Scrolls, Grand Theft Auto, and Call of Duty as multi-platform open world games seems improbable at the moment or in the foreseeable future based on Nintendo‘s historic first-party strategy. Fans will likely need to stick to Switch and Wii U, outside of potential PC exceptions.
The Verdict for Avid Gamers
As someone who grew up on the Zelda franchise starting with the N64 classic Ocarina of Time, I consider Breath of the Wild to be one of greatest and most important video games ever crafted. It deserves to be experienced by all fans of adventure, action RPGs, and open world games.
Owning a Switch just for access to this masterpiece and the ability to play on the go or around the house in either handheld or docked mode is an investment I would highly recommend if at all feasible. It‘s that good!
For now, Breath of the Wild remains a Nintendo exclusive available on Switch and Wii U only. But down the line, with some luck PC gamers may eventually get to traverse Hyrule and take on Calamity Ganon. We can only hope!
