The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Switch 2 may be hiding a Master Quest mode. Data miner MrCheeze posted on Bluesky on 6 November that the game’s files contain dungeon data tagged “MQ”, the shorthand fans use for the tougher remixed version of the game.
Nobody has seen the mode running, and Nintendo has not announced it. It is a find in the files and nothing more.
MrCheeze’s first post showed lines of data for Dodongo’s Cavern with “MQ” attached to the entry. A follow-up pointed to a few text strings in the game’s executable that give context: HasMQ, IsMQModeExist, NewGameMQ and ReleaseMQ. Names like those suggest a switch for a Master Quest option and a way to start a new game in it, but they do not say when, or whether, players will get it.
Master Quest rearranged the dungeons and made them harder for players who already knew the original. It appeared in the GameCube re-release and the 3DS remake, so its absence from a new version would stand out to long-time fans. The remake went on sale on 5 November for Switch 2 only, and Nintendo’s store page lists it at $59.99 for the digital edition without mentioning Master Quest or any DLC.
Series producer Eiji Aonuma was asked in an interview whether Master Quest had been considered. He answered that he did not think Nintendo would announce anything specific at this time, which neither confirms nor rules it out.
Unused or dormant strings often remain in a game’s files without ever shipping, so the find is a hint, not a promise. If Nintendo does add the mode, expect it to be announced by Nintendo itself.
