Can you play The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom on PC? Explained

Can The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom be played on PC? (Image via Nintendo)
Can The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom be played on PC? (Image via Nintendo)

With The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom out, the question surely has started cropping up - can it be played on PC? This age-old query does the round whenever video games are launched exclusively on consoles, with one of the recent instances being Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's release back in November 2022.

The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom has finally launched worldwide, with players being able to dive into the vast world of Hyrule and everything that the sequel has to offer. It is no secret that the sequel to the 2017 title Breath of the Wild was one of the most hotly anticipated releases in the past few years.

The community was rife with hype and speculations, with everyone imagining what new wonders lay ahead. Given the franchise's popularity and the anticipation surrounding the latest title, it is no surprise that players are eager to try the game across all platforms.


The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom is a Nintendo Switch exclusive that cannot be officially played on PC

Much like its predecessor, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom is a Nintendo Switch exclusive, which means only players with the device can officially play the title and enjoy its contents. Developed and published by Nintendo, the title was released on May 12, 2023. It also saw Hidemaro Fujibayashi as director and Eiji Aonuma as producer.

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Although there is no port available for the game, there are workarounds for those who still wish to play it on PC. Players can use emulators to run The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom on their PCs. While there are several emulators available on the market, Ryujinx is a popular choice.

Players should keep in mind using emulators and ROMs is a contentious matter in the gaming community. While many do not see the former as an issue, ROMs are illegal unless players already own a copy of the game. Despite that, several websites host ROMs of plenty of titles, including The Legend of Zelda and Pokemon games.

The initial reviews for Tears of the Kingdom have been overwhelmingly positive, with most reviews giving it a perfect score. Players and critics alike were quick to heap praise on the expanded nature of the game world and the increase in vertical exploration.

While for many, it is already a contender for the Game of the Year award for 2023, it remains to be seen how the title fares at the end-of-the-year ceremonies. Until then, check out Sportskeeda's coverage of the title to make your playthrough in Hyrule easier.

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