Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Coming to Switch 2 This Winter

It’s been five years since the last game in the Hyrule Warriors series, when Koei Tecmo and Omega Force brought Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity to the Switch. That game told the story of the events 100 years prior to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, of Link, Zelda, and the Champions attempting to fend off the forces of Calamity Ganon. The game’s ending presented an alternate outcome to the one which set up Breath of the Wild.

Naturally, after the release of Tears of the Kingdom, fans of Hyrule Warriors have been wondering: will we get another entry to the series, and will it be a prequel to Tears of the Kingdom?

The answer is a resounding yes. During last week’s Switch 2 Nintendo Direct, we got a trailer confirming that a new game in the series is headed to Switch 2: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.

Age of Imprisonment will explore the events leading up to Tears of the Kingdom, specifically the Imprisoning War. The trailer shows many familiar faces, including Zelda, King Rauru, Queen Sonia, Mineru, Ganondorf, and the ancient sage ancestors of the new Champions. The trailer gave us a brief glimpse into some of the combat, including King Rauru throwing a halberd like a boomerang to wipe out hordes of enemies, as well as Zelda using a weapon to take down a Lynel.

Conspicuously absent from the footage was Link. Granted, Zelda gets thrown back in time at the beginning of Tears of the Kingdom, which enables her to take part in the events of the Imprisoning War. So it would make sense that we wouldn’t see Link as a playable character, given that he did not go back in time. But still, as the main protagonist of both the Zelda and Hyrule Warriors series, it does seem a little odd to not see Link and has us wondering if he’ll be absent as a playable character entirely.

While no definitive release date has been given, the end of the trailer said that Age of Imprisonment will be releasing on Switch 2 this winter.

Source: Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 Broadcast 04.02.25