PSA: Zelda Tears of the Kingdom leaks could soon flood the internet as Collector's Edition images appear online

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
(Image credit: Nintendo)

If you want to go into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom completely blind, you'll want to tread very carefully while browsing the internet for the next couple of weeks until launch, as images purporting to be of the physical Collector's Edition are surfacing on social media.

Reddit posts shared Friday appear be candid shots of the physical version of the Tears of the Kingdom Collector's Edition, and if they are indeed authentic, it would suggest someone has a copy of the game in their hands. And if that copy is a physical cartridge and not a digital code, and thus less likely to be time-locked, that could mean the internet is about to become a minefield for major Tears of the Kingdom leaks.

I won't embed the images here, as they potentially contain story spoilers themselves, but you can check out this Reddit thread discussing what's claimed to be an authentic picture of the game in the wild. Just keep in mind that if you unblur the spoiler filter, you might see something you don't want to see until launch, so enter at your own risk. There's another thread here that once showed a picture of what appeared to be a shipping box filled with copies of the Switch game, but the picture has since been deleted by its original poster.

Of course, there's no way to be 100% certain these are real pictures of a copy of Tears of the Kingdom, nor do we know for sure whether the Collector's Edition includes an actual cartridge and not just a digital code. And even if there is a cartridge, it's not a certainty that folks will immediately start sharing spoilers online - but better safe than sorry, especially so close to release. 

Be careful out there, fellow Hyrulians. It's dangerous to go alone, and I have nothing for you to take beyond this PSA: Watch out for Tears of the Kingdom spoilers.

Only time will tell if Tears of the Kingdom joins the ranks of the best Switch games ever.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.