Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Switch icons are back before Tears of the Kingdom launches

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

Nintendo Switch Online members can bag some special Breath of the Wild rewards before Tears of the Kingdom releases.

Earlier today, Nintendo announced that several Breath of the Wild-related icons would be returning for Nintendo Switch Online members to download in the coming weeks. This is all part of the big build-up to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launching next month in May.

See more

As you can see above, each wave contains Zelda and Link icons, along with a Guardian, Link fighting against Malice, and Link standing proudly beside a good horse. As is usual with Nintendo Switch icons, each wave will be available one after the other in successive weeks.

The first wave of icons are actually available right now for Nintendo Switch Online members on April 27. They'll be sticking around for exactly a week until May 4, when they'll be replaced by the second wave, which will be available until May 11, just one day before Tears of the Kingdom launches on May 12.

You'd probably expect Nintendo Switch Online to make Tears of the Kingdom icons available to coincide with the sequel's big release, but they could still be coming further down the line. With the likes of Splatoon 3 or Xenoblade Chronicles 3 for example, Nintendo made special icons available only when each game released, and not prior to the launches.

We recently played Nintendo's big sequel for ourselves, and it's bigger and bolder than its predecessor. Check out our The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom preview for what we made of a few hours exploring the new Hyrule.

You can also read our The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom pre-order guide for a look at how to get your hands on the Collector's Edition before launch.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.