Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom isn't getting DLC after all

Zelda Tears of the Kingdom sages will
(Image credit: Nintendo)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is apparently not getting DLC after all.

That's according to a new interview with Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma in the latest issue of Famitsu (as translated by Automaton Media). When asked if there was anything new for Tears of the Kingdom being planned, be it DLC or a sequel, Aonuma said there wasn't anything new in the works for the 2023 game.

This is basically because Nintendo's development team feels it's exhausted all possibilities pertaining to gameplay in Tears of the Kingdom, Aonuma said. Tears of the Kingdom only came about because Nintendo's developers wanted to create new experiences in Hyrule, but now they're apparently all out of ideas.

After two stellar games, who can blame them? Breath of the Wild had a whole host of interconnecting systems in 2017, giving Link experimental new runic powers, and then Tears of the Kingdom did away with all these established abilities earlier this year and gave Link a host of new powers, including Ultrahand and Fuse.

This might come as a surprise to some, given Tears of the Kingdom's own website hinted at DLC earlier this year in February. A disclaimer on the website said the base game would be required to use DLC, which fans took as a strong hint that post-launch content was in the pipeline. That apparently was never the case.

It's also a surprise given Breath of the Wild's post-launch offerings. The original game received two expansions after launch, the first of which offered new trials surrounding the Master Sword, while the second was a whole new story expansion, seeing Link delving into new dungeons to uncover yet more forgotten memories.

At least if Tears of the Kingdom isn't getting DLC, there's still hundreds of hours of fun to be had, and secrets to discover, in Hyrule. Aonuma's new comments could be taken to mean there also won't be a direct sequel to Tears of the Kingdom. After two games and over a decade's development, Zelda's team could want to try something new.

Check out our Zelda Tears of the Kingdom weapons guide if you're looking to get your hands on the best gear in Hyrule.

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.

Read more
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom screenshot of Link riding a horse across a vast field.
The best Zelda games of all time
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is at the front line of the debate over the Nintendo Switch 2's computing power, because if the Switch 1 can load three worlds at once, imagine what its sequel can do
Photo taken by writer Rosalie Newcombe of a set of Legend of Zelda Switch games with the Tears of the Kingdom OLED Switch sitting on top.
These discounted Zelda Switch game prices are ridiculous and I'd be grabbing every single one at Woot if I didn't already have them
Breath of the Wild
10 Games like Zelda that are full of exploration and adventure
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda movie: Everything we know so far about the live-action movie
Link and Epona
A Zelda movie is finally happening, but Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto used to adamantly oppose the idea even "if Steven Spielberg himself" wanted to do it
Latest in Action
Yasuke and Naoe ready to fight on the Assassin's Creed Shadows On The Radar thumbnail
On The Radar: Assassin's Creed Shadows coverage hub
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe assassinating target with Tanto skill
Assassin's Creed Shadows' first title update is a hotfix with three lines of patch notes and a download size up to 9GB
Assassin's Creed Shadows Nishinomiya Shrine
All Nishinomiya Shrine locations in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows riddles Naoe answers
All Assassin's Creed Shadows riddle answers for NPC encounters
GTA 6 trailer screenshots showing lucia in an interview room
"GTA 6 is basically a huge meteor, and we will just stay clear of the blast zone": Publishers are in a frenzy over when to release their games to avoid Rockstar
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows has been the series' best launch since Valhalla, but that was "a perfect storm we may never see again," says Ubisoft
Latest in News
Lunar Remastered Collection
"Will today’s players still enjoy a game from 30 years ago?": JRPG icon Kei Shigema says he was thrilled to see Lunar getting a remaster even after all this time
Nick Offerman as Bill and Murray Bartlett as Frank in The Last of Us episode 3
The Last of Us season 2 showrunners tease a "gorgeous" episode akin to season 1’s Emmy-nominated Bill and Frank story: "Just you wait"
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
CD Projekt boss says "cutting-edge single-player games" – you know, like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 – will "continue to enjoy great popularity" despite industry shifts
Cyberpunk 2077
Despite releasing exactly zero new games, CD Projekt bagged $120 million in profit for 2024 – the Witcher and Cyberpunk studio's third-best result ever
Muse
Daredevil: Born Again midseason trailer teases Matt Murdock’s violent fight with Muse, including a gory scene straight from the comics
Batman looking over the city during Batman: Arkham City, one of the best PS3 games.
The PS2 Batman Begins game was considered such a "disaster" that Christopher Nolan turned down a Dark Knight-inspired game