How to Properly Play Zelda Tears of the Kingdom on Your PC

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Key notes

• Zelda Tears of the Kingdom is a Nintendo Switch exclusive game, so it is impossible to play it on your PC natively.
• While there is an option to use an emulator, some users may prefer playing it on cloud gaming services.

There are dedicated gaming devices and consoles that offer a unique gaming experience. However, some players love the thrill of playing on PC. A few readers have asked us how to play Zelda Tears of the Kingdom on PC. So in this guide, we show you the best solutions.

You may also be interested in reading our guide on the best Windows 11 gaming laptops.

Is it possible to play The Legend of Zelda on PC?

Since it is a Nintendo Switch exclusive, you cannot natively play Zelda Tears of the Kingdom on your PC. However, there are a couple of other methods to play it on your PC, and they offer the following benefits:

• Higher frame rates on more advanced PC configurations.
• A wider range of controllers.
• No need to download or install if you use a cloud gaming service.

You may consider checking out some of the best emulators for PC gaming.

How can I play Zelda Tears of the Kingdom on my PC?

1. Use emulators

The most popular way to play Zelda Tears of the Kingdom on PC is by using an emulator like Yuzu. Emulators allow you to run games from other systems like the Nintendo Switch on your computer. Here are the steps to set it up:

1. Navigate to the Yuzu emulator download page.
2. Click on the Download button.
3. Select your operating system (Windows, Linux, etc).
4. Click on the Windows icon for the latest build to start the download.
5. Run the downloaded installer to install Yuzu on your PC.
6. Extract the file, run the Yuzu setup, and download the Zelda Tears of the Kingdom game on your PC.
7. Launch Yuzu and click the “Add New Game Directory” option at the bottom.
8. Browse and select the folder where you have the Zelda game files installed.
9. Navigate to the game and add it.
10. Select the Emulation menu, then click on Configure.
11. Go to the Graphics tab.
12. Under the General tab, tick the “Limit Speed Percent” and “Multicore CPU Emulation” options.
13. Click OK.
14. Click the Graphics tab; if you use an AMD processor, ensure the Vulkan API is selected. If not, you may select OpenGL.
15. Click OK again to save the graphics settings.
16. Finally, go back to your initial emulator game list page and double-click on the Zelda Tears of the Kingdom game to start it.

Using an emulator allows you to play Switch games on PC at potentially higher resolutions and frame rates than the original hardware. However, setup can be tricky and you’ll need a fairly powerful CPU and GPU for the best experience.

Also read this Post: BUILD A GAMING PC

2. Use a cloud gaming service

Another option to play Zelda Tears of the Kingdom on your PC is to stream it through a cloud gaming service. Cloud gaming lets you play games via streaming over the internet without having to install them locally.

There are a few cloud gaming options that may work, but generally, you must pay for a subscription with any service you choose. The most popular are:

• NVIDIA GeForce NOW
• Xbox Cloud Gaming 
• Amazon Luna
• Google Stadia

You’ll be required to download and install the service’s app before you can start streaming games. We recommend using the NVIDIA GeForce NOW service as it has a large game library and reasonable pricing.

To get started with GeForce NOW:

1. Go to https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce-now/
2. Click “Join Now“
3. Create an account or sign in
4. Download the GeForce NOW app for Windows
5. Launch the app and browse/search for Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
6. Select the game and click the Play button to start streaming

The advantage of cloud gaming is you can play the latest games on very modest PC hardware, as all the heavy lifting is done on powerful servers in the cloud. However, you’ll need a fast and stable internet connection for a good experience.

It’s essential to remember that there may be certain negatives to both emulators and cloud gaming services. For instance, not all games may function flawlessly on emulators due to compatibility issues. And with cloud gaming, latency difficulties can cause input lag and visual artifacts.

Fortunately, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and its predecessor Zelda: Breath of the Wild have received good compatibility scores for popular emulators like Yuzu and Ryujinx. So if you have decent PC hardware, using an emulator may be your best option for the best performance and visuals.

If you go with cloud gaming, we recommend using any of the best browsers for cloud gaming like Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Opera for the smoothest experience.

We’d love to hear if you know other cool ways of playing Zelda Tears of the Kingdom on your PC that we haven’t covered. Please reach out to us in the comment section below.

Conclusion

While Zelda Tears of the Kingdom is a Nintendo Switch exclusive, PC gamers have some solid options to experience this highly anticipated game. Using an emulator like Yuzu allows you to play it locally with enhanced graphics settings if you have a powerful enough computer. Or you can stream the game via a cloud gaming service like GeForce NOW without any installation. 

Both methods have pros and cons, but provide a way for PC gamers to join Link’s latest adventure in the Nintendo epic. Whether you choose an emulator or cloud streaming, now you can enjoy the portability of playing a great Nintendo game like Zelda on your PC.