Every fact on this page applies to update 1.1.0, the one version tested. Other versions may behave differently.
No emulator needed: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening runs natively on the Apple chip. How nxnative compares with emulators
Running through nxnative
How The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening runs
Link's Awakening plays on the iPhone, with gameplay at 60 fps just as on the Switch. Event cutscenes run at 30 fps because the game itself chooses that rate for them. When the project developers last published sizes, the Packed app came to about 6 GB.
How it runs
The game's tilt-shift look needed careful work. Outdoors, the whole screen used to be blurred and dim with no sun shadows, and the doorstep of Marin and Tarin's house flickered with white tiles. Each of these came from a small difference in how a shader was translated, and all are resolved on both Mac and iPhone. A palm tree and flowers that were missing indoors are back too.
A crash that could happen when a conversation or cutscene began, caused by the physics threads racing each other, is also fixed. It showed up on iPhone and on busy Macs.
Controls
The Packed app starts in the 2D touch layout. The layout button at the top centre switches layouts in game.
Good to know
- In handheld mode the picture once filled only part of the iPhone screen. That is fixed: the app now honours the game's own crop.
- Tested with update 1.1.0.
Known issues
None reported
Packing command
Run this in your nxnative folder on the Build Mac. Replace the game folder and the keys path with your own. Add --platform mac-app to get a Mac app instead of an iPhone and iPad app.
python3 scripts/build_ipa_from_nsp.py ~/Games/the-legend-of-zelda-links-awakening -k ~/keys/prod.keysFAQ
Does The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening work with nxnative?
Yes. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is tested with nxnative on update 1.1.0.
Which iPhone, iPad or Mac do I need to play The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening?
An iPhone 15 Pro or newer (A17 Pro chip or later) or an iPad with an M1 chip or later, on iOS or iPadOS 26 or later, or a Mac with Apple silicon. iPads with the A17 Pro chip (iPad mini) have the iPhone 15 Pro's chip but are untested by nxnative. Packing needs a Mac with macOS 26.6 or later and Xcode 27.1.
Is The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening included?
No. Neither this site nor nxnative includes any game. You Pack The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening from your own copy of the game, with keys dumped from your own Switch.
Does online play work in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening?
Online play in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is not confirmed to work, so do not count on it.
