For new players installing the game fresh in 2025 or beyond, 1.6.0 is simply the version you play. For veterans who watched it download in May 2021, it was a final farewell from Nintendo to a game that defined the Switch.
The update enabled a firmware feature that temporarily overclocked the Switch’s CPU during loading screens. This resulted in a dramatic performance upgrade across the board. Loading Scenario Before Update 1.6.0 After Update 1.6.0 ~32 seconds ~21 seconds Fast Traveling ~15 seconds ~11 seconds Entering Shrines ~12 seconds ~7 seconds
: As a title nearing its fourth anniversary at the time of the patch, BotW had already received its major DLC expansions (The Master Trials and The Champions' Ballad). Update 1.6.0 represented the "maintenance phase" of the game's lifecycle. botw update 160 2021
Have you noticed any other changes in BOTW update 1.6.0? Share your findings in the comments below. For more Zelda patch history, check out our deep dive into Version 1.3.0 (The Trial of the Sword).
Nintendo discovered a security flaw in the network code used across multiple first-party Nintendo Switch and Wii U titles. This flaw, sometimes referred to by the community as a vulnerability in the multiplayer or shared data systems, could theoretically allow bad actors to execute code remotely on a console. For new players installing the game fresh in
For the average player, the update was invisible. Your save file remained compatible. Your DLC progress remained unchanged. You did not suddenly gain new items, and the frame rate in Korok Forest stayed roughly the same (still choppy on original Switch hardware).
This update significantly optimized the game's data loading. This resulted in a dramatic performance upgrade across
The version 1.6.0 update for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (released in April 2021) was a significant patch, primarily because it introduced support for the new hardware features.
The game's final official content update was , but it was released on April 25, 2019 , primarily to add support for the Nintendo Labo VR Kit . Status of Breath of the Wild in 2021
Late in 2021, the community discovered the Bow Lift Smuggle Slide (BLSS) , which allows Link to float across the entire map at infinite speed while holding a bomb. Because update 1.6.0 left the foundational physics engine untouched, this became the definitive version for executing modern world-record speedruns.