To sprint in the Ocarina of Time remake, hold A while Link is moving: he rolls forward, then breaks into a dash and keeps running for as long as you hold the button. The game calls the move a dash, and it comes out of the roll rather than from a separate sprint button.
That is a big change for anyone who crossed Hyrule Field in 1998 by rolling over and over. Below are the exact steps, whether the dash has a stamina limit, how it works in water, and how it compares with rolling and riding Epona.
How the Dash Works
Nintendo built the dash on top of the roll on purpose. Director HokWai Ng says in Nintendo’s Ask the Developer interview that the team “wanted to preserve the experience of spamming the Roll Attack to forward roll your way across Hyrule Field,” so they kept rolling and “also made it possible to dash by holding down the Roll Attack button.”
So the button you tap to roll is the same button you hold to dash. Nintendo’s Direct announcement promised you could “Jump and run freely with newly added button commands,” and the dash is the run half of that.
Step by Step: How to Sprint
- Push the left stick so Link is moving.
- Press and hold A. Link rolls forward first.
- Keep holding A. As the roll ends, Link breaks into a dash.
- Steer with the left stick while you hold A.
- Let go of A to drop back to a normal run.
Tap A instead of holding it and you get a plain roll, exactly as in 1998. Both are still useful: the roll is the quick dodge, while the dash is for distance.
If you would rather sprint on B, as in Breath of the Wild, the game’s Options can swap the jump button, and the console’s system-level button mapping can rearrange the rest.
Is There a Stamina Limit?
Nintendo has not described any stamina meter for the dash, and none appears in its gameplay footage. The developers describe it only as holding the Roll Attack button. That sets it apart from the stamina wheel in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, so you can treat it as your default way to cover ground.
Dashing While Swimming
The extra speed is not limited to land. Link can put on a burst of speed while swimming as well, something the 1998 game never allowed. Swimming has its own buttons, though: in the water, press X to dash and hold A to dive, as the prompts at the bottom of the screen show. That makes the long swims in Zora’s Domain and around Lake Hylia far less of a slog.
Rolling vs Dashing vs Epona
| Rolling | Dashing | Epona | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How | Tap A while moving | Hold A while moving | Ride her as adult Link |
| Who can use it | Young and adult Link | Young and adult Link | Adult Link only |
| Best for | Dodging, breaking crates, short hops | Crossing fields, towns and long corridors | The open stretches of Hyrule Field |
| Where it works | On land | On land, plus a speed burst when swimming | Open areas she can reach |
Epona is still worth getting. She is adult Link’s horse, and in 1998 she could not follow him into towns, dungeons or most interiors, which is exactly where the new dash takes over. Our Epona guide covers how to win her at Lon Lon Ranch.
For young Link, who cannot ride, the dash is the big quality-of-life upgrade: the trips between Kokiri Forest, Castle Town, Kakariko and Lon Lon Ranch shrink without a single roll.
Why There Is No Fast Travel Point to Dash To
Nintendo did try a shortcut. Producer Eiji Aonuma says in Part 1 of the same interview that he asked the team to add warp points like Breath of the Wild’s, then had them all taken back out because they cost the game its moments of discovery along the way. The dash is the compromise: travel stays on foot, just faster.
Two more movement changes sit alongside it. Link has a dedicated jump button now, so dashing at a gap no longer launches him across it automatically. Our saving guide covers the new manual save and autosaves. The full list of differences is in our what’s changed guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you sprint in the Ocarina of Time remake? Hold A while Link is moving. He rolls, then breaks into a dash and keeps going while you hold the button.
Is there a separate sprint button? No. The dash comes from holding the roll button, A, rather than from a button of its own.
Does the dash use stamina? Nintendo has not described any stamina meter for it, and none appears in its footage, so treat it as your normal way to travel.
Can you still roll everywhere like in 1998? Yes. Tap A instead of holding it. Nintendo kept the roll on purpose.
Can Link dash while swimming? Yes. Press X while swimming and Link puts on a burst of speed, which the original never allowed. Holding A dives.
Do you still need Epona? For adult Link, Epona is still the way to ride across Hyrule Field. The dash covers young Link and every place a horse cannot go.
Every other guide to the remake is on our Zelda hub.