For comfort and technical stability, the pre-rendered cinematic cutscenes automatically drop back to a flat, 2D theater-style viewing mode. 🕹️ The 2021 Glitch and Speedrunning Renaissance
To provide more context, here is a timeline of major updates to Breath of the Wild :
But officially, the patch notes were much shorter. botw update 160 2021
While there were no major gameplay expansions in 2021, the game remains on version (Switch) and 1.5.0 / v208 (Wii U), which includes all previously released DLC and the VR support update. Smaller stability patches have occasionally been noted by the community, such as a minor update in 2025 that addressed background fixes alongside its sequel.
This article dives deep into every byte of , what it fixed, what it broke, and why Nintendo pushed it out in the middle of 2021. Smaller stability patches have occasionally been noted by
The official final major content update for Breath of the Wild was Patch 1.5.0, which arrived alongside the Nintendo Labo VR support in April 2019. This patch allowed players to experience Hyrule in a basic virtual reality mode using the Toy-Con VR Goggles.
While the official notes are vague, community analysis and subsequent discussions highlight the impact. A known glitch called "Whistle Sprinting"—an advanced movement technique used by speedrunners and players to traverse Hyrule faster by alternating between whistling and sprinting—was among the movement exploits patched out in this update. Other popular glitches, such as "Shield Clipping" (which allowed players to clip through walls) and "Weapon Smuggling" (which allowed players to transfer properties between weapons), were also rendered non-functional in this and surrounding patches. These changes were made to create a more stable and balanced game for the average player. This patch allowed players to experience Hyrule in
For many players, the 1.6.0 environment is the "permanent" version of Hyrule. Because Nintendo opted not to release further gameplay content after 2019, the community took it upon themselves to keep the game alive. In 2021, this manifested in the "Second Wind" modding project and other fan-made expansions that required a stable 1.6.0 base to function.
This performance increase was linked to a feature in Nintendo Switch system firmware 8.0.0, often called "Boost Mode." The Switch’s CPU could temporarily overclock from 1GHz up to roughly for short bursts to shorten load screens.