SNL brought out Jason and Link for a new Weekend Update skit, and the video game fans watching at home mostly just rolled their eyes.
The bit, from SNL’s Season 52, starred live-action versions of GTA 6’s Jason Duval and The Legend of Zelda’s Link. Marcello Hernández played Jason, Mikey Day played Link, and the segment ran about six minutes. Weekend Update hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che also appeared. The joke mostly centered on who has the better game, with Jason waving around an RPG and Link yelling about puzzles.
The SNL episode was hosted by Dakota Johnson, star of Verity, with musical guest Turnstile and a surprise cameo from Taylor Swift. It was a busy night for the long-running celebrity sketch show, but full-on appearances from Link and Jason were probably not on anyone’s bingo card.
What the Skit Actually Involved
The bit opened with Jost joking that he doesn’t know much about gaming because he’s had sex, but that people were calling the two games the “Barbenheimer of video games.” The skit drew on common complaints about both franchises: Jason’s references to Grand Theft Auto mostly involved stealing cars, while Link’s jokes centered on puzzles and his tunic.
The costumes were the bright spot. Day’s Link outfit was praised for being shockingly accurate to the character’s specific Ocarina of Time remake tunic, complete with elf ears and a convincing wig. Hernández’s Jason, meanwhile, wore little more than a bloody bandage and a tropical button-up. It was a Halloween-costume level of effort.
The jokes did not land as well. Link yelled about puzzles and argued that his tunic is not a dress. The whole thing was mostly references to stealing cars, buying RPGs, and solving puzzles in the kingdom of Hyrule.
How Fans Reacted
The response from gaming fans was blunt. “I was simply stunned by this: how unending it was, that old ass joke about people who play video games never having been laid, a complete disregard for specificity in service of surface level nonsense, the middle school talent show presentation. Utterly baffling,” one fan wrote.
Another commenter said, “Basically all of the jokes here were ones I’ve already been hearing for like 20 years.” A third added, “Aren’t these the same jokes we’ve heard about Zelda since 2000?”
The few positive comments were also critical. “This is funny but also confused how they are doing a parody of a character who we don’t know that well yet,” one said. The implication is that Link’s new remake is still fresh, and the bit was confused about which version of the character it was mocking.
The Games Behind the Skit
The skit stemmed from a rivalry that has been building for months. Games big and small have mostly cleared out of November 2026 to avoid launching against GTA 6, with Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake remaining the biggest exception. The former won’t be available on the console the latter is exclusive to, so there won’t be quite as much direct competition, but gamers will still have a tough call to make in about 30 days.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launches for Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5. GTA 6 follows on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19.
The Joke’s Long History
The jokes in the skit were not new. The complaints about car theft, RPGs, and puzzles have been circulating for years. The bit’s reliance on old material is part of what fans found frustrating.
It is worth noting that the bit was built on a premise that has been around for decades. The “people who play video games never have been laid” joke, referenced by one fan, is a long-standing trope about gamers.
“Basically all of the jokes here were ones I’ve already been hearing for like 20 years.”
That line captures the frustration well. The skit was trying to make a joke about two of the biggest games of the year, but it was using material that has been stale for two decades.
What Went Wrong
The biggest problem was the Jason portrayal. Hernández’s Jason was thin, with his references to Grand Theft Auto mostly limited to waving around an RPG and stealing lots and lots of cars. The outfit was little more than a bloody bandage and a tropical button-up, a costume that barely matched the character.
The Link costume, by contrast, was praised. Day’s getup was shockingly accurate to the specific Ocarina of Time remake tunic, with elf ears and a convincing wig. The costume detail was there, but the jokes themselves were not.
The jokes mostly involved Link yelling about puzzles and arguing that his tunic is not a dress. The whole thing was mostly references to stealing cars, buying RPGs, and solving puzzles in the kingdom of Hyrule.
The Takeaway
The skit was trying to make a joke about two of the biggest games of the year, and it failed. The jokes were old, the Jason portrayal was thin, and the Link jokes did not land.
It is a reminder that SNL’s Weekend Update format is built on topical references, and the gaming references it reaches for have become as familiar as the jokes themselves. The bit was trying to be funny, but it ended up being a reminder of how long these jokes have been around.
For fans of both games, the takeaway is simple: the skit was a miss. The costumes were accurate, but the jokes were not. The fans who watched online were not impressed.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launches for Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5. GTA 6 follows on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19.
Source material: “SNL Weighs in on GTA 6 vs. The Legend of Zelda With Skit Featuring Jason and Link,” IGN.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.