A crimson moon rises over Hyrule, twisting the night with eerie power and reviving the monsters you’ve already defeated. In Tears of the Kingdom, the Blood Moon is more than a visual spectacle-it’s a signal that the world itself has reset, changing the rhythm of survival for every player.
As it happens, despite the scary music and ominous vibes, the Blood Moon is actually a net benefit. This page covers what the Blood Moon is, and how you can make the most of Hyrule’s recurring event.
How does the Blood Moon work in Tears of the Kingdom?
The Blood Moon rises every seven in-game days, or after 168 minutes of playtime, triggering a cutscene with a red glow across the sky that resets the world. It revives defeated enemies like Lynels and Gleeoks, restores dropped weapons, materials, ore deposits, and chest loot for repeatable farming. Cooking during its active phase from 23:30 guarantees critical success for stronger buffs, while certain glitches can force it early by overloading game memory.
The Blood Moon is an event that triggers every 168 minutes of gameplay, and acts as a reset button for many of the things in Hyrule, respawning weapons, shields, monsters, and loot points. When it triggers, you will be presented with a cutscene explaining what’s going on.
The specificity of 168 minutes may seem strange, but that’s how long it takes for a week to go by, uninterrupted, in Hyrule!
This reset button is extremely useful – especially if you want to farm a particular item, like Zoanite (for extra battery cells), bomb flowers (for all your explosive needs), or sub-bosses like the Stone Talus, Flux Construct, Gleeok, or – for the phenomenally brave – the King Gleeok (for rare monster parts).
Note that treasure chests you open will not be magically refilled, but weapons you find on the ground will be. If you find an item that you like as part of the terrain, pin it on your map to collect a new one in a week’s time!
Can you trigger a Blood Moon in Tears of the Kingdom?
You can’t manually cause a Blood Moon to appear in Tears of the Kingdom, as it’s tied to the game’s internal timer and performance system. The event typically occurs every seven in-game days at midnight, resetting defeated enemies and clearing memory to keep gameplay running smoothly. While you can’t trigger it on command, spending time in combat or using fast travel can speed up the process by advancing the in-game clock.
If you want to trigger a Blood Moon, simply play the game – after 168 minutes of play, you’ll see another Blood Moon.
So, the obvious question becomes whether you can force a Blood Moon. While you may be tempted to sleep for the better part of a week to trigger it, the game knows what you’re doing and will make you wait it out.
What is Blood Moon cooking?
During a Blood Moon in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, cooking takes a mysterious turn. Any dish prepared under its red glow gains a random bonus effect, often enhancing attributes like strength, defense, or stamina more than usual. This makes Blood Moon nights a great time to experiment with ingredients, as the results can surprise even seasoned players and give Link an edge in upcoming battles.
You could easily play the entire game, start to finish, without realizing the Blood Moon cooking mechanic exists, but it is a nifty one that is well worth knowing about.
It’s always wise to keep an eye on the in-game clock because different monsters come out at different times of day (hint: or at night). If it’s the night of the Blood Moon, you will see the big, red astral body creep its way up the sky, which is a great hint to stop what you’re doing.
Head to your nearest cooking pot (stables each have one, along with a variety of other places, or you could place a Zonai pot) and get ready to start cooking. Once the clock hits 23:30, a short animation begins playing and the creepy music starts – this is your cue, maestro. If you do it before the music changes, you won’t get the bonus. Here’s what five cooked apples grants when cooked before 23:30:
And here’s after:
Anything you cook for the following 30 in-game minutes will have a guaranteed critical success, improving the bonuses of whatever you cook. For items that have dual bonuses – like when you cook with mighty bananas – which bonus you get is seemingly random, at roughly 50%.
Unfortunately, you obviously won’t get these visual cues if you’re in a cave or otherwise can’t see the sky. If this is the case, listen for the change in music and the telltale vapor trails.
As long as you’re not otherwise engaged (usually in battle), you can drop a Zonai Pot from your devices section of your item bag to cook yourself a meal. These pots are only good for one use, but it’s better than nothing and, let’s be honest, when else are you going to use them!
What’s the story behind the Blood Moon?
The Blood Moon in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom isn’t just a visual event-it’s a mysterious phenomenon tied to the game’s lore and mechanics. Each time it rises, it marks the resurrection of defeated enemies across Hyrule, symbolizing the world’s ongoing cycle of decay and renewal. Players often notice eerie red skies and haunting music as the moon ascends, creating a sense of tension that transforms ordinary exploration into a moment charged with danger and wonder.
[Ed. note: The following section covers spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.]
Tears of Kingdom explains the origins of the Blood Moon in one of the flashbacks you’ll when tracking down Dragon Tears. “Birth of the Demon King (Memory 10; Tear of the Dragon #8)” can be found at the Geoglyph in the North Tabantha Snowfield.
Watching this, you’ll see Ganondorf steal a Zonai Secret Stone and use it to transform himself from a mere mortal into the Demon King that plagues the entire Legend of Zelda timeline.
How often does a Blood Moon occur in real time
In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, a Blood Moon occurs roughly every 2 hours and 48 minutes of active real-time play.
Timing Details
The timer counts only when the game runs actively, such as during exploration or combat, and pauses during menus, cutscenes, dialogues, or loading screens.
This equates to about seven in-game days under normal play conditions.
Practical Notes
Players can monitor NPC Hino at Dueling Peaks Stable for predictions, as he warns of impending Blood Moons.
The event triggers automatically at midnight in-game once the timer elapses, unless delayed by certain actions like shrine completions.
How long does a Blood Moon event last in real time
The Blood Moon event in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom lasts about 1-2 minutes in real time.
Event Sequence
The event begins with a brief sky darkening and red glow around midnight in-game, followed by a short cinematic cutscene showing the crimson moon rising and enemies resurrecting across Hyrule.
Immediate Effects
Respawning completes almost instantly after the cutscene ends, with enemies, weapons, and resources fully restored within seconds, allowing gameplay to resume normally.
Player Experience
Players can skip the cutscene by entering a menu, shrine, or loading screen during its start, which postpones the event slightly but does not shorten it.
