The Zelda Timeline Explained – Every Game in the Right Order

“The Legend of Zelda (1986) was a genuine revolution. On a grey NES cartridge, Nintendo handed players an open world with no fences, a battery save that let you keep your progress, and a map full of secrets it never explained. You were simply dropped into Hyrule and trusted to explore, burn the right bush, bomb the right wall and find your own way. Forty years on it still plays beautifully — and on the dedicated Game & Watch handheld it is the perfect bedside dose of where this whole legend began.”

“Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987) is the strangest, most divisive entry in the entire series — and the one mainline Zelda I have not yet played. Rather than iterate on the original's top-down exploration, Nintendo swerved hard into side-scrolling action with RPG mechanics: experience points, leveling, magic spells, towns full of NPCs and a brutal difficulty curve. It is beloved by some and bounced off by many. This is an honest overview of where it sits, why it matters, and why I am keeping it on my list — without pretending I have beaten a game I have not.”

“The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991) is, for many of us, the classic par excellence — one of the greatest games ever made, and one that you can still sit down and play perfectly today. It took the open spirit of the original, gave it the power of the SNES, and built the template every 2D Zelda has followed since: the dual Light and Dark Worlds, brilliant interlocking dungeons, the spin attack, the Master Sword. It is not just a milestone; it is a complete, flawless adventure that has barely aged a day.”

“The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993) was the series' first handheld adventure, and it remains one of its most beloved. Stranded on the mysterious Koholint Island, Link must wake the Wind Fish to escape — a quest that grows stranger, funnier and more quietly heartbreaking the deeper it goes. Built on the A Link to the Past template but shrunk onto a Game Boy, it is dense, inventive and full of personality, with a bittersweet ending that has stuck with players for thirty years. Proof that a portable Zelda could be every bit as essential as the console games.”

“The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) is, for a huge number of us, the greatest game ever made. On the Nintendo 64 it solved problems nobody else had cracked — how to fight in 3D with Z-targeting, how to make a vast world navigable with Epona and warp songs, how to give a coming-of-age story real weight by skipping Link seven years into the future with a single pull of the Master Sword. Decades on, its influence is everywhere and its magic is undimmed. With a full remake on the way, there has never been a better time to talk about why it still matters.”

“The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (2000) is the boldest, strangest entry in the series — a direct N64 sequel to Ocarina of Time that traps Link in a three-day time loop as a malevolent moon falls toward the doomed land of Termina. Built on the Song of Time, mask transformations and the interlocking daily routines of its grief-stricken townsfolk, it trades epic scope for dense, melancholy depth. Divisive, demanding and unforgettable, it is the cult favourite that rewards patience with one of gaming's most affecting experiences.”

“The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002) was the most controversial entry in the series at reveal — its cartoonish cel-shaded art style sparked a fan backlash — and is now one of the most beloved. On the GameCube, Nintendo swapped Hyrule for the Great Sea, a vast ocean dotted with islands that Link sails between aboard a talking boat, conducting the wind with a magic baton. The art has aged better than any realistic game of its era, the charm is off the charts, and the 2013 Wii U HD remaster smoothed its few rough edges. A timeless adventure that proves style beats spectacle.”

“The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006) was Nintendo's answer to the fans who wanted a darker, realistic Zelda after The Wind Waker. It delivered the moodiest Hyrule in the series — a land creeping with twilight — alongside the transforming Wolf Link, the largest overworld of its era, and Midna, widely regarded as the best companion character Zelda has produced. Released on both GameCube and the launch of the Wii (with mirrored motion controls), and later remastered in HD on Wii U, it is a grand, gothic, deeply satisfying adventure that leans into atmosphere and character like no Zelda before it.”

“The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (2007) is the boldest control experiment in the series — a Nintendo DS adventure played entirely with the stylus. A direct sequel to The Wind Waker, it returns to the cel-shaded Great Sea, but now you move, fight, sail and solve puzzles by touching, tapping and drawing on the screen. Its standout moments use the DS hardware in ways no other Zelda could, including one of the most ingenious puzzles Nintendo has ever designed. Charming, inventive and far better than its reputation suggests, it is a handheld gem that fully justifies its touchscreen ambitions.”

“The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (2009) is the charming DS follow-up to Phantom Hourglass, and one of the most quietly progressive games in the series. Link travels the land by train, driving along spirit tracks between regions, while Princess Zelda — separated from her body — becomes a genuine companion who can possess Phantom armour to solve puzzles and fight alongside you. It keeps the stylus controls and cel-shaded charm of its predecessor while improving on its structure, delivering inventive co-operative puzzles and the best version of Zelda-as-character in the handheld era.”

“The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011) is the chronological starting point of the entire series — the origin of the Master Sword, of the Link-and-Zelda bond, and of the cycle that echoes through every later game. Built around Wii MotionPlus for genuine one-to-one sword control, it is the most divisive mainline Zelda: loved for its gorgeous art, excellent dungeons and strong story, criticised for its motion controls and heavy hand-holding. The 2021 Switch HD remaster adds button controls and quality-of-life fixes that smooth its rough edges, making this the moment to give Skyward Sword another look.”

“The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (2013) is a direct 3DS sequel to A Link to the Past, set on the same beloved Hyrule map, and one of the smartest games in the series. Its signature wall-merging mechanic lets Link flatten into a painting to slip along walls and solve spatial puzzles, while a revolutionary item-rental system makes every tool available from the start — letting you tackle dungeons in almost any order. That freedom quietly previewed the open philosophy of Breath of the Wild years early. Brisk, brilliant and endlessly clever, it is one of the finest handheld Zeldas ever made.”

“Breath of the Wild reinvented Zelda with a physics-driven sandbox where systems collide and curiosity leads. Hyrule is entirely climbable, weather and elements interact logically, and puzzles support countless solutions without traditional dungeon items. You improvise with wind, fire, metal, and momentum to reach goals your way. As a dad player, the freedom fits short sessions or long weekends. On Switch 2, higher stability, faster loads, and cleaner image make revisiting Hyrule feel fresh without losing its wandering magic today.”

“The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2019) is a loving, ground-up Nintendo Switch remake of the 1993 Game Boy classic. Koholint Island is rebuilt in a gorgeous toy-like diorama art style, with modern controls, quality-of-life improvements and a new Chamber Dungeons mode — while preserving the dense dungeon design, dreamlike strangeness and devastating ending that made the original a landmark. It is the definitive way to experience one of the most beloved adventures in the series, and proof that a remake can honour a classic completely. A near-flawless reimagining.”

“*The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom* takes the open-world freedom of *Breath of the Wild* and elevates it to astonishing new heights. With three interconnected layers of exploration, endless creativity, and a deeply emotional story, it’s a masterpiece that rewards curiosity. Whether in short handheld bursts or long weekend sessions, this is gaming magic redefined. On the Nintendo Switch 2, Hyrule looks breathtakingly alive — in 4K on the TV when docked, and crisp and bright on the larger handheld screen.”

“The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (2024) is a landmark: the first mainline game in which you play as Princess Zelda herself, with Link cast as the one who needs rescuing. Armed with the Tri Rod, Zelda summons 'echoes' — copies of objects and enemies — to solve puzzles and fight her way through a charming, toy-like Hyrule rendered in the diorama art style of the Link's Awakening remake. The result is a creative, sandbox-flavoured top-down adventure that hands players genuine freedom of expression. A delightful, important entry that finally lets the princess be the hero.”