Trying to organize the legends of zelda games in order is honestly a bit of a nightmare. You’d think it would be simple. You start with the first game from 1986 and work your way to the massive open worlds of the Nintendo Switch era. But Nintendo didn’t make it that easy for us. They decided to weave a narrative that spans thousands of years, multiple parallel universes, and a timeline that literally splits into three different branches because of a single time-traveling kid.
It's chaotic. It's brilliant. And it's also deeply confusing if you're just looking for a straightforward list of what happened when.
If you want to play them by release date, that’s one thing. That’s the "history of gaming" approach. But if you want to understand the lore—the actual chronological story of Hyrule—you have to jump all over the place. You start with a game released in 2011, then jump back to the 90s, and then suddenly you're dealing with a flooded world on the GameCube. It’s a lot.
The Absolute Beginning: The Era of Myth
Most people assume the original NES game is the start. Nope. Chronologically, everything kicks off with Skyward Sword. This is the "Genesis" of the Zelda universe. We see the creation of the Master Sword and the origin of the endless cycle between Link, Zelda, and the literal incarnation of hatred known as Demise. Without Skyward Sword, none of the other games actually make sense from a narrative standpoint.
After the clouds part and people move down to the surface, we get into the "Force Era." This is where The Minish Cap lives. It’s a smaller story—literally, you shrink—but it sets the stage for the Kingdom of Hyrule. Then comes Four Swords, which is mostly a multiplayer distraction but still technically counts.
Then we hit the big one. Ocarina of Time.
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This is the hinge. The pivot point. The moment the legends of zelda games in order stops being a straight line and turns into a trident. Depending on whether Link wins, loses, or just goes back to being a kid, the entire universe shatters.
The Great Split: Pick Your Poison
Nintendo’s official "Hyrule Historia" book, released for the series' 25th anniversary, confirmed what fans had suspected for years. There isn't just one timeline. There are three.
The Hero is Defeated (The Downfall Timeline)
This is where the classic games live. If Ganon actually manages to beat Link in the final battle of Ocarina of Time, the world goes to hell. This leads into A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, and the original two NES games (The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link). It’s a timeline of decline. Hyrule is struggling, the Triforce is often broken, and the world feels much more "old school" fantasy. A Link Between Worlds on the 3DS also sits here, acting as a spiritual successor to the SNES era.
The Hero is Triumphant (The Child Timeline)
Link wins and gets sent back in time to live out his childhood. This is weirdly the darkest timeline. Link goes off to find his friend Navi and ends up in the fever dream that is Majora's Mask. Later, hundreds of years down the line, we get Twilight Princess. This Hyrule is moody, industrial, and haunted by the shadow of the past. It ends with Four Swords Adventures, which... well, people mostly forget that one exists.
The Hero is Triumphant (The Adult Timeline)
This is the "No Link" timeline. Since Link was sent back to his childhood, there was no hero left to protect Hyrule when Ganon eventually returned. The Gods decided the best solution was to just drown everything. Enter The Wind Waker. It’s a world of islands and sailing. Eventually, this leads to the founding of a "New Hyrule" in Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. Yes, there are trains in Zelda. It’s controversial, but it’s canon.
Breath of the Wild and the Great Convergence
For years, fans argued about where the modern hits fit into the legends of zelda games in order. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are set so far in the future—over 10,000 years—that the previous timelines have basically faded into myth.
Nintendo has been intentionally vague here. Some theorists believe the timelines somehow merged back together. Others think it’s so far ahead that it doesn't matter which timeline you came from; all roads eventually lead to the Wild era.
What we do know is that Tears of the Kingdom acts as a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild. It expands on the "Zonai" lore, which feels like it should be at the beginning of the timeline but is actually happening in a weirdly distant future-past. It’s confusing. Even Eiji Aonuma, the long-time producer, has basically told fans to use their imagination.
The Actual Release Order vs. Chronological Order
If you're new to the series, playing in chronological order is a mistake. You’ll be jumping between wildly different graphics and control schemes. It’s jarring. Playing a 2011 motion-control game (Skyward Sword) and then moving to a 2004 handheld game (Minish Cap) feels wrong.
The best way to experience the legends of zelda games in order is usually by release, or at least by "era."
- The Foundation: The Legend of Zelda (1986), Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987).
- The Golden Age: A Link to the Past (1991), Link’s Awakening (1993).
- The 3D Revolution: Ocarina of Time (1998), Majora’s Mask (2000).
- The Experimental Years: The Wind Waker (2002), Twilight Princess (2006), Skyward Sword (2011).
- The Open World Era: Breath of the Wild (2017), Tears of the Kingdom (2023).
There are outliers. Echoes of Wisdom (2024) allows you to finally play as Zelda herself. It uses the art style of the Link's Awakening remake, but its place in the timeline is still being hotly debated by people on Reddit with way too much time on their hands. Most place it in the Downfall Timeline, but again, Nintendo keeps the "official" word under wraps to keep the mystery alive.
The Games You Might Have Missed
While everyone talks about the big console releases, there are several "smaller" titles that are actually vital to the lore.
- The Oracle Games: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. These were developed by Capcom, not Nintendo, which is why they feel different. They are part of the Downfall Timeline and can be linked together to get a "true" ending where you fight Ganon.
- The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes: It’s a weird fashion-based multiplayer game. It’s technically a sequel to A Link Between Worlds. Link goes to a kingdom called Hytopia to save a princess who was cursed to wear an ugly jumpsuit. I’m not making that up.
- The CD-i Games: Faces of Evil, Wand of Gamelon, and Zelda’s Adventure. We don't talk about these. They aren't canon. They are a fever dream born from a failed business deal between Nintendo and Philips.
Navigating the Lore Like a Pro
Understanding the legends of zelda games in order requires accepting a few hard truths. First, Nintendo prioritizes gameplay over story. If they have a cool idea for a game that doesn't fit the timeline, they’ll make the game anyway and figure out the story later.
Second, the "Legend" in the title is literal. These stories are told as myths passed down through generations. Details change. Geography shifts. In one game, Death Mountain is in the north; in another, it’s in the east. This isn't a continuity error; it's the nature of legends.
If you want to dive deep into the series today, here is the most effective path forward:
- Start with Breath of the Wild. It is the most accessible entry point for modern players and defines what the series is right now.
- Play Ocarina of Time (3DS version if possible). This gives you the context for the timeline split and the core conflict between the three main characters.
- Try A Link to the Past. This is the "perfect" 2D Zelda and establishes the "Light World / Dark World" mechanic that the series returns to constantly.
- Watch a timeline explainer video. Honestly, even the experts need visual aids. Look for creators like Zeltik or NintendoPrime who have spent years deconstructing the geography of Hyrule to find hidden links between games.
- Check the official Zelda website. Nintendo occasionally updates their digital map of the timeline, especially after a major release like Tears of the Kingdom or Echoes of Wisdom.
The beauty of the legends of zelda games in order isn't just in the sequence. It's in how the games echo each other. You'll see a bridge in Tears of the Kingdom and realize it’s the same bridge from Twilight Princess, now a ruin. That sense of history is what makes the series more than just a bunch of action-adventure games. It's a living, breathing world that has been growing for forty years.