The Legend of Zelda Games in Order

Published on 24th May 2023 by Jimmy Bennett

One of the biggest Nintendo franchises that has thrived for more than 35 years, The Legend of Zelda games are amongst some of the most beloved video games in history. Having first released on the NES and SNES back in the 1980s, the Zelda games have evolved over the decades, taking the gameplay series to new heights.

With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom having been released on the Nintendo Switch in 2023, fans are loving it in the Kingdom of Hyrule. With this in mind, we’re going to take a look back at the history of The Legend of Zelda Games in order.

The Legend of Zelda - 1986

The one that started it all, The Legend of Zelda took the world by storm when it launched for the NES. Selling millions of copies and being lauded for its graphics, gameplay, music and writing, The Legend of Zelda quickly became an instant classic and helped popularise the NES console, as well as the action-adventure genre itself. But this was only the start of the Zelda series.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link - 1987

Less than a year after its first release, The Legend of Zelda got a direct sequel in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. Despite the quick turnaround, the gameplay of Zelda II was vastly different from the first, shifting towards more role-playing and even side-scrolling gameplay over the action of the original. It was another huge success and technically was the only canonical sequel to the original until 2017’s Breath of the Wild.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - 1991

For the third entry in the Zelda series, Nintendo decided to make a prequel, exploring Hyrule many years before the first game. In terms of gameplay, A Link to the Past returns to the top-down gameplay of the original, but also features a parallel, Dark World, a ravaged version of the Hyrule Kingdom. A Link to the Past is considered one of the best in the series, and by many critics, one of the best video games of all time. Nintendo was going from strength to strength with the Zelda games at this time.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - 1998

After some lesser handheld-only games, Nintendo returned to the Zelda series with their first fully 3D game, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The first Zelda game to release on the Nintendo 64, Nintendo made the most of the system's superior hardware to introduce a wealth of graphical and gameplay changes, including context-sensitive buttons and a lock-on targeting system, which today are commonplace in video games.

It was another massive success, becoming the highest-grossing entry in the series to that date.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - 2000

For the direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, Nintendo took things in a darker direction. With the fate of Hyrule Kingdom at stake, Link battles to prevent the moon from crashing into the world and destroying it. While dungeon gameplay carries across from other entries, the big feature of Majora’s Mask is the 3-day cycle the game has, giving you a time limit before the end of the world.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - 2002

Where Majora’s Mask took the series in a new, darker direction, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker tried to open up the appeal to all age groups. Now featuring cel-shaded graphics and a more cartoony art style, Wind Waker definitely takes a less realistic approach. With its big and expansive world, Wind Waker was very popular with fans of the series and marked a great start to Zelda on the Gamecube.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - 2006

Deciding not to carry across the cell-shaded and cartoon style from Wind Waker, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess moves to a more realistic style. Link returns once again, but this time with the ability to turn into a wolf, a new ability that can be used in the game. This happens when you enter the Twilight Realm, a new parallel dimension that is slowly transforming the Kingdom into a dark land. It was yet another entry in the franchise to receive acclaim from critics, showing great consistency from the Nintendo franchise.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - 2011

Skyward Sword had one of the longer production cycles of the games in the series, being developed over 5 years. Taking inspiration from the games that came before and refining the 3D gameplay that had become a staple for the franchise, Skyward Sword made use of the Wii’s Motion Plus system to offer players a fresh experience. It was the last major release on the Wii before the Legend of Zelda games moved to the HD era.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a prequel of sorts, taking place at the start of the Zelda games continuity. The story follows Link as a trainee knight, looking to rescue his freind Zelda after she is kidnapped by dark forces. Being set in the floating land of Skyloft and eventually journeying to the lands below, flying is a key mechnic in the game in what would be a first for the series.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 2017

Breath of the Wild showed that, even 30 years on from the first release, Nintendo had new ideas for the franchise. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild creates an open world for players to explore and is the least linear game in the series. Offering a detailed world that rewards players’ exploration, Breath of the Wild was almost immediately considered a masterpiece and one of the best games on the Nintendo Switch.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - 2023

Tears of the Kingdom looks to build upon the incredibly solid groundwork of Breath of the Wild. Retaining the open world setting but looking to expand the verticality, Tears of the Kingdom offers a range of new abilities that Link can use on his journey. One of the most anticipated releases of 2023, Tears of the Kingdom is set to be a must-have for fans of The Legend of Zelda series.

Having been such a successful franchise for so long, it’s rare to get a series like The Legend of Zelda which has so many entries of such a high quality. With such a track record, we can barely contain our anticipation of the latest entry in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for the Nintendo Switch.

FAQs

Who is Zelda in The Legend of Zelda?

Princess Zelda is the titular character that the Legend of Zelda games are named after. She is the Princess of the Hylians and the Kingdom of Hyrule that they inhabit. In many of the games, she drives the plot forward by triggering the main events and objectives of The Legend of Zelda games.

Are the Legend of Zelda games connected?

There is a very loose continuity between The Legend of Zelda games with some games being direct sequels to one another, and other games having no connection to the last. As a general rule, even if they are a sequel, they feature a self-contained story that you will be able to enjoy without having played any previous instalments.

What is the Legend of Zelda about?

The Legend of Zelda games follow the adventures of Link, a warrior from the land of Hyrule and a close friend of Princess Zelda. Whenever the Kingdom of Hyrule comes under threat, or Princess Zelda herself is kidnapped, Link embarks on a quest to stop the darkness and restore peace to the land. His most common enemy is the evil demon king Ganon.

Which Legend of Zelda games are on the Nintendo Switch?

There are two new The Legend of Zelda games on the Nintendo Switch: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Alongside this, there is also an HD remaster of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.

How old is Link in the Legend of Zelda?

In The Legend of Zelda games, Link is generally established to be somewhere between 16 and 17 years old. In some of the games, you also get to play as a Link who is around 10 years old.

What console was the first Legend of Zelda on?

The first Legend of Zelda game was first released on the Family Computer Disk System and the Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as the NES. It also got a Game Boy Advance release many years later in the early 2000s.

What genre is the Legend of Zelda?

The Legend of Zelda games are generally considered to fall under the action-adventure genre. However, they also contain certain aspects of RPG games, being able to learn new abilities and upgrade your equipment.

What is the Legend of Zelda?

The Legend of Zelda is a series of video games created by Nintendo and is one of the biggest video game franchises in gaming. With several games in the franchise being considered among the best video games of all time, the series is one of Nintendo’s biggest and most successful franchises.

What was the first Legend of Zelda game?

The first Legend of Zelda game was simply titled, The Legend of Zelda and released in 1986. It introduced many of the characters and elements of the series that would become standard for the series, including Link and Princess Zelda herself.

When did the first Legend of Zelda come out?

The Legend of Zelda, the first game in the franchise, was released in 1986 to the Family Computer Disk System as a launch title. It took a full year for the game to be released on the NES system in Europe and America in 1987.

Who created the Legend of Zelda?

The Legend of Zelda games are developed and published by Nintendo. The original game was created, directed and designed by two legends of video game history, Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka.