The Legend of Zelda is one of the most beloved franchises in online game historical past, proper next to Super Mario Bros., Pokemon, and Sonic the Hedgehog. For nearly 40 years, followers have loved enjoying through the vast world and lore of Hyrule with numerous incarnations of Link, the mute green-clad knight sworn to guard the kingdom and Princess Zelda from the evil of Ganon.
Now that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is approaching its release date in May, you might be trying play all of the video games within the series in launch order or chronological order. If you’re happening the latter route and don’t know which Zelda sport to start out with, you’ve come to the proper place. Read on for the total timeline.
How To Play The Legend of Zelda Games In Chronological Order
If you’ve been a hardcore Legend of Zelda fan since 1986, you could have observed that Link appears as a younger grownup in a single game, a child in one other, and vice versa. The inconsistency in Link’s age is because Nintendo made the timeline open to interpretation. However, Nintendo launched the grasp timeline in Hyrule Historia in 2011, which starts with Skyward Sword and branches into three different timelines after Ocarina of Time: the Child Timeline, the Adult Timeline, and the Fallen Hero Timeline. The Calamity Timeline, which aptly starts with Age of Calamity, is separate from those timelines as a outcome of it rendered them a myth.
That being said, here is the record of The Legend of Zelda games in chronological order based on the fictional continuity. Hyrule Warriors is its own separate thing as a result of it was developed by Koei Tecmo, Omega Force, and Team Ninja — the creators of Dynasty Warriors — so we’re excluding the sport from the listing for that reason.
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Early History
1. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Skyward Sword takes place hundreds of years after the Ancient Battle within the Era of the Goddess Hylia, set on the floating island of Skyloft where information of the floor world under is nonexistent. This recreation stars the first Link, who forges the Master Sword from the Goddess Sword with the assistance of Fi as he rescues Zelda from the demon lord Ghirahim so as to revive his master, Demise.
Nearly 10 years after its release as a Wii sport, Skyward Sword received an HD remaster for the Nintendo Switch. The remaster has two management schematics: one where the Joy-Cons replicate the motion management maps of the Wiimote and the Nunchuck, and another the place the sword can be used with the right analog stick in handheld mode.
Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
2. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
The Minish Cap is the only canon Zelda title developed by a company other than Nintendo, which is Capcom. Link accompanies Zelda to the Picori Festival to have fun tiny people who call themselves Minish. It’s here that sorcerer Vaati, the primary reincarnation of Demise, seeks the Light Force as he believes it hides the Picori Blade. After Vaati unleashes a horde of monsters from breaking the sword’s seal and turns Zelda to stone within the course of, Link sets off to reforge the Picori Blade with the assistance of Ezlo, the eponymous Minish Cap who has the power to shrink the wearer all the means down to the dimensions of the Minish..
The Minish Cap is a prequel to Four Swords as a result of as quickly as the Picori Blade is reforged, it turns into the Four Sword, which seals Vaati inside it. You can presently play the sport on Nintendo Switch because of the GBA game replace.
Read our evaluation of The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
Vaati breaks from the seal of the Four Sword and kidnaps Zelda with the intent of constructing her his bride. After drawing the Four Sword, Link splits into four copies himself — green, purple, blue, and purple — they usually all need to work together to defeat numerous foes to get to Vaati, reseal him within the Four Sword, and rescue Zelda.
Fours Swords is the primary multiplayer game within the series that was bundled with the 2002 Game Boy Advance model of A Link to the Past. It was later launched as a standalone recreation for DSiWare.
Read our evaluate of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
After having premonitions of Ganondorf seizing the Triforce, a young Link is presented the fairy Navi by the Great Deku Tree, who is cursed and dying, and sets them on a quest to cease him. He meets Princess Zelda, who had the same prophetic dreams as Link and they plot collectively to open the Door of Time to get to the Triforce before Ganondorf does. Unfortunately, when Link attempts to attract the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time, he will get sealed away for seven years and wakes as much as a Hyrule ravaged by Ganondorf. Finally old enough to wield the Master Sword, he accepts his future because the Hero of Time, and travels all through the broken kingdom — and time — to re-assemble the Triforce and defeat Ganondorf.
Here’s the place the time split comes in. After Ganondorf is sealed away in the Evil Realm, Zelda uses the Ocarina of Time to ship Link back to his personal time, nevertheless it splits into three branches — the Fallen Hero Timeline, the place Ganon defeats Link; the Child Timeline, which follows Link again to his own time; and the Adult Timeline, where Link disappears from Hyrule. The Master Sword exists in the last two timelines; however Link locations the sword back within the Pedestal of Time in the former, while Zelda does so in the latter.
Read our evaluation of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or check out more high N64 video games.
Child Timeline
1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
During his months-long seek for Navi on this direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, Link runs into the Skull Kid, who wears the titular masks and steals Link’s horse, prompting the hero to chase him into the parallel world of Termina. The mask itself is inhabited by a demon named Majora, and corrupts the Skull Kid to the purpose the place he plots to destroy Termina by bringing down the moon. With only three days to cease the apocalypse, Link uses transformative masks to free the Four Giants from four different regions to assist hold the moon from colliding with the earth and defeat Majora.
After saving Termina from getting pummelled by the moon, Link resumes his seek for Navi, by no means to be seen again. He turns into the Hero’s Spirit after his demise.
Read our evaluate of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
In Twilight Princess, Link is a ranch hand and a descendant of the Hero’s Spirit. His peaceable life in Ordon Village is shattered by the shadow monsters known as Bulbins, who he pursues after they kidnap the youngsters and plunge most of Hyrule into Twilight. When Link enters the Twilight, he transforms right into a wolf and groups up with an imp named Midna to go up in opposition to Zant, King of the Twilight, who seeks to rule over the realms of light and shadow.
After Link kills Zant with the Fused Shadow, he rescues Princess Zelda from a resurrected Ganondorf at Hyrule Castle and kills him with the Master Sword, which broke Link’s wolf curse after he drew it from the Sacred Grove, where the Temple of Time once stood.
Twilight Princess was the launch title for the Wii and the final first-party release for the Nintendo GameCube in 2006. It was remastered for the Wii U a decade later.
Read our evaluation of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
Centuries after Ganondorf’s dying, Princess Zelda summons Link to the citadel to guard her and her shrine maidens after determining that the unusual occurrences plaguing Hyrule had been caused by the weakening of Vaati’s seal. As Zelda works with the maidens to restrengthen the seal, Shadow Link seems and kidnaps them. This forces Link to tug the Four Sword and work his multi-colored clones once more to defeat his evil doppelganger, who seems to be the minion of Ganon, who wants to plunge most of Hyrule into darkness.
Read our evaluate of The Legend of Zelda: Four Sword Adventures.
Adult Timeline
1. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
In the first GameCube game of the collection, Link is a resident of Outset Island who just isn’t associated to the Hero of Time whatsoever. He sets out to rescue his younger sister Aryll, who will get kidnapped by the Helmaroc King per Ganondorf’s command to kidnap younger girls with pointed ears within the hopes of capturing Zelda. He will get help from the pirate captain Tetra — an incarnation of Zelda. With the assistance of her pirate crew and a speaking boat called the King of Red Lions to sail the ocean, they explore the islands to gather the powers essential to defeat Ganondorf.
Nintendo remastered The Wind Waker in HD for the Wii U in 2013 to hold fans over while they anticipate a new entry to be developed the identical console — which turned out to be Breath of the Wild for the Nintendo Switch — and to provide developers room to check what they’ll do with the brand new hardware.
Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
After the occasions of The Wind Waker, Link sails with Tetra and her crew when they occur upon the Ghost Ship, one of many ships rumored to vanish within the World of the Ocean King. When Tetra boards the ship in sight, she disappears with it, prompting Link to rescue her solely to get thrown overboard and wash up on Mercay Island. There he meets a fairy named Ciela and her grandfather Oshus, who provides Link the Phantom Hourglass to fend off the curse placed on the Temple of the Ocean King by Bellum.
Read our evaluate of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
A century after the occasions of Phantom Hourglass, Link is a Royal Engineer who goes to the Tower of Spirits with Princess Zelda to analyze the disappearance of the Spirit Tracks. Their train will get derailed by Chancellor Cole, an advisor to Zelda who reveals himself to be a demon on a mission to revive Malladus, the Demon King sealed underground way back by the Lokomo folks. Cole casts a spell that separates Zelda’s soul from her physique to have the ability to use her body as a vessel for Malladus, fragmenting the Tower of Spirits, while her soul stays with Link as they work to put it again in its rightful place.
Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.
Fallen Hero Timeline
1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Link heeds a telepathic name from Princess Zelda to return to Hyrule Castle to keep away from wasting her from her imprisonment by the darkish wizard Agahnim that used his powers to brainwash Hyrule’s soldiers, depose the king, and banished six maidens to the Dark World to be able to break the seal on Ganon and rule each the Light and Dark Worlds. Link’s uncle additionally heeds the decision, however dies in the dungeon — however not before telling Link he’s the inheritor to the Knights of Hyrule. Link learns that so as to defeat Agahnim, he’ll have to collect the three Pendants of Virtue from dungeons across Hyrule and then get the Master Sword from the Lost Woods.
During Link’s travels to the Dark World by way of the Magic Mirror to rescue the maidens he discovers Agahnim to be Ganon’s alter ego and fights Ganon within the Pyramid of Power.
Read our evaluate of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
On his way again to Hyrule following his training to prep for model new disasters that would threaten the kingdom, Link will get caught in a storm in the midst of the ocean and ends up shipwrecked on the island of Koholint, where an enormous egg sits on the height of Mt. Tamaranch. He is rescued by Marin, a young lady who strongly resembles Princess Zelda despite the game not that includes her in any capability, and learns that in order to go away the island, he’ll have to gather eight Instruments of the Sirens and wake the Wind Fish who sleeps within the egg.
Link’s Awakening acquired a 3D remake for the Nintendo Switch in 2019, which noticed Link upgraded to a chibi design.
Read our evaluate of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
The Triforce calls Link to Holodrum, where he witnesses a dancer named Din, the titular Oracle of Seasons, get kidnapped by Onox, the General of Darkness. This event throws the seasons of the land into disarray. To restore the steadiness of the seasons, Link has to gather the eight Essences of Nature and use the Rod of Seasons to control the seasons in all places he goes. After rescuing Din, he gets transported to Labrynna, the place Oracle of Ages takes place.
Read our review of The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
As in Oracle of Seasons, the Triforce beckons Link to Labrynna, the place the singer Nayru is possessed by Veran the Sorceress of Shadows, disrupting the move of time. Link uses the Harp of Ages to journey between previous and current to gather the eight Essences of Time and struggle Veran atop the Black Tower.
Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons have an ending that is linked with a password, so if one game is performed as a sequel to the opposite, Twinrova captures Princess Zelda and lights the Flame of Despair. Link defeats Twinrova and a poorly revived Ganon and frees Zelda, leaving Labrynna by boat.
Read our evaluation of The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages.
5. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
In this sport, Link, an apprentice to a blacksmith, encounters Yuga, who has been turning individuals throughout Hyrule into work, together with the Seven Sages and Princess Zelda. Using a magic bracelet given to him by a mysterious peddler, Link travels to Lorule to stop Yuga’s ambitions to devour Hyrule and Lorule with Ganon at his aspect.
A Link Between Worlds is legendary for its twin gameplay, as Link becomes a two-dimensional painting himself while touring by way of the partitions of Lorule and turns back into his three-dimensional self when he returns to Hyrule.
Read our evaluate of The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
Tri Force Heroes is set in the kingdom of Hytopia, where Princess Styla is known for her magnificence and impeccable taste in style. Unfortunately, the witch Lady Maud cursed Styla with a brown jumpsuit that she cannot take off in any respect, so Link joins two doppelgangers to collect the pieces of the Lady’s Ensemble and treatment Styla of her trend disaster.
Tri Force Heroes is the first game in the series to help online multiplayer. The controls are the same as Four Swords, even though there’s one much less Link within the group.
Read our evaluate of The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes.
7. The Legend of Zelda
Ganon is revived to steer his army to attack Hyrule, steal the Triforce of Power, and kidnap Princess Zelda. But before she was taken and subsequently imprisoned, Zelda splits the Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces and scatters them throughout the kingdom to maintain it from falling into Ganon’s arms, main her nursemaid Impa to search out Link. After learning of Ganon’s invasion, the hero finds the eight pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom, defeats him, and rescues Zelda.
Read our review of The Legend of Zelda.
8. Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link
Six years later after Ganon’s dying, whereas helping to restore Hyrule, Link receives a glowing Triforce mark on his left hand on his 16th birthday. The mark opens the door to the altar the place Princess Zelda I is underneath a sleeping curse, and Link learns the she’ll only be awakened with the Triforce of Courage, which is kept within the Great Palace. So Link units out to deposit six crystals within the palaces around Hyrule, defeat six guardians, and beat any of Ganon’s minions making an attempt to get his blood to revive him.
Read our evaluate of Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link.
The Calamity Timeline
1. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
Set 100 years earlier than the events of Breath of the Wild, Link and Princess Zelda round up their allies to defend Hyrule in opposition to Calamity Ganon, who is attempting to revive himself and destroy the dominion with his Malice. When a mysterious Guardian comes from the longer term bearing proof of their failure, they expedite their efforts to team up with 4 champions of Hyrule’s other races to strengthen their forces and find the Master Sword within the Korok Forest to alter the end result of their battle.
Unable to defeat Calamity Ganon, even after the Divine Beasts have weakened him, Zelda seals herself and him away in Hyrule Castle, and sends Link to sleep on the Shrine of Resurrection for 100 years to heal his fatal wounds.
Read our evaluation of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
A century has handed, and Link awakens from his restorative slumber with out his memories. Meanwhile, Zelda’s awakening powers have weakened, Calamity Ganon has grown stronger, and Hyrule has been fully destroyed by the Great Calamity. Link travels throughout Hyrule to regain his reminiscences, free the Divine Beasts of the Blight Ganons, and confront Ganon once extra.
Breath of the Wild is still broadly praised as top-of-the-line open-world games, with a style that has inspired games outside the sequence like Immortals Fenyx Rising, Genshin Impact, and Sonic Frontiers.
Read our evaluate of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
How To Play The Legend of Zelda Games By Release Date
If you want to play The Legend of Zelda games in the order during which they have been launched as a substitute of switching between the modern video games and the basic ones, listed right here are all of the mainline games by U.S. release date.
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