IN ORDER · GAMES
The Legend of Zelda in order
Every main Legend of Zelda game in release order, from the 1986 original to Echoes of Wisdom, with a modern route for newcomers and how the timeline works.
The Legend of Zelda is less a single story than a legend retold. Most games star a new Link and a new Zelda, and almost every one is written to stand alone, so you can start anywhere. Nintendo has published an official timeline that splits into three branches. Fans like piecing it together, but you do not need it to choose a game.
Below are nineteen main games in release order. Remakes are noted alongside their originals, and games most newcomers can leave for later are marked as optional.
TRACK IT
Keep your place in The Legend of Zelda
Save the 13 main entries to a list now, no account needed. Create a free OmniTrackr account and they move into your library, where this page shows how far through you are and what comes next.
THE ORDERS
2 ways through The Legend of Zelda
The first order is the one we recommend for most people. Entries marked optional are side stories you can skip without missing the main story.
Release orderOur pick
Every main game as it came out, for seeing how the series grew or playing it all.
- 1The Legend of ZeldaVideo game · 1986
- 2Zelda II: The Adventure of LinkVideo game · 1987Optional
- 3The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the PastVideo game · 1991
- 4The Legend of Zelda: Link's AwakeningVideo game · 1993
- 5The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of TimeVideo game · 1998
- 6The Legend of Zelda: Majora's MaskVideo game · 2000
- 7The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of SeasonsVideo game · 2001Optional
- 8The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of AgesVideo game · 2001Optional
- 9The Legend of Zelda: The Wind WakerVideo game · 2002
- 10The Legend of Zelda: The Minish CapVideo game · 2004
- 11The Legend of Zelda: Twilight PrincessVideo game · 2006
- 12The Legend of Zelda: Phantom HourglassVideo game · 2007Optional
- 13The Legend of Zelda: Spirit TracksVideo game · 2009Optional
- 14The Legend of Zelda: Skyward SwordVideo game · 2011
- 15The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between WorldsVideo game · 2013
- 16The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force HeroesVideo game · 2015Optional
- 17The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildVideo game · 2017
- 18The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomVideo game · 2023
- 19The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of WisdomVideo game · 2024
The modern route
For newcomers: start with the games that are easiest to play today, then go back to the classics with fresh eyes.
- 1The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildVideo game · 2017
- 2The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomVideo game · 2023
- 3The Legend of Zelda: Link's AwakeningVideo game · 1993
- 4The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between WorldsVideo game · 2013
- 5The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of WisdomVideo game · 2024
- 6The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of TimeVideo game · 1998
- 7The Legend of Zelda: Majora's MaskVideo game · 2000
- 8The Legend of Zelda: The Wind WakerVideo game · 2002
- 9The Legend of Zelda: Twilight PrincessVideo game · 2006
- 10The Legend of Zelda: Skyward SwordVideo game · 2011
- 11The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the PastVideo game · 1991
EVERY ENTRY
All 19 entries, in our recommended order
What each one is, why it sits where it does, and where it falls in each order. Save any of them to a list, no account needed.
Video game · 1986
The Legend of Zelda
Release order: #1
The open-ended original, with almost no hints about where to go. Historically essential, hard to play without a guide today.
Video game · 1987
Zelda II: The Adventure of LinkOptional
Release order: #2
A side-scrolling sequel with experience levels. The black sheep of the series, and one of its hardest games.
Video game · 1991
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Release order: #3 · The modern route: #11
The template for most Zelda games since: a light world, a dark world, dungeons and items that open the map. Still one of the best.
Video game · 1993
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Release order: #4 · The modern route: #3
Link washes up on a dreamlike island. A Game Boy game with a 2019 Switch remake that is the easiest way to play it now.
Video game · 1998
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Release order: #5 · The modern route: #6
The leap to 3D, and long called the best game ever made. The 2011 3DS remake is the friendliest version.
Video game · 2000
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Release order: #6 · The modern route: #7
A direct sequel to Ocarina: three days until the moon falls, repeated until you save a town. The strangest, saddest Zelda.
Video game · 2001
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of SeasonsOptional
Release order: #7
One of two linked Game Boy Color games made with Capcom; this one leans toward action. Finish one, and a password carries into the other.
Video game · 2001
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of AgesOptional
Release order: #8
The puzzle-focused twin of Oracle of Seasons, about traveling between past and present.
Video game · 2002
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Release order: #9 · The modern route: #8
A flooded Hyrule, a sailboat and a cartoon art style that has aged better than anything else from its era.
Video game · 2004
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Release order: #10
Link shrinks to explore a tiny world inside the familiar one. A charming Game Boy Advance game, also by Capcom.
Video game · 2006
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Release order: #11 · The modern route: #9
The darkest-looking 3D Zelda, with the series' best companion, Midna. Big dungeons and a slow start.
Video game · 2007
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom HourglassOptional
Release order: #12
A Nintendo DS sequel to The Wind Waker played entirely with the stylus.
Video game · 2009
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit TracksOptional
Release order: #13
The Wind Waker's world a century later, by train, with Zelda as a ghostly partner.
Video game · 2011
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Release order: #14 · The modern route: #10
The origin of the Master Sword and the earliest game in the timeline. The 2021 HD version adds button controls.
Video game · 2013
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Release order: #15 · The modern route: #4
A sequel to A Link to the Past that lets you tackle dungeons in any order. One of the best places for a newcomer to start.
Video game · 2015
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force HeroesOptional
Release order: #16
A three-player co-op spin-off about fashion and teamwork. Best with friends.
Video game · 2017
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Release order: #17 · The modern route: #1
A ruined Hyrule you can explore in any direction from the first minutes. Reinvented the series and open-world games with it.
Video game · 2023
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Release order: #18 · The modern route: #2
A direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, adding sky islands, depths and a building system that turns every puzzle into an invention.
Video game · 2024
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Release order: #19 · The modern route: #5
The first main game where you play as Zelda, copying objects and monsters to solve problems. In the style of the Link's Awakening remake.
Where to start
Start with Breath of the Wild if you like open worlds, or Link's Awakening on Switch if you prefer a compact adventure with clear dungeons. Either one teaches you what Zelda is without needing any other game.
Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past are the classics most later games build on. Play them once you are hooked. They ask for more patience than the modern games do.
Questions
Is there a story order for Zelda?
Nintendo's official timeline, first published in the book Hyrule Historia in 2011, starts with Skyward Sword and splits into three branches after Ocarina of Time. The games are written to stand alone, so you can ignore it on a first playthrough.
Do I need to play Breath of the Wild before Tears of the Kingdom?
It is strongly recommended. Tears of the Kingdom continues the same story in the same Hyrule and assumes you know both.
Which remakes should I play?
Link's Awakening (2019), Ocarina of Time 3D, Majora's Mask 3D, The Wind Waker HD, Twilight Princess HD and Skyward Sword HD are all good ways to play the originals today.
How we chose
Prepared by OmniTrackr and reviewed by the site owner before publishing. We listed the entries most people mean by "The Legend of Zelda", checked release years and story placement against public sources, and marked as optional the side stories that are not needed to follow the main story. The recommended order is editorial opinion: it is the order we would hand a friend starting from nothing.
Release years are for the first release in the original language. Running times, editions and availability vary by region. Links go to OmniTrackr title pages, not shops. Your progress is worked out from your own library each time you open the page; nothing about it is shared.
First published October 17, 2026. Checked October 17, 2026. Suggest a franchise or send a correction · Editorial standards · If you liked guides