Zelda games in order, and which one to start with

The Legend of Zelda is 40 this year, and on November 5 Nintendo releases a full remake of Ocarina of Time for Switch 2. There are 21 original main-series games, a timeline that splits in three, and plenty of older entries you can't buy any more. So it's a fair moment to ask where to begin.

The short answer: you don't need to play Zelda in any order. Most games stand alone. Start with the Ocarina of Time remake if you have a Switch 2 and want a classic, structured adventure. Start with Breath of the Wild if you'd rather have an open world, or if you only have an original Switch. Play Tears of the Kingdom after Breath of the Wild, not before.

Zelda games in release order

Here's every main-series game in the order it came out, plus the new remake. Years are the first release anywhere, so some games reached North America later. "Switch Online" means the Nintendo Classics library, explained further down.

Spin-offs aren't listed. The Hyrule Warriors games, for example, sit outside the core timeline. The latest, Age of Imprisonment (Switch 2, November 2025), is set during the Imprisoning War from Tears of the Kingdom, so play it after that game.

The official Zelda timeline order

Nintendo published its official timeline in the Hyrule Historia book in December 2011 and has adjusted it since. It moved Link's Awakening ahead of the Oracle games in 2018 and added Echoes of Wisdom in November 2024. The order below follows the timeline on Nintendo's Zelda site.

It starts in one line:

1. Skyward Sword
2. The Minish Cap
3. Four Swords
4. Ocarina of Time

Ocarina is where history splits. If the hero falls, you get one branch. If he wins, time divides again into a Child Era, where Link is sent back to his childhood, and an Adult Era, the future he leaves behind.

That puts the 1986 original near the end of its branch, not at the start of the story.

Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are the exception. Nintendo said in 2018 that Breath of the Wild comes after all the earlier games, without tying it to any branch, and Wikipedia's chronology lists the pair at the very end. Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel. The remake keeps the story of the 1998 game, so it sits where Ocarina always has.

Should you play Zelda in timeline order?

No. The timeline is fun to read about, but it's a poor way to play. You'd start with a 2011 Wii game built around motion controls, and end one branch on two games from the 1980s.

The developers don't treat it as a strict rulebook either. Tears of the Kingdom director Hidemaro Fujibayashi has said the team considers it "to an extent", since too much detail could limit their creativity.

Release order has the same problem from the other side, because you'd spend your first hours with the oldest design. Pick by the kind of game you want, and only keep these pairs in order:

• Breath of the Wild, then Tears of the Kingdom. The sequel continues the same world on the same map.
• Ocarina of Time, then Majora's Mask. Majora's Mask continues Link's childhood.
• The Wind Waker, then Phantom Hourglass, then Spirit Tracks. Together they make up the Adult Era.
• A Link Between Worlds, then Tri Force Heroes. The second is a direct sequel set a few years later.

Which Zelda game should you start with?

If you have a Switch 2: the Ocarina of Time remake. It's the point every branch of the timeline grows from, and the original still holds 99/100 on Metacritic. Nintendo kept the story, pacing and structure, and added running, full camera control, voiced cutscenes and a Threads of Time log that tracks your objectives. Reviews aren't out as we write this, so that's Nintendo's pitch rather than a verdict. We'll cover them in our launch-day review deep dive. Our earlier piece on why this remake has to compete with your memory goes into what's at stake.

If you want an open world: Breath of the Wild. It works on both Switch consoles and needs no knowledge of earlier games. It's also the higher-scoring of the two recent 3D games, at 97 on Metacritic for Switch against 96 for Tears of the Kingdom.

If you want something smaller: Link's Awakening (2019) or Echoes of Wisdom. Both are top-down adventures on Switch. Echoes is the first mainline game with Zelda as the main playable character.

If you already pay for Switch Online: A Link to the Past. It's in the standard library, so you can try it without buying anything else.

Don't start with:

• Tears of the Kingdom, which picks up from Breath of the Wild.
• Zelda II, which swaps the top-down view for side-scrolling and adds RPG elements, unlike most of the series.
• Four Swords and Tri Force Heroes, which are built around multiplayer: two to four players and three players, respectively.

Where to play Zelda games in 2026

The easy rule: a Switch 2 with the Switch Online Expansion Pack covers most of the series. Prices below are from Nintendo's US store at the time of writing.

• Switch 2. The Ocarina of Time remake is exclusive to it, at $59.99 digital or $69.99 physical. The Switch 2 Editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom cost $69.99 and $79.99. If you already own the Switch versions, a $9.99 upgrade pack does the same job, and it's included with Expansion Pack.
• Original Switch. Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom ($69.99), Echoes of Wisdom, Skyward Sword HD and the Link's Awakening remake. All except Tears are $59.99. These also run on Switch 2, and Echoes and Link's Awakening get a free Switch 2 update for sharper visuals and HDR.
• Switch Online. The standard plan has The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening DX and both Oracle games.
• Switch Online + Expansion Pack. Adds Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, The Minish Cap and A Link to the Past & Four Swords, plus The Wind Waker. GameCube games only run on Switch 2, so an original Switch can't play that last one.

Which Zelda games aren't on Switch?

Six main-series games have no Switch or Switch 2 version and aren't on Nintendo Classics: Four Swords Adventures, Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, A Link Between Worlds and Tri Force Heroes.

The Wii U and 3DS eShops stopped new purchases on March 27, 2023. That also takes The Wind Waker HD, Twilight Princess HD, Ocarina of Time 3D and Majora's Mask 3D off sale digitally, so a used copy and the original console are now the only way in for anyone who didn't already own them.

For what else is out this month, see our November release calendar.

Keep your Zelda run in order

Twenty-one games across more than a dozen systems is a lot to keep straight. In Perthro, you can make a list in the order you plan to play, then log each game with its platform and your hours when you finish. The backlog tracker keeps the rest in view.

Sources

• Nintendo: The Legend of Zelda official site, About page and timeline (archived copy, January 2026)
• Nintendo Store: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Switch 2)
• Nintendo Store: Breath of the Wild, Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
• Nintendo Store: Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
• Nintendo Store: Echoes of Wisdom
• Nintendo Store: Skyward Sword HD
• Nintendo Store: Link's Awakening
• Nintendo Life: Echoes of Wisdom added to the official timeline
• Nintendo Life: Zelda timeline only considered "to an extent", says Tears of the Kingdom director
• Wikipedia: The Legend of Zelda (series, release list and fictional chronology)
• Wikipedia: List of The Legend of Zelda media
• Wikipedia: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (2026 video game)
• Wikipedia: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
• Wikipedia: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Wikipedia: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Wikipedia: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Wikipedia: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Four Swords
• Wikipedia: The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
• Wikipedia: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
• Wikipedia: Nintendo Classics (library, tiers and GameCube on Switch 2)
• Wikipedia: Nintendo eShop (Wii U and 3DS closure)