All Zelda Games in Order (1986-2024): By Release and Story Timeline

For almost forty years, The Legend of Zelda franchise has been inviting players into Hyrule, giving an ever-growing tapestry of action-adventure fun built around exploration, puzzle solving, and epic boss fights. Over twenty mainline releases, Nintendo reworks its core mechanics repeatedly-from simple 8-bit labyrinths to open worlds that let emergent gameplay shine. You can jump into any title without breaking the story. In order to truly appreciate its mythos, players should play all Legend of Zelda games in order, ideally by story timeline instead of release date.

Zelda Games in Order of Release

Playing exactly in release sequence lets you follow Zelda’s design changes in real time. Graphics, controls, and world-building all shift with each console generation. But the earliest NES entries can feel opaque to modern gamers, and their sparse narratives postpone the rich mythology that blooms later. If you value history and evolution, here is every mainline game from 1986 through 2024 :

1. The Legend of Zelda (1986)
2. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987)
3. A Link to the Past (1991)
4. Link’s Awakening (1993)
5. Ocarina of Time (1998)
6. Majora’s Mask (2000)
7. Oracle of Seasons & Oracle of Ages (2001)
8. Four Swords (2002)
9. The Wind Waker (2002)
10. Four Swords Adventures (2004)
11. The Minish Cap (2004)
12. Twilight Princess (2006)
13. Phantom Hourglass (2007)
14. Spirit Tracks (2009)
15. Skyward Sword (2011)
16. A Link Between Worlds (2013)
17. Tri Force Heroes (2015)
18. Breath of the Wild (2017)
19. Tears of the Kingdom (2023)
20. Echoes of Wisdom (2024)

All Zelda Games in Order as Per Story and Timeline

Diving into Zelda’s story ain’t no cakewalk. There’s like three or more timelines splintering off everywhere, so nobody can agree on a “perfect” Zelda Games in order breakdown (at least as far as the story is concerned). You got your Prequel stuff up front, then the Child, Adult, and Fallen Hero branches, each with its own twists, and honestly, it’s enough to make your head spin.

But if you wanna follow a path that actually flows, start with Skyward Sword and work your way through to Tears of the Kingdom and Echoes of Wisdom – that way the story feels less like a jigsaw puzzle and more like, well, a saga.

The Legend Begins – Prequel Timeline

Skyward Sword (2011)

Set earliest in Hyrule’s history, Skyward Sword establishes the divine origins of Link, Zelda, and Ganon as players navigate floating sky isles before descending to a nascent Hyrule beneath. Utilising Wii MotionPlus for precision swordplay, Link forges the Master Sword and uncovers the mythic foundations that echo through every subsequent timeline branch.

The Minish Cap (2004)

Inserted between Skyward Sword and Four Swords, this GBA adventure shrinks Link to Picori size so he can team up with the tiny Minish race and restore the Four Sword’s power. Height-shifting puzzles and a whimsical art style blend classic top-down gameplay with inventive, world-scale mechanics.

Four Swords (2002)

Bundled with the GBA A Link to the Past port, Four Swords splits Link into four copies, challenging up to three friends to cooperate through compact levels and boss fights. Its arcade-like structure and replay-focused design make it a unique multiplayer twist in Hyrule’s early saga.

The Ocarina Split – Child & Adult Timelines

Ocarina of Time (1998)

At the fulcrum of Hyrule’s fate, this N64 classic introduces Z-targeting and a bidirectional time-travel plot that literally splits the timeline. Young Link gathers spiritual stones to open the Temple of Time, then returns as Adult Link to confront Ganondorf’s tyranny, setting the stage for three diverging eras.

Child Timeline – Hero Is Triumphant

Majora’s Mask (2000)

Following Ocarina’s events, Link journeys to Termina and is trapped in a repeating three-day loop. By donning magical masks that grant Deku, Goron, and Zora powers, he unravels time-bending puzzles to avert the moon’s apocalyptic descent in one of Zelda’s darkest, most inventive entries.

Twilight Princess (2006)

Still in the Child timeline, Twilight Princess plunges Link into a shadowy mirror realm where he transforms into a wolf and partners with the impish Midna. Its mature aesthetic, sweeping vistas, and vanquishing of Ganondorf continue the saga of a Hyrule rebuilt after Link’s triumphant return.

Four Swords Adventures (2004)

Concluding the Child branch, this GameCube title reunites four Links via linked GBAs to battle Vaati and Ganondorf in a series of discrete stages. It wraps up the early multiplayer arc with cooperative puzzles and boss skirmishes.

Adult Timeline – World Anew

The Wind Waker (2002)

Set centuries after Ocarina’s hero is sent back in time, Hyrule lies drowned beneath a vast sea. Wind Waker’s cell-shaded art style follows a new Link as he sails from isle to isle to rescue his sister-turned-pirate Tetra and confront the rekindled evil of Ganon on the ocean’s surface.

Phantom Hourglass (2007)

A direct DS sequel to Wind Waker, this stylus-driven title strands Link and Tetra on ghostly seas where he must navigate dungeons under the constraints of a life-draining phantom hourglass. Innovative resource management adds tension to its puzzle-heavy design.

Spirit Tracks (2009)

Concluding the Adult branch, Link crosses New Hyrule by train, with Zelda’s spirit guiding him through tower-based puzzles and locomotive combat against the possessed Malladus. Its unique blend of rail travel and spirit possession mechanics caps off this waterborne era.

Fallen Hero Timeline – Era of Decline

A Link to the Past (1991)

If Link had fallen in Ocarina, Ganon would overrun Hyrule, giving rise to the Dark World. A Link to the Past’s Light/Dark World duality doubles dungeon complexity as Link wields the Master Sword to restore both realms, laying the narrative groundwork for many spin-offs.

Link’s Awakening (1993)

Intended as a direct sequel, Link washes ashore on Koholint Island and must awaken the Wind Fish by retrieving magical instruments, only to discover the island is a dreamscape. Its surreal setting and inventive puzzles make it a beloved handheld classic.

Oracle of Seasons & Oracle of Ages (2001)

These interlinked Game Boy Color adventures let players manipulate seasons or travel through time in Holodrum and Labrynna. Completing one grants bonuses in the other, culminating in a joint showdown against Ganon.

A Link Between Worlds (2013)

A 3DS homage to A Link to the Past, this entry adds wall-merging that shifts between 3D and 2D perspectives. Non-linear item rental and open dungeon order provide unprecedented exploration freedom in Hyrule and its Lorule counterpart.

Tri Force Heroes (2015)

Grezzo’s 3DS co-op spin-off equips three Links- or two doll copies for solo play, with fashion-themed magic to rescue Princess Styla. Though lightweight on lore, its teamwork puzzles extend the multiplayer lineage.

Echoes of Wisdom (2024)

Breaking new ground as the first top-down Zelda starring Princess Zelda, this Switch title follows her journey through a shadow-tainted Hyrule to rescue Link from the villainous Null. Its modern puzzles and nostalgic art direction echo Link’s Awakening while slotting into the Fallen Hero branch.

Breath of the Wild Timeline – The Distant Future

Breath of the Wild (2017)

Set millennia after all previous events, Breath of the Wild casts Link from a deep slumber into a vast, physics-driven Hyrule. Players reclaim lost memories, liberate Divine Beasts, and face Calamity Ganon in an open-world design that redefines franchise conventions.

Setting it apart from every other entry, Breath of the Wild was a new benchmark, an absolute revelation. Its vast, living world and sense of discovery make every moment feel like pure magic. Breath of the Wild has sold over 32.81 million copies worldwide as of March 31, 2025, making it one of Nintendo’s all-time best-selling games, and it clinched Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2017, solidifying its status as a critical triumph while racking up over 189 “Game of the Year” awards overall.

Tears of the Kingdom (2023)

Tears of the Kingdom is the direct sequel to Breath of the Wild and expands Hyrule vertically and underground, with sky islands above and the Depths below. New abilities like Ascend, Ultrahand, and device crafting empower creative problem-solving in this sandbox legend.

Final Thoughts

No matter which Zelda games in order you choose (strict release or timeline revised) you are getting a legendary journey through Hyrule. Don’t be hesitant to skip any entry that is either too hard for your taste or difficult to obtain. Fun is the most important element here, and you should feel involved and engaged in the process, and not lost in the grind of figuring out the entire lore.

And if the games aren’t enough, there’s a live action Zelda movie coming in 2027 that will expand on the already-established lore of Hyrule.