There are over 17 Zelda games, and with Tears of the Kingdom coming out soon, many players want to play them all. And although it will take a long time, you can still achieve it. So, without further ado, here’s the Legend of Zelda timeline and play order based on both the story timeline and the game’s release date.
Order all Legend of Zelda games
There are two ways to play Zelda games. First, it is a timeline of history based on the Hyrule Historia. This is the book where Nintendo officially gives the timeline that every Legend of Zelda game falls into. Please note that many games have been released since the book came out, so we have adjusted the games accordingly. Plus, you can also play them after their release date. Here they are both:
Legend of Zelda Timeline – Best Play Order
- The legend of the gods and the hero of time
- Sword to the sky
- Minish Cap
- four swords
- Ocarina of Time (OoT)
After the OoT events, the Zelda timeline splits into 3 additional timelines. You can choose any first game in the timeline, complete them, and then take a different path. These paths are:
- Hero Defeated (Fallen Hero)
- Connection with the past
- Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages
- Link’s awakening
- connection between words
- Heroes of the Three Forces
- The Legend of Zelda
- Link’s Adventure (Zelda II)
- The Hero is Successful and the Sacred Realm is Protected (Children’s Timeline)
- Majora’s mask
- Twilight Princess
- The Adventure of the Four Swords
- The Hero Is Successful and Ganondorf Is Sealed (Adult Timeline)
- Wind Awakening
- ghostly hourglass
- Spirit Traces
All of the above games take place long before the events of Breath of the Wild. So, in the Great Disaster timeline, you have to play:
- great disaster
- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
- Breath of the Wild
Which game to play first?
If you are trying to play Zelda games only for Tears of the Kingdom. You can then directly play games in the Great Disaster timeline. These are Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity and Breath of the Wild. Don’t get me wrong, other games are good too. But these two should prepare you for the upcoming game.
Also, you can start playing the Legend of Zelda series with Skyward Sword by following the timeline. But if you already have a game, then the best way to get into the series is to play the one you already have.
Zelda games in order by release date
- The Legend of Zelda (1986)
- Zelda II: Link’s Adventure (1987)
- Link to the Past (1991)
- Link’s Awakening (1993)
- Ocarina of Time (1998)
- Majora’s Mask (2000)
- Oracle of the Seasons and Oracle of the Ages (2001)
- Wind Awakening (2002)
- Adventures of Four Swords (2004)
- Minish Cap (2004)
- Twilight Princess (2006)
- Phantom Hourglass (2007)
- Spirit Traces (2009)
- Sword to the Sky (2011)
- Link Between Worlds (2013)
- Trinity Heroes (2015)
- Breath of the Wild (2017)
- Tears of the Kingdom (2023)/BotW 2
Now you should have no problem choosing the order in which you should play The Legend of Zelda Games.