What Order Did Zelda Games Come Out?

The Zelda series has a long and complex history, with numerous games released over the years, and the order in which they were released is: The Legend of Zelda (1986), Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987), The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991), The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (1993), The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998), and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000), among others. The Zelda series has grown to include over 45 games, including mainline entries, spin-offs, and re-releases, making it one of the most extensive and beloved video game franchises of all time.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

1. Which Zelda game is first in the timeline?: The first game in the chronology is Skyward Sword, where Demise returns and is defeated by Zelda and Link.
2. Does Zelda have an order?: The traditional way to play them is to follow their chronological order of release, starting with The Legend of Zelda on the NES and ending with Breath of the Wild.
3. Is there an order I should play the Zelda games?: Legend of Zelda and Zelda II follow each other, but there’s a whole host of Zelda games you could play in between them.

Timeline and Canon

4. Are all Zelda games connected?: Despite each game’s perpetual re-telling of similar events, all Legend of Zelda games take place in a connected timeline.
5. Which Zelda timeline is canon?: Skyward Sword establishes the beginning of the timelines, setting up the birth of Hyrule, the creation of the Triforce and Master Sword, and the cycle of rebirth headed by Link, Zelda, and Demise.
6. Did the Zelda timelines merge?: The Legend of Zelda series was once split into three timelines after the events of Ocarina of Time, however, they merged into one in Breath of the Wild.

Games and Releases

7. How many Zelda games are there in total?: There have been a total of 45 Zelda games, including mainline entries, spin-offs, and re-releases.
8. Which Zelda game is the best to start?: For new players, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a perfect place to enter the series, as it is one of the most popular games in it.
9. What is the biggest gap between Zelda games?: The record for the biggest gap between Zelda games was five years, five months, and 15 days, while the gap between Breath of the Wild and the next game, Breath of the Wild 2 is now five years, five months, 16 days, and counting.

Gameplay and Difficulty

10. Which Zelda is easiest?: The easiest Zelda games, ranked, are Twilight Princess, The Wind Waker, A Link Between Worlds, Phantom Hourglass, Minish Cap, Skyward Sword, and Breath Of The Wild.
11. What is the longest Zelda game?: The longest Zelda games are Tears Of The Kingdom, Breath Of The Wild, Skyward Sword, Twilight Princess, The Wind Waker, Ocarina Of Time, and Majora’s Mask.
12. Which Zelda game has the most hearts?: Majora’s Mask features 52 Pieces of Heart, the most seen in any Zelda game.

Characters and Storyline

13. Is Ganon in Zelda 1?: A massive and malevolent pig creature, Ganon first appeared in the original The Legend of Zelda game in 1986, while his alter ego, Ganondorf, was introduced in Ocarina of Time.
14. Is Majora’s Mask Link dead?: Link, having saved the day, goes for a horse ride in the woods, gets scared by Skull Kid, hits his head, and dies, but is later brought back to life by Zelda using the Triforce.
15. How old is Link in Zelda?: It’s safe to say that Link is generally on the younger side and under the age of 18, regardless of his incarnation, with Hyrule Historia stating that Link is 10 years old in the first game, The Legend of Zelda, and 16 in Adventure of Link.