All series / The Legend of Zelda
Series guide · 1986–2026
Eighteen single-player adventures. After Ocarina of Time, Nintendo's chart splits into three futures.
Which version should I play today?
You can start at almost any Zelda game. Release order is the order they shipped. Nintendo's history chart is a different list: Skyward Sword, the Minish Cap, Ocarina of Time, and then three alternate futures.
When a later edition exists, that is the one named below. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2, published by Nintendo, releases November 5, 2026. It is a new version of the 1998 game, not a new story. Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures, Tri Force Heroes, Hyrule Warriors, and Cadence of Hyrule are left off both orders.
Japanese debuts, one row per story. Remasters and the Switch 2 editions are the play-today note, not extra rows. Twilight Princess reached North America on Wii on November 19, 2006, before this Japanese date. Spirit Tracks, Skyward Sword, and A Link Between Worlds also reached some other regions first.
Switch 2 version releases November 5, 2026. Same story.
Shipped the same day as Oracle of Seasons.
This follows Nintendo's public chart on the official Zelda site. Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures, and Tri Force Heroes sit on that chart and are omitted here as multiplayer spin-offs. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are not attached to one of the three branches on that chart. Tears of the Kingdom follows Breath of the Wild.
One history, up through the hero of time.
The Switch 2 version on November 5, 2026 retells this game.
The future in which the hero of time loses. Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons are parallel.
Paired with Seasons. Either game can be played first.
The hero of time returns to childhood after the adult ending.
The hero of time stays in the future, and Hyrule is later flooded.
Shown separate from the three branches. Play Breath of the Wild before Tears of the Kingdom.
Direct sequel to Breath of the Wild.
Years are the first release. The play-today column is the version to look for now. Store listings change, so treat the Amazon link as a search, not a stock promise.
Affiliate disclosure. Where to buy opens an Amazon search. The affiliate tag in the site config is empty, so these are ordinary search links and do not pay a commission yet. Full disclosure.
| Game | Year | First platforms | Play today | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda The first quest for the Triforce of Wisdom, and the last story on the defeated-hero branch before Zelda II. | 1986 | Famicom Disk System | The NES cartridge, also on Nintendo Switch Online. Japan first knew it as a Disk System game. | Where to buy |
| Zelda II: The Adventure of Link A side-view sequel set after the first game, still the end of the defeated-hero branch. | 1987 | Famicom Disk System | The NES cartridge, also on Nintendo Switch Online. | Where to buy |
| The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past The first story on the defeated-hero branch, with a light world and a dark world. | 1991 | Super Famicom | The Super Nintendo cartridge, also on Nintendo Switch Online. The Game Boy Advance port added Four Swords, which is not part of this order. | Where to buy |
| The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Link's dream on Koholint Island, placed after A Link to the Past on Nintendo's chart. | 1993 | Game Boy | The 2019 remake on Nintendo Switch. The Game Boy original and the DX color version are the same story. | Where to buy |
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time The hero-of-time story that Nintendo uses as the split between three later futures. | 1998 | Nintendo 64 | Ocarina of Time 3D on Nintendo 3DS, or the Nintendo 64 game on Nintendo Switch Online. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2, published by Nintendo, releases November 5, 2026. That release is a new version of this story, not a sequel. | Where to buy |
| The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask A Termina story set after the child ending of Ocarina of Time. | 2000 | Nintendo 64 | Majora's Mask 3D on Nintendo 3DS. The Nintendo 64 original is also on Nintendo Switch Online. | Where to buy |
| The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons One of two linked Game Boy Color quests, set on the defeated-hero branch after Link's Awakening. | 2001 | Game Boy Color | The Game Boy Color cartridge. It shipped the same day as Oracle of Ages, and a password links the two. | Where to buy |
| The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages The other half of the Oracle pair, named first in Nintendo's current chart heading. | 2001 | Game Boy Color | The Game Boy Color cartridge. It shipped the same day as Oracle of Seasons, and either game can be played first. | Where to buy |
| The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker The flooded-Hyrule story that opens the adult branch after Ocarina of Time. | 2002 | GameCube | The Wind Waker HD on Wii U. No Switch version was confirmed for this guide. | Where to buy |
| The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap The Vaati story Nintendo places after Skyward Sword and before Ocarina of Time. | 2004 | Game Boy Advance | The Game Boy Advance cartridge. It is also on Nintendo Switch Online. | Where to buy |
| The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess The child-era story after Majora's Mask, with Link crossing into twilight. | 2006 | GameCube, Wii | Twilight Princess HD on Wii U. The Wii disc is the other widely sold copy. North America's Wii release was November 19, 2006. | Where to buy |
| The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass A direct sea voyage after The Wind Waker, still on the adult branch. | 2007 | Nintendo DS | The Nintendo DS game. No later remaster was confirmed. | Where to buy |
| The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks A new Hyrule about a century after Phantom Hourglass, and the end of the adult branch. | 2009 | Nintendo DS | The Nintendo DS game. North America received it on December 7, 2009, before this Japanese date. | Where to buy |
| The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword The earliest story on Nintendo's chart, above the clouds on Skyloft. | 2011 | Wii | Skyward Sword HD on Nintendo Switch. The Wii original is the same story. | Where to buy |
| The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds A later hero in the same light-and-dark Hyrule as A Link to the Past. | 2013 | Nintendo 3DS | The Nintendo 3DS game. North America and Europe received it on November 22, 2013. | Where to buy |
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild An open Hyrule a century after the Calamity, shown apart from the three older branches. | 2017 | Wii U, Nintendo Switch | Nintendo Switch, or the Switch 2 Edition that launched June 5, 2025. Play it before Tears of the Kingdom. | Where to buy |
| The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom The direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, with the same Link and Zelda. | 2023 | Nintendo Switch | Nintendo Switch, or the Switch 2 Edition that launched June 5, 2025. It assumes Breath of the Wild. | Where to buy |
| The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Princess Zelda's own quest, placed on the defeated-hero branch before the original game. | 2024 | Nintendo Switch | Nintendo Switch. No other edition was confirmed. | Where to buy |
Either is fine, and most games do not require the one before them. Release order is how they shipped, from the 1986 game through Echoes of Wisdom. Timeline order starts at Skyward Sword. After Ocarina of Time, pick one of the three branches instead of trying to play all three as one sequence.
No. Nintendo's store page lists The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2, releasing November 5, 2026. It is a version of the 1998 Nintendo 64 game. It does not get its own row on either list.
Play Breath of the Wild first, then Tears of the Kingdom. Nintendo's current public chart shows that pair apart from the defeated, child, and adult branches, so this guide does not assign them to one of those three futures.
This page is the single-player mainline only. Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures, and Tri Force Heroes are multiplayer spin-offs. Hyrule Warriors and Cadence of Hyrule are left off for the same reason. They are not in either order here.
Link's Awakening on Switch, Skyward Sword HD on Switch, and Ocarina of Time 3D on Nintendo 3DS until the Switch 2 version is out on November 5, 2026. The older Game Boy, Wii, and Nintendo 64 editions are the same stories.
Last verified: October 31, 2026