Tears of the Kingdom is around the corner, and many players are preparing for their mission to play all Zelda games in order. We all know Breath of the Wild is the only Zelda game directly connected to TotK. However, doing a Zelda game recap really sounds enticing. We are all Zelda fans here, so a complete Zelda marathon, while time-consuming, is something one must do at least once in your life. And what better time to do so than when the newest Zelda is about to drop? Prepare for some dungeon adventures. Here is how to play the Zelda franchise in order to prepare for Tears of the Kingdom.
How to Play Zelda Games in Order to Prepare For Tears of the Kingdom
Let us set some ground rules before we are set to play all the Zelda franchise in order. Including Tears of the Kingdom, there is a total of 21 main Zelda games in the franchise. These games are going to be the ones that we will contemplate. Furthermore, the order in which the Zelda games should be played is another monster on its own. Since the Zelda timeline is so convoluted, we will include two ways you can play the games in “order.”
First, we will address a list of all Zelda games in release order. That means we will start with the original Legend of Zelda (1986) and conclude with Breath of the Wild (2017). Second, we will make a list, in this case, a table of all the Zelda games in chronological order. That means that the Zelda timeline will determine the order in which you get to play the Zelda franchise games. Without further ado, let’s begin and rediscover our sense of adventure.
How to Play Zelda Games in Release Order
Order | Game | Release Date |
1 | The Legend of Zelda | February 21, 1986 |
2 | Zelda II: The Adventure of Link | January 14, 1987 |
3 | The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past | November 21, 1991 |
4 | The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening | June 6, 1993 |
5 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | November 21, 1998 |
6 | The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask | April 27, 2000 |
7 | The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons | February 27, 2001 |
8 | The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages | February 27, 2001 |
9 & 10 | The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords | December 3, 2002 |
11 | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker | December 13, 2002 |
12 | The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures | March 18, 2004 |
13 | The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap | November 4, 2004 |
14 | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | November 19, 2006 |
15 | The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass | June 23, 2007 |
16 | The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks | December 7, 2009 |
17 | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword | November 18, 2011 |
18 | The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds | November 22, 2013 |
19 | The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes | October 22, 2015 |
20 | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | March 3, 2017 |
21 | The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom |
May 12, 2023
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How to Play Zelda Games in Chronological/Timeline Order
Early History | ||
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword | ||
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap | ||
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords | ||
Timeline Split | ||
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | ||
The Hero is Defeated | The Hero is Succesful (Child Era) | The Hero is Succesful (Adult Era) |
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past | The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker |
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass |
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons | The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures | The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks |
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages | | | | |
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds | | | | |
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes | | | | |
The Legend of Zelda | | | | |
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link | | | | |
Era of the Wilds | ||
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | ||
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom |
Zelda Chronological/Timeline Order Explanation
While explaining the Zelda timeline is not the point of this article, explaining the table above will surely help you understand the Zelda games’ order. Up to Ocarina of Time, things are pretty much straightforward. However, the timeline then splits into three different ones. There are a lot more details to this split, but we are trying to keep things simple.
Depending on what happens on Ocarina of Time, that is, the literal events that may transpire during the game, you will get three outcomes. If Link dies in OoT, then the timeline called “The Hero is Defeated” happens. If Link defeats Ganon, there are two timelines that split. Zelda sends Link back in time to live his life as a normal kid would.
If we follow Link’s journey back to the past, we get “The Hero is Succesful (Child Era).” If we stay in Zelda‘s timeline after the events of OoT, the events of “The Hero is Succesful (Adult Era)” timeline occur. To clarify, this last one happens once Ganon returns without the Hero of Time being there to challenge him. Eventually, all three timelines unify into the events of the “Era of the Wilds,” which includes Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
If you wish for the ultimate Zelda games order experience, you could play the first four games in the table up to Ocarina of Time. Then, if you die, go ahead and play the games in “The Hero is Defeated.” Then, resume your Ocarina of Time playthrough. Once you complete it, play both the Child Era and Adult Era versions of the “The Hero is Succesful” timeline. Finally, closing the Zelda franchise, Breath of the Wild, will be your last stop. The Zelda franchise order is complete.
Related:
Is BOTW 2 a Prequel, or a Sequel? Tears of the Kingdom Timeline, Explained
Be sure to experience all the Zelda games in the order you wish! You could also play Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity before BotW since it is canon. However, we all consider that you have a lot of games from the Zelda franchise to tackle just the way they are listed above. Now you will certainly be prepared for Tears of the Kingdom.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be available on Nintendo Switch on May 12, 2023.