Highlights

  • Celebrate more than 35 years of The Legend of Zelda by playing beloved titles native to the Nintendo Switch, including 2016 GOTY winner Breath of the Wild and 2023 GOTY nominee Tears of the Kingdom.
  • Nintendo Switch Online offers access to older Zelda titles, allowing fans both old and new to enjoy the franchise's rich history.
  • Remakes and remasters like Link's Awakening and Skyward Sword provide updated versions of classic Zelda games for modern players to enjoy on modern consoles.

One of the most iconic Nintendo series to date, The Legend of Zelda currently boasts 29 total entries as of the release of Tears of the Kingdom in 2023. And while plenty of players fawned over the game, some are searching for a way to make like the Hero and go back in Time to play some of the older titles.

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Thankfully, between different games releasing originally for the Nintendo Switch, a series of well-received ports of older titles to modern console, and Nintendo Switch Online, fans of The Legend of Zelda series can play plenty of the beloved titles.

Updated on January 4, 2024 by Gabrielle Castania: Between Tears of the Kingdom's release and the addition of several Zelda titles with the Nintendo Switch Online subscription, we're back to update our list of every Zelda title available for the Nintendo Switch to help you play the Hero as many times as possible.

3 Nintendo Switch Original Titles

Switch Motion Games The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild - Link Looking Out Over A CliffsideThe Legend Of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Released
March 3, 2017
ESRB
E for Everyone: Fantasy Violence, Use of Alcohol, Mild Suggestive Themes
Genre(s)
Action , Adventure

The first main series Zelda game since Skyward Sword and an absolutely pivotal launch title for the Nintendo Switch on the whole, Breath of the Wild took home just about every Game of the Year title when it released in 2017. Offering fans a Hyrule more vibrant and open than ever before, it’s no wonder we were all so quick to fall in love.

Join Link 100 years after the Calamity that destroyed Hyrule as he seeks to regain his lost memories of what exactly happened to lead to the Calamity, avenge the deaths of the four Champions assigned to help him and Zelda fend of the Calamity, and put an end to the reign of terror that’s ruined the Hyrule we love for over a century.

The Legend Of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

zelda tears of the kingdom promotional art from the eshop nintendo switch
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Released
May 12, 2023
Genre(s)
Action-Adventure , RPG
ESRB
Everyone 10+ - Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes

Everyone thought Breath of the Wild was never going to be beat – right up until its direct sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, launched in 2023. Dropping players back into a revamped version of the exact same Hyrule from Breath of the Wild allowed for the realm to feel welcomingly familiar and distressingly destroyed all at the same time.

Descend from the skies once again and plummet well below Hyrule’s surface and into its Depths, a hauntingly dark underworld where monsters unlike any others in the series lurk. Assemble the descendants of the original Champions and convince them to help Link avenge their predecessors and restore order to a broken Hyrule once again.

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition

hyrule warriors definitive edition nintendo eshop artwork switch
Hyrule Warriors

Released
September 26, 2014
ESRB
T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes
Genre(s)
Action

In 2014, Nintendo sought to offer some additional gameplay to fans most focused on the combat of the Zelda series, and so was born Hyrule Warriors. With plenty of content related to Breath of the Wild released just prior to the 2018 launch of Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, this game is all about taking out as many enemies as you can, as quickly as you can.

With not only Link and Zelda from Breath of the Wild on the table, but also Tetra and King Daphnes from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, fans who can’t get enough of Zelda’s fighting mechanics will feel right at home with a veritable buffet of enemies to take out in Hyrule Warriors.

Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity

hyrule warriors age of calamity promotional art zelda switch eshop
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

Released
November 20, 2020
ESRB
T for Teen: Fantasy Violence
Genre(s)
Action

Launched in 2020, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is all the hack-and-slash fun of the original Hyrule Warriors, but this time focused in the Hyrule of Breath of the Wild wherein you’re dealing with the Calamity and its related fallouts. Though battle remains the central focus, there’s a bit more story involved this time around, striking the perfect balance between peril and plot.

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Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity boasts a cool 18 available player characters to choose from, which include each of the Breath of the Wild champions (and their descendants), uncommon player character options like the Great Fairies or Master Kohga, or even Calamity Ganon himself, for those players determined to be a little bit evil.

2 Remakes And Remasters For Nintendo Switch

zelda link's awakening promotional art for the remake nintendo switch
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Released
September 20, 2019
ESRB
E For Everyone due to Mild Fantasy, Violence
Genre(s)
Adventure

If you missed the original Link's Awakening in 1993, why not give the 2019 HD remake a shot? One of the few games in the Legend of Zelda series not to feature the princess herself, Hyrule, or anything familiar to modern players, Link washes up on the shores of Koholint Island and battles his way through dungeons to find the Instruments of the Sirens.

The 2019 version of the game allows you to keep both items and upgrades permanently equipped, while the originals made you switch out with relative frequency. Among other upgrades that allowed the story to benefit from the use of the Switch's capabilities, you can scan a few different Zelda Amiibo to unlock Shadow Link, a bonus fight that boosts the payouts you receive in dungeons.

The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Link On His Loftwing
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Released
November 20, 2011
ESRB
E10+ for Everyone E10+: Animated Blood, Comic Mischief, Fantasy Violence
Genre(s)
Action , Adventure

Though it’s game 15 to be released in the Legend of Zelda series in real-time, Skyward Sword is the very first game in the infamously complicated Legend of Zelda timeline that kicks off the entire events of the series as we know it.

The Zelda mythology has long spoken of the Goddesses sending humans to the sky to save them from disaster, and Skyward Sword allows you to experience it firsthand. After your battle with Demise, the final cutscene of the game shows Zelda and Link, among others, agree to stay down on the newly discovered earth, formally establishing the Kingdom of Hyrule for the very first time.

Cadence Of Hyrule: Crypt Of The NecroDancer Featuring The Legend Of Zelda

cadence of hyrule crypt of the necrodancer switch eshop promotional art zelda switch online
Cadence of Hyrule

Released
June 13, 2019
ESRB
E For Everyone due to Mild Fantasy Violence
Genre(s)
Action , Rhythm

Cadence of Hyrule is a great example of a non-Nintendo party developing an excellent game with its properties. Cadence of Hyrule is a Zelda story told using the gameplay of Crypt of the NecroDancer, a roguelike rhythm game by Brace Yourself Games.

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Whenever there are enemies on screen, players must match the beat of the music to move and attack. This is an excellent game to blow through in co-op mode with a friend, especially with the added challenge of staying in time to the remixes of classic Zelda tunes.

1 Nintendo Switch Online Titles

Nintendo Switch Online Yoshi, Toad, Peach, Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Bowser Jr., and Lakitu pose together

Though these Zelda games weren't originally on Switch, gamers are now able to play Zelda titles spanning back decades with the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service.

You can't buy these games outright, but you can play them to your heart container's content if you're subscribed to NSW Online. Below, you'll find them in chronological order in order of their initial launch dates.

The Legend Of Zelda

the legend of zelda title screen nintendo switch online

The game that started it all back in 1986 as a launch title for the Famicom in Japan, the original Legend of Zelda is known today as one of the best formative games of all time. Though it's wild to compare where the series is today with how it was back then, we'd never have the high-flying world of Tears of the Kingdom without the baby steps taken in the original Zelda.

Over 700 games were released for the NES over its lifespan, but the technical marvel, puzzle-solving, and brave young elf who ventured out to try to save the princess kept The Legend of Zelda in the hearts and minds of fans long enough for it to become one of Nintendo's most iconic properties.

zelda ii the adventures of link nintendo switch online title screen

In the earliest days of the Zelda series, with only the original Legend of Zelda before it, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link had a ton of wiggle room to play with as it experimented with different gameplay mechanics - like sidescrolling, to name a huge one.

Massively popular on launch for the Famicom in 1987 but now regarded as something of a black sheep in the series almost four decades on, the game sought to expand on the foundation laid by the first entry in what would eventually go on to become a series as legendary as its princess.

zelda a link to the past promotional art of link shooting a bow nintendo switch online

After the smash success of the original Zelda game and The Adventures of Link that followed, Nintendo hit a triple-threat when they released A Link to the Past. Launched on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1991, fans jump back into Link’s elven shoes once again as he explores both the Light and Dark worlds in Hyrule.

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The two worlds function as opposites of one another, with the Light World vibrant and lush while the Dark World features lower saturation on the colors and dilapidated environments. Help Link fulfill his uncle’s dying wish to save the Princess from the clutches of Agahnim and return order to the Light World once more.

zelda link's awakening dx nintendo switch online

If you missed the original 1993 Link’s Awakening on the Game Boy, Link’s Awakening DX was released in 1998 to coincide with and help market the Game Boy Color. The game contained all the core elements of the original, but it also added in new dungeons, some of which were color-based to show of the new tech the GBC brought.

And with the 2019 remake of Link’s Awakening released for Switch at full cost, fans of the original seeking a return to Koholint Island will be pleased to know that Link’s Awakening DX is available through the NSO catalog. This allows you to play the 1998 color version of the game 25 years on.

The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time

A screenshot of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time title screen with Link riding Epona in the foreground.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Released
November 21, 1998
ESRB
E10+ for Everyone 10+: Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes
Genre(s)
Action , Adventure

The first 3D Zelda game that established the series in the new era of gaming that still serves as many 90’s gamers’ first introduction to the RPG genre on the whole, Ocarina of Time launched in 1998 and still continues to rank among the most iconic games to date.

The game has been rereleased on each modern console throughout Nintendo’s lineage since the game’s original release, and fans can enjoy the original 1998 version through Nintendo Switch Online. Whether exploring the classic title for the first time or returning for a hearty dose of nostalgia, the original N64 version of the game is available for no extra cost through the subscription.

The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask

zelda majora's mask title logo nintendo switch online
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Released
October 26, 2000
ESRB
E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes
Genre(s)
Action , Adventure

Considered by many to be the darker, grisly younger brother of Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask launched in 2000 less than two full years after the first N64 Zelda using the same engine. And while it was rereleased for the 3DS in 2015, modern gamers will be happy to learn that the title is available on Nintendo Switch Online.

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Taking place only a few months after the conclusion of Ocarina of Time, Link loses himself in the parallel world of Termina and must repeatedly live the same three-day cycle and must crawl through dungeons and best boss battles to prevent the horrifying, ever-looming moon from crashing down to earth.

The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Ages And Oracle Of Seasons

Launched in 2001 for the Game Boy Color were two separate but related Zelda games – Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. With Ages taking place in Labryanna and Seasons in Holodrum, fans will need to play both Oracle games before the plots tie together and make sense as one.

Though each game can technically function individually, finishing both games one after the other allows access to additional fights and conclusionary story segments that tie the games together and finish the story collectively. Both games are available through Nintendo Switch Online, with the subscription service saving you the cost of buying two individual games.

The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap

zelda minish cap promotional art nintendo switch online

The Minish Cap is our final handheld Zelda game included on Nintendo Switch Online at time of publish, with the 2004 Game Boy Advance title coming to the service as one of the first titles added at launch with the Game Boy portion of the subscription to attract new or nostalgic Zelda fans.

A direct prequel to both Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures, The Minish Cap sees Link and the titular cap, Ezlo, shrinking to the size of the Picori, extremely small woodland creatures of legend in Hyrule who helped seal away the world’s evil. Vaati, one of the rare Zelda bosses that isn’t Ganon, wreaks havoc by breaking that seal, tasking Link and Ezlo with returning the Four Elements to the Picori to restore order once again.

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