Since the '80s, Link has been embarking on wild and exciting adventures that usually end with him saving Zelda, the world, or both. These escapades are depicted in The Legend of Zelda games. Over the years, the series has earned its reputation as one of the greatest video game series of all time.
25 Game Franchises With The Best Lore
Some stories are exceptional, and many will be much more hidden or deeper than you think. Here are the games with the best lore.It didn't prove its brilliance with just a few strong installments. There has been a litany of Zelda games. In fact, even big fans of the series might not know how many, nor the names of each one. However, all of that information can be found here.
Updated November 12, 2023, By Ben Jessey: The Legend of Zelda series continually proves itself to be among the most consistent in gaming history. Tears of the Kingdom is the most recent addition, and it follows the series tradition of being amazing.
This wonderful title was released after we wrote this piece about the number of Zelda games out there. So, naturally, we need to update it to keep it accurate. In the process, we reorganized things a little.
There Are 20 Main Zelda Games
The 20 main entries in the Legend of Zelda series are predominantly action-adventure titles with a few RPG influences. From a story perspective, most of them revolve around Link attempting to stop whatever dark evil is threatening Zelda and the Kingdom of Hyrule.
Yet, despite the main objective not varying much between titles, the gameplay sure does. The early games are relatively small and feature plenty of 2D action. As the series progressed, though, the open-worlds started to enhance, as did the visuals and overall presentation.
|
Game |
Release Date |
Systems |
|---|---|---|
|
The Legend Of Zelda |
1986 (Japan) and 1987 (North America) |
Famicon Disk System, Nintendo Entertainment System, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Wii Virtual Console, 3DS Virtual Console, Wii U Virtual Console, Switch Online. |
|
Zelda 2: The Adventure Of Link |
1987 (Japan) and 1988 (North America) |
Famicon Disk System, Nintendo Entertainment System, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Wii Virtual Console, 3DS Virtual Console, Wii U Virtual Console, Switch Online. |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past |
1991 (Japan) and 1992 (North America) |
Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Satellaview, Game Boy Advance, Wii Virtual Console, Wii U Virtual Console, 3DS Virtual Console, Switch Online. |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening |
1993 |
Game Boy, Game Boy Color, 3DS Virtual Console, Nintendo Switch. |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time |
1998 |
Nintendo 64, iQue Player, GameCube, Wii Virtual Console, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U Virtual Console, Switch Online. |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask |
2000 |
Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii Virtual Console, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U Virtual Console. |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Ages |
2001 |
Game Boy Color, 3DS Virtual Console. |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Seasons |
2001 |
Game Boy Color, 3DS Virtual Console. |
|
The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past & Four Swords (Link To The Past Is A Re-Release, But The Four Swords Is Original) |
2002 |
Game Boy Advance |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker |
2002 (Japan) and 2003 (North America) |
GameCube, Wii U. |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures |
2004 |
GameCube |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap |
2004 (Japan) and 2005 (North America) |
Game Boy Advance, 3DS Virtual Console, Wii U Virtual Console. |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess |
2006 |
GameCube, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U. |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass |
2007 |
Nintendo DS, Wii U Virtual Console. |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks |
2009 |
Nintendo DS, Wii U Virtual Console. |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword |
2011 |
Nintendo Wii, Wii U Virtual Console, Nintendo Switch. |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds |
2013 |
Nintendo 3DS |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes |
2015 |
Nintendo 3DS |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild |
2017 |
Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Switch |
|
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
|
2023 |
Nintendo Switch |
There Are 17 Zelda Spin-Offs
In most cases, the spin-off titles mess with The Legend of Zelda formula. Some swap protagonists, others experiment with different genres, and a few are played on wristwatches.
10 Things You Never Knew About The CD-i Zelda Games
Excuuuuse you, Princess, and learn about Zelda on the CD-i.In fact, Nintendo's traditional home systems didn't get many Zelda spin-offs until recent years. Before that, everything from handheld consoles to lesser-known pieces of hardware served as the homes for these games. Plus, a few of the titles were never seen by American audiences as they were only released in Japan. Overall, there are 17 of these spin-offs.
|
Game |
Release Date |
Systems |
|---|---|---|
|
Zelda |
1989 |
Game & Watch, Nintendo Mini Classic. |
|
The Legend Of Zelda |
1989 |
Nelsonic Game Watch |
|
Zelda No Densetsu: Kamigami No Triforce |
1992 (Japan Only) |
Barcode Battler 2 |
|
Zelda: The Wand Of Gamelon |
1993 |
CD-i |
|
Link: The Faces Of Evil |
1993 |
CD-i |
|
Zelda's Adventure |
1994 |
CD-i |
|
BS Zelda No Densetsu |
1995 (Japan Only) |
Satellaview |
|
BS Zelda No Densetsu Inishie No Sekiban |
1997 (Japan Only) |
Satellaview |
|
Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland |
2006 (Japan) |
Nintendo DS |
|
Tingle's Balloon Fight DS |
2007 (Japan Only) |
Nintendo DS |
|
Link's Crossbow Training |
2007 |
Nintendo Wii |
|
Dekisugi Tingle Pack |
2009 (Japan Only) |
DSiWare |
|
Irozuki Tincle No Koi No Balloon Trip |
2009 (Japan Only) |
Nintendo DS |
|
Hyrule Warriors |
2014 |
Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch. |
|
My Nintendo Picross: The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess |
2016 |
Nintendo 3DS |
|
Cadence Of Hyrule |
2019 |
Nintendo Switch |
|
Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity |
2020 |
Nintendo Switch |
There Are 9 Zelda Remakes And Re-Releases
Nintendo seems to be very fond of remaking and re-releasing Legend Of Zelda games. Many of the most beloved main installments have been released a second time in some form. And there are nine remakes and re-releases in total.
The Most Iconic Locations From The Legend Of Zelda Series
These iconic locations from the Legend of Zelda series span different games and console generations, yet all remain must-visit places.In most instances, these games have received simple graphical upgrades. However, some of them have received more significant changes, such as improvements in control schemes. The alterations have generally improved the experiences, and the developers have done well to keep the magic of the originals.
|
Game |
Release Date |
Systems |
|---|---|---|
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX |
1998 |
Game Boy Color |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Master Quest |
2002 (Japan) and 2003 (North America) |
Nintendo 64, GameCube. |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time 3D |
2011 |
Nintendo 3DS |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition |
2011 |
DSiWare |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD |
2013 |
Nintendo Wii U |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D |
2015 |
Nintendo 3DS |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD |
2016 |
Nintendo Wii U |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening |
2019 |
Nintendo Switch |
|
The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD |
2021 |
Nintendo Switch |
There Are 45 Zelda Games In Total
So, with all of these mainline entries, spin-offs, and re-releases over the years, there have been a total of 45 Zelda games. Whether it be a new entry with fresh mechanics, a classic with some graphical alterations, or an experimental title, we have seen plenty of Zelda games, with many more surely to come.