The Legend of Zelda has dozens of games in the franchise, but, thankfully, the timeline is just a bit less confusing than Castlevania's or that of the Metal Gear Solid franchise. When Nintendo released the Hyrule Historia, fans could latch onto a more concrete explanation of the timeline that others had already pieced together through hard work and time.
But even within Nintendo's official Legend of Zelda guides, lore, and encyclopedias, there are discrepancies. So what are fans new to the series to do when they want to play vintage games?
While the canonical game timeline may not be the easiest thing to follow, the lore of the series is only getting deeper with each game that gets released — with Breath of the Wild having had some incredibly revelatory information. Let's explore the stories in the Legend of Zelda universe from Wind Waker to Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time, after which it diverges into three timelines. But don't worry! We'll cover those as well.
Updated on June 18, 2021, by Juliet Childers: Brian David Gilbert isn't the only one who can make a comprehensive chronological list of media from the iconic franchise. With E3 2021, Zelda fans got more information about Breath of The Wild 2. Even if the name remains a mystery, it tells us more about where it and the original game fall in the lore timeline.
39 The Legend Of Zelda Manga
Platforms & Release Years: Print Manga (1999)
Plot: First created in 1999 by Akira Himekawa, this was an exclusive comic celebrating the 25th anniversary of the franchise. It includes Link’s origin as being selected as the Hero of Hyrule.
38 The Legend Of Zelda Game and Watch
Platforms & Release Years: Handheld Console (1989), Game & Watch™: The Legend of Zelda™ System (2021)
Plot: The story was based on the original The Legend of Zelda game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Some fans suggested that this was some weird proto DS one-game system. But that remains a theory.
Unique Features: Nintendo announced a new release of the nostalgic console for 2021 packed with 3 games from the series along with mini-games:
- The Legend of Zelda
- Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link
- The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
- Vermin
- interactable digital clock and timer
37 The Legend Of Zelda Game Watch
Platforms & Release Years: Electronic Wristwatch (1989)
Plot: What a difference one word makes, eh? Nelsonic released this watch with a Zelda game on it in 1989. The story centered around the original The Legend of Zelda similarly to the Game and Watch.
36 The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Platforms & Release Years: Wii (2011), Wii U (2016), & Nintendo Switch (2021)
Plot: Three Golden Goddesses came together and Din created the Earth, Naryu created order, and Farore created life. They left the Triforce behind for some reason, but it could grant its holder tremendous power.
The Goddess Hylia ruled peacefully with the Triforce until the Demon King Demise wanted it for himself, but Hylia sealed him away then put herself into a mortal body to defeat Demise when he escaped his cage. There’s also the Goddess Sword and Fi the spirit. In short, Zelda is the reincarnated Hylia, Link becomes the Hylian Hero, and Ganon is created out of Demise’s ire and hatred.
Unique Features: It established the creation of the world and the cycle of the Hero of Time in Zelda lore.
35 The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Platforms & Release Years: GameBoy Advance (2002)
Plot: This game introduces the antagonist Vaati, a wind sorcerer, and acts as a sort of origin story for him, as well as the Four Sword. Hyruleans call the Minish citizens “Picori” and they are tiny creatures who gave a young man a sword, green garment, and light to “drive back the darkness.”
Link gets sent to the Picori to seek out Vaati and stop him, de-petrify Zelda, and restore the Picori blade to create the Four Sword.
34 The Legend Of Zelda: Four Swords
Platforms & Release Years: GameBoy Advance (2002)
Plot: The game connects to A Link to the Past. Link uses the Four Sword to split himself into four Links (three clones and one original). Link, with the help of his clones, finds the four Great Fairies in order to gain access to Vaati's palace. He defeats Vaati then seals him inside the Four Sword.
33 The Legend Of Zelda: The Ocarina Of Time
Platforms & Release Years: Nintendo 64 (1998)
Plot: Lauded as the best game in the franchise, Ganondorf, as the Gerudo leader, wants the Triforce of power. He curses the Great Deku Tree to get an emerald to open the Door of Time. Link and his fairy familiar Navi want to stop this, so they team up with Princess Zelda whose premonitions help them foil Ganon’s plans. But Link needed to power up the Master Sword over seven years.
In that time, Ganondorf gains power, pollutes the Sacred Realm and takes control of Hyrule castle. Link and Zelda manage to seal him there then Zelda sends Link back in time using the Ocarina. The Master Sword is returned, the Door of Time closed, and Navi disappears.
Unique Features: The events of the game also trigger three different timelines in the universe and has seen various re-releases over the years.
FALLEN HERO TIMELINE
32 Barcode Battler 2: Zelda No Densetsu: Kamigami No Triforce
Platforms & Release Years: Barcodes(???) (1992)
Plot: Released in 1992 by Epoch Co., this game involved users scanning barcodes to fight enemies in the form of cards. Story-wise, it was mostly just a retelling of the next game on the list: A Link to the Past.
31 The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past
Platforms & Release Years: SNES (1991)
Plot: In the game, Link loses in his battle against Ganon, so the Seven Sages separate Ganon into the Dark World and the Sacred Realm is also sealed. Known as the era of light and dark, a dark wizard named Agahnim terrorizes Hyrule after a long period of peace in order to break Ganon’s seal. Link and Zelda communicate telepathically and Link saves the day.
Unique Features: Nintendo Switch owners can now play it via the SNES Library.
30 BS-X: The Story Of The Town Whose Name Was Stolen
Platforms & Release Years: SNES via Satellaview (1995)
Plot: This game released alongside the Satellaview system, an expansion for the Super Famicom that enabled radio and satellite data reception, in 1995. It features two kids as the players, but some consider them to be an iteration of Link since he appears in a later BS game.
Unique Features: The plot is essentially the same as the original Zelda game and the town used to be Hyrule (probably).
29 BS The Legend Of Zelda & The Legend Of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets
Platforms & Release Years: SNES via Satellaview (1995, 1997)
Plot: Released in 1995 and 1997 respectively, these games feature the same two characters from the BS-X game. Many fans consider them an enhanced remake of the base game. In contrast to the original games released for the NES, these games could be played on the SNES using the Satellaview.
DISPUTE: Hyrule Historia puts the Oracle games BEFORE Link’s Awakening in the canonical timeline. However, Link’s Awakening is listed first on the Nintendo website and the Oracle games are generally placed after Link’s Awakening by fans.
28 The Legend Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
Platforms & Release Years: Nintendo Game Boy Color (2001), Nintendo Switch (2019)
Plot: In Link's Awakening, Link sails off to get stronger, crashes, dreams while he's knocked out, and...dies? Link’s ship crashes on the island of Koholint, so he bops around collecting musical instruments to awaken a thing called the Wind Fish. After fighting the Nightmare, the island disappears as it was a dream of the Wind Fish and Link wakes up, alone, clinging to his ship’s wreckage in open water.
Unique Features: The game originally released in 1993 on the Game Boy and saw subsequent re-releases for the Game Boy Color, 3DS Virtual Console, and Nintendo Switch.
27 The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Seasons And Oracle Of Ages
Platforms & Release Years: Nintendo Game Boy Color (2001)
Plot: What fans need to know about these games is that they trigger the separation of the Triforce. Ganon keeps the Triforce of Power locked away with him in darkness while the Triforce of Courage is said to be in the heart of the eternal hero (presumably Link). Zelda almost always has the Triforce of Wisdom.
Unique Features: Nintendo developed the games in tandem with Capcom.
26 The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Platforms & Release Years: Nintendo 3DS (2013)
Plot: This spiritual sequel to A Link to The Past sees another Ganon cult member wizard named Yuga is trying to resurrect Ganon. He transforms the Seven Sages' descendants into paintings and kidnaps them and Zelda. Ganon gets released, fuses with Yuga, but Hilda, Lorule’s dark counterpart to Zelda, protects Link until he awakens the Courage Triforce in him.
Hilda betrays Link and wants the Triforce for Lorule, but changes her mind after Link beats up Ganon/Yuga and a subject of hers pleads for her to change her mind. With the Triforce complete again, Link wishes for Lorule to have its own Triforce back for a new age for both realms.
25 The Legend Of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
Platforms & Release Years: Nintendo 3DS (2015)
Plot: Chic, barely undercover Link vacations in the kingdom of Hytopia, but ends up “working.” No, seriously: it really is just a game about fashion. Link has to rescue a princess who has been cursed to wear nothing but a brown jumpsuit by a witch.
Unique Features: With an obviously different art style, the game placed a large focus on multiplayer gameplay.
24 The Legend Of Zelda
Platforms & Release Years: Famicom Disk System & NES (1986, 1987)
Plot: Being the original game in the series and the earliest, it is very simple plotwise. Ganon is after the Triforce, Zelda splits her piece up into eight pieces, and Impa, her lady-in-waiting, finds Link to help collect the pieces to defeat Ganon.
23 Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link
Platforms & Release Years: Famicom Disk System & NES (1987, 1988)
Plot: In this direct sequel, a cult wants to resurrect Ganon, Zelda falls asleep, and Link has to retrieve the Triforce of Courage by defeating Guardian Deities and his own shadow.
Unique Features: This game marked a huge movement as it shifted from a top-down perspective to a side-scrolling perspective and combined aspects of platformers and RPGs.
22 Adventure Books Featuring The Legend Of Zelda: The Crystal Trap And The Shadow Prince
Platforms & Release Years: Print Books (1992)
Plot: "Choose Your Own Adventure Books" allow the reader to craft their narrative from a certain set of choices. Think of it like a Bioware game in book form. What made The Crystal Trap unique is that it primarily focused on Princess Zelda.
Unique Features: The first book has 14 endings while The Shadow Prince has 11 possible endings including a "GAME OVER" if the reader heads down the wrong path. In fact, readers could accrue a "score" by the end of the books, too.
21 The Legend Of Zelda: Valiant Comics
Platforms & Release Years: Print Comics (1990 - 1991)
Plot: Penned by George Caragonne, the comics featured many familiar characters apart from Link, like Impa and King Harkinian. The stories occur after the events of the original game and the style resembles that of the TV show.
20 The Legend Of Zelda TV series
Platforms & Release Years: Television & DVD (1989, 2005)
Plot: The animated show aired 13 episodes of Link and Zelda's adventures. If fans want to watch it now, they can find clips online for the infamous line “Well, exCUUUUSSSEEE ME, Princess!”