Zelda games in order of release
Release order is the order Nintendo put the games on shelves. Story order is a different list, and it forks. If you only remember one sentence: you can start with almost any mainline game.
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Release order
Japan dates lead this table, because several games reached Japan months before North America. The Legend of Zelda is 21 February 1986. A Link to the Past is 21 November 1991. Ocarina of Time is 21 November 1998. The Wind Waker is 13 December 2002. Twilight Princess reached North America on 19 November 2006, before the Japanese date of 2 December 2006, which is why a North America-first list and a Japan-first list swap that one pair.
Breath of the Wild is 3 March 2017 worldwide. Tears of the Kingdom is 12 May 2023. Echoes of Wisdom is 26 September 2024. The Switch 2 Ocarina of Time is 5 November 2026. Remakes sit on the year of the remake, not the year of the original, so Skyward Sword HD is a 2021 row even though the Wii game is 2011.
Is there an order to play them?
For a first game I send people to the beginners page. Story order is not a prerequisite. Ocarina of Time’s ending is the hinge: the timeline page puts later games on a downfall branch, a child branch, or an adult branch, and it leaves Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom after all three because Nintendo has not assigned them to one branch.
Chronological order of the fiction, in the short form I trust: Skyward Sword, then The Minish Cap, Four Swords, Ocarina of Time, and then the split. I am not going to paste a 21-step “you must play this next” ladder on a release-order page. That ladder is the timeline page’s job.
| Played | Year | Title | Type | Timeline branch | Platform | Score | Sales / reported period | Play today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Legend of Zelda | mainline | Defeated | Famicom Disk System, NES | 84 (GBA reissue) | 6.51M lifetime (Wikipedia/CESA) | NSO NES (base tier); GameCube Collector's Edition (second-hand) | |
| 1987 | Zelda II: The Adventure of Link | mainline | Defeated | Famicom Disk System, NES | 73 (GBA reissue) | 4.38M lifetime | NSO NES (base tier); GameCube Collector's Edition (second-hand) | |
| 1991 | The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past | mainline | Defeated | SNES | 95 (GBA version) | 6.5M (SNES + GBA, 2004) 2004 | NSO SNES (base tier); GBA version on NSO GBA (Expansion Pack) | |
| 1993 | Link: The Faces of Evil | cdi | Non-canon | Philips CD-i | — | — | Original CD-i disc only; no official re-release | |
| 1993 | The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening | mainline | Defeated | Game Boy | — | 3.83M (GB) + 2.22M (DX) 2004 | NSO Game Boy (base tier, DX version); 2019 Switch remake | |
| 1993 | Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon | cdi | Non-canon | Philips CD-i | — | — | Original CD-i disc only; no official re-release | |
| 1994 | Zelda's Adventure | cdi | Non-canon | Philips CD-i | — | — | Original CD-i disc only; no official re-release | |
| 1995 | BS Zelda no Densetsu | spinoff | Non-canon | Satellaview | — | — | Not officially available (Satellaview broadcast only) | |
| 1997 | BS Zelda no Densetsu: Inishie no Sekiban | spinoff | Non-canon | Satellaview | — | — | Not officially available (Satellaview broadcast only) | |
| 1998 | The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX | remake | Defeated | Game Boy Color | — | 2.22M 2004 | NSO Game Boy (base tier) | |
| 1998 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | mainline | Pre-split | Nintendo 64 | 99 | 7.6M (N64) 2004 | NSO N64 (Expansion Pack); 2026 Switch 2 remake | |
| 2000 | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | mainline | Child | Nintendo 64 | 95 | 3.36M (N64) lifetime | NSO N64 (Expansion Pack); 3DS remake (physical only) | |
| 2001 | The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages | mainline | Defeated | Game Boy Color | — | 3.99M combined with Seasons lifetime | NSO Game Boy (base tier) | |
| 2001 | The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons | mainline | Defeated | Game Boy Color | — | 3.99M combined with Ages lifetime | NSO Game Boy (base tier) | |
| 2002 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest | remake | Pre-split | GameCube | — | bundled with OoT GameCube disc | GameCube disc only (second-hand); not in the 2026 remake | |
| 2002 | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker | mainline | Adult | GameCube | 96 | 4.6M (GC) + 2.37M (HD) 2023 (HD) | Switch 2 GameCube Classics (Expansion Pack); Wii U HD (physical only) | |
| 2003 | The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords | mainline | Pre-split | Game Boy Advance | 95 (bundled with ALttP) | bundled with ALttP GBA | NSO GBA (Expansion Pack) via A Link to the Past & Four Swords | |
| 2004 | The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures | mainline | Child | GameCube | 86 | — | GameCube disc only (second-hand); not on NSO | |
| 2004 | The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap | mainline | Pre-split | Game Boy Advance | 89 | 1.76M lifetime | NSO GBA (Expansion Pack); original GBA cartridge | |
| 2006 | Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland | spinoff | Non-canon | Nintendo DS | — | — | DS card (Japan/PAL) | |
| 2006 | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | mainline | Child | GameCube, Wii | 95 (Wii) / 96 (GameCube) | 8.85M (Wii + GC) + 1.17M (HD) 2015 / 2022 | GameCube/Wii disc; Wii U HD (physical only); no Switch port | |
| 2007 | The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass | mainline | Adult | Nintendo DS | 90 | 4.13M 2008 | DS card; Wii U Virtual Console (purchased before 2023 closure) | |
| 2007 | Tingle's Balloon Fight DS | spinoff | Non-canon | Nintendo DS | — | — | DS card (Japan, Club Nintendo reward) | |
| 2008 | Link's Crossbow Training | spinoff | Non-canon | Wii | 68 | 2.75M 2008-09 | Wii disc (bundled with Wii Zapper) | |
| 2009 | The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks | mainline | Adult | Nintendo DS | 87 | 2.61M 2010 | DS card; Wii U Virtual Console (purchased before 2023 closure) | |
| 2011 | The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition | remake | Pre-split | DSiWare | — | — | DSiWare (no longer purchasable); not on NSO | |
| 2011 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D | remake | Pre-split | Nintendo 3DS | 94 | 6.44M 2022-12 | 3DS card only (eShop closed March 2023) | |
| 2011 | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword | mainline | Pre-split | Wii | 93 | 3.67M (Wii) + 4.15M (HD) 2022 | Switch Skyward Sword HD; Wii disc | |
| 2013 | The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds | mainline | Defeated | Nintendo 3DS | 91 | 4.26M 2022 | 3DS card only (eShop closed March 2023) | |
| 2013 | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD | remake | Adult | Wii U | — | 2.37M 2023-09 | Wii U disc only (eShop closed March 2023) | |
| 2014 | Hyrule Warriors | spinoff | Non-canon | Wii U | 76 | — | Switch Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition; Wii U/3DS originals second-hand | |
| 2015 | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D | remake | Child | Nintendo 3DS | — | 3.44M 2022-12 | 3DS card only (eShop closed March 2023) | |
| 2015 | The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes | mainline | Defeated | Nintendo 3DS | 73 | 1.36M 2020 | 3DS card only (eShop closed March 2023) | |
| 2016 | Hyrule Warriors Legends | spinoff | Non-canon | Nintendo 3DS | — | — | 3DS card only | |
| 2016 | My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | spinoff | Non-canon | Nintendo 3DS | — | — | 3DS download (My Nintendo reward, delisted) | |
| 2016 | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD | remake | Child | Wii U | 86 | 1.17M 2022-12 | Wii U disc only (eShop closed March 2023) | |
| 2017 | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | mainline | Post-branch | Wii U, Nintendo Switch | 97 | 34.28M (Switch, Sep 2026) + 1.70M (Wii U, Dec 2020) 2026-09-30 (Switch) / 2020-12 (Wii U) | Switch / Switch 2; Switch 2 Edition (June 5, 2025) | |
| 2018 | Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition | spinoff | Non-canon | Nintendo Switch | — | — | Switch / Switch 2 | |
| 2019 | Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda | spinoff | Non-canon | Nintendo Switch | 85 | — | Switch / Switch 2 | |
| 2019 | The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2019) | remake | Defeated | Nintendo Switch | 87 | 6.46M 2022-12 | Switch / Switch 2 | |
| 2020 | Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity | spinoff | Non-canon | Nintendo Switch | 78 | 4M 2022-01 | Switch; Switch 2 Definitive Edition (Feb 25, 2027) | |
| 2021 | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD | remake | Pre-split | Nintendo Switch | — | 4.15M 2022-12 | Switch / Switch 2 | |
| 2023 | The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | mainline | Post-branch | Nintendo Switch | 96 | 22.90M (Switch, Sep 2026) 2026-09-30 | Switch / Switch 2; Switch 2 Edition (June 5, 2025) | |
| 2024 | The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom | mainline | Defeated | Nintendo Switch | 85 | 4.09M 2025-03 | Switch / Switch 2 | |
| 2025 | Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment | spinoff | Non-canon | Nintendo Switch 2 | — | — | Switch 2 | |
| 2025 | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | remake | Post-branch | Nintendo Switch 2 | 97 (base game) | — | Switch 2 (standalone or upgrade pack) | |
| 2025 | The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | remake | Post-branch | Nintendo Switch 2 | 96 (base game) | — | Switch 2 (standalone or upgrade pack) | |
| 2026 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (2026) | remake | Pre-split | Nintendo Switch 2 | 96 (Metacritic: 92 reviews; Wikipedia: 87 reviews) | — | Switch 2 eShop/retail (exclusive) |
FAQ
What is the first Zelda game?
The Legend of Zelda, released in Japan on 21 February 1986 for the Famicom Disk System, and in North America on 22 August 1987 for the NES.
What is the latest Zelda game?
By release date, Ocarina of Time on Nintendo Switch 2, 5 November 2026. The latest new mainline story is still Echoes of Wisdom, 26 September 2024.
Should I play Majora’s Mask before Ocarina of Time?
Majora’s Mask assumes the hero of Ocarina of Time. Release order and story order agree on that pair: Ocarina first.
Related
Sources
| Claim | Status | Cross-check |
|---|---|---|
| Historical dates, platforms and background | 1 source: Wikipedia | Read the linked game or series entry; multiple Wikipedia pages count as one publisher. |
| Mainline release sequence and original consoles | 2 sources | Nintendo game history compared with Wikipedia. Remakes and spin-offs use the linked individual entries. |
| Timeline structure | 2 sources | Nintendo timeline and Wikipedia chronology; Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom remain unassigned to a branch. |
- Nintendo, current official timeline — checked 2026-11-10
- Nintendo, official Zelda game history — checked 2026-11-10
- Wikipedia, List of The Legend of Zelda media — checked 2026-11-10
- Zelda Wiki (additional reading; HTTP 403 at audit), Timeline — checked 2026-11-10
- Archived official Zelda about page — checked 2026-11-10
Page updated 2026-11-10. Site check date 2026-11-10.