
The Legend of Zelda
1986 · NESThe 1986 classic that invented the action-adventure genre: explore an open Hyrule, find eight dungeon pieces, and defeat Ganon using nothing but your map and your wits.
6 releases & editions
The Legend of Zelda began in 1986 and has grown into one of gaming's most celebrated franchises, putting you in the boots of a hero named Link on grand quests through a magical kingdom called Hyrule. Every game tells a complete, standalone story — you don't need to have played any previous entry to enjoy one — and the series has reinvented itself repeatedly, from classic top-down dungeon crawlers to open-world adventures spanning hundreds of hours. The modern open-world games, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, are both on Nintendo Switch and make the perfect starting point today.
SINCE 1986 · 25 GAMES
▶ WHERE DO I START?
The 1986 classic that invented the action-adventure genre: explore an open Hyrule, find eight dungeon pieces, and defeat Ganon using nothing but your map and your wits.
6 releases & editions

The unusual 1987 NES sequel where Link navigates a side-scrolling world, levels up RPG stats, and fights enemies in a style completely unlike any other Zelda.
6 releases & editions

The SNES classic that perfected the Zelda formula: a hero's journey across a light Hyrule and its dark mirror world, packed with inventive dungeons and iconic moments.
6 releases & editions

The beloved 1993 Game Boy adventure that sent Link to a mysterious island on a quest to wake a dreaming whale — surprisingly deep for a handheld game of its era.
4 releases & editions

The 1998 N64 game that redefined what an adventure game could be: a fully 3D Hyrule, a young hero, and an epic race to stop Ganondorf before he seizes the sacred Triforce.
6 releases & editions

The haunting 2000 N64 follow-up to Ocarina of Time: Link is trapped in a doomed land where the moon crashes in 72 hours, forcing you to relive those hours over and over.
5 releases & editions

A 2001 Game Boy Color adventure where Link travels between past and present to restore the flow of time in Labrynna — pairs with Oracle of Seasons for a linked two-game story.
3 releases & editions

A 2001 Game Boy Color adventure where Link commands the four seasons to solve puzzles across Holodrum — designed to link with Oracle of Ages for a combined finale.
3 releases & editions

The 2002 GameCube adventure with a striking cel-shaded art style: Link sails a vast, sun-drenched ocean world, hopping between islands above a flooded and sunken Hyrule.

A 2004 GameCube adventure designed for up to four players: each person controls a separate Link on a linked Game Boy Advance, cooperating and competing across Hyrule.

A 2004 GBA adventure where Link can shrink to tiny size by wearing a magical talking cap, exploring a world from a bug's-eye view full of hidden passages.
4 releases & editions

The 2006 dark, cinematic Zelda: Link transforms into a wolf to fight through a twilight-realm-invaded Hyrule, guided by a mysterious imp named Midna.
2 releases & editions

A 2007 DS sequel to The Wind Waker: Link sails ghostly seas to rescue Tetra, racing against a cursed hourglass that drains his life inside a central tower dungeon.
2 releases & editions

A 2009 DS sequel set 100 years after Phantom Hourglass: Link pilots a magical train while Princess Zelda herself travels along as a spirit possessing enemy phantom armor.
2 releases & editions

The 2011 3DS remake of Ocarina of Time: the landmark adventure that shaped a generation of games, rebuilt from scratch with new visuals and a built-in hint system.
2 releases & editions

The 2011 Wii game that tells the very first story in Zelda's official timeline: how Link and Zelda descended from a sky kingdom and why their eternal conflict with evil began.
2 releases & editions

A 2013 3DS follow-up to A Link to the Past where Link can merge into walls as a flat painting, slipping through cracks to approach familiar dungeons in entirely new ways.

The 2013 Wii U HD remaster of The Wind Waker: the same cel-shaded ocean odyssey with updated lighting, faster sailing, and the GamePad used as a sea chart.
2 releases & editions

The 2015 3DS remake of the most unconventional Zelda: an intense time-loop adventure in a cursed land where the moon falls in 72 hours, rebuilt with overhauled visuals and refined systems.
2 releases & editions

The 2016 Wii U HD remaster of Twilight Princess: the brooding wolf-Link epic with improved visuals, an extra challenge dungeon, and amiibo support.
2 releases & editions

The 2017 open-world revolution: a vast, gorgeous Hyrule where you can climb any surface, cook ingredients, and solve every puzzle in a dozen different ways — no hand-holding required.
5 releases & editions

The 2019 Switch remake of the beloved 1993 adventure, rendered in a stunning toy-diorama art style: Link washes up on a mysterious island and must wake a dreaming whale to escape.
2 releases & editions

The 2021 Switch remaster of Zelda's earliest story: Link descends from a kingdom above the clouds, now with optional button controls replacing the Wii's MotionPlus sword-swinging.

The 2023 sequel to Breath of the Wild: sky islands appear above Hyrule, Link gains new physics-bending Ultrahand and Fuse powers, and a long-buried mystery threatens everything.
2 releases & editions

The 2024 Switch adventure starring Princess Zelda as the playable hero for the first time: use a magical Tri Rod to copy objects and enemies as 'echoes' and solve puzzles entirely your way.