Finding Every Link: All Zelda Games List and Why Some Still Feel Missing

Tracking down an accurate all zelda games list is actually harder than beating the Water Temple without a guide. Honestly. You’d think a massive franchise owned by Nintendo would have a clean, tidy spreadsheet somewhere, but between the remakes, the spin-offs, and those weird Philips CD-i disasters we all try to forget, the timeline is a mess.

Link has been waking up from naps for nearly forty years. Since 1986, the series has redefined what an "adventure" even looks like on a screen. Some entries are massive, open-world epics that take 200 hours to peel apart. Others are weird experiments where you control a train or turn into a 2D painting on a wall.

If you're trying to play through the whole series, or just trying to remember that one game with the talking boat, you need to look at the pillars first.

The Core All Zelda Games List: The Mainline Legend

When people talk about the "real" games, they usually mean the ones developed directly by Nintendo EAD or EPD. These are the heavy hitters.

It all started with The Legend of Zelda (1986) on the NES. It was a gold cartridge. It was cryptic. It basically told you "here is a wooden sword, go die in a bush." Then came Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987), which everyone loves to hate because it’s a side-scrolling platformer that is punishingly difficult. It’s the black sheep, but it gave us the magic meter and Dark Link, so we owe it some respect.

Then, the SNES changed everything. A Link to the Past (1991) perfected the formula. It gave us the Light and Dark Worlds. It gave us the Master Sword in the forest. To many purists, this is still the peak of 2D gaming.

The Jump to 3D and Beyond

• Ocarina of Time (1998): This isn't just a game; it's a cultural landmark. It invented the Z-targeting system that almost every 3D action game still uses today.
• Majora’s Mask (2000): Weird. Dark. Depressing. You have three days to save the world from a moon with a terrifying face. It’s arguably the most "art-house" Nintendo has ever been.
• The Wind Waker (2002): People complained about the "Celda" graphics back then. Now? It looks better than most games from 2015. Sailing the Great Sea felt like a true odyssey.
• Twilight Princess (2006): Nintendo’s answer to people who wanted a "realistic" Zelda. You turn into a wolf. It’s edgy, it’s brown and gray, and Midna is the best companion Link has ever had.
• Skyward Sword (2011): The origin story. Motion controls were controversial. The stamina bar started here. It’s linear, but the story hits hard.

Then the world changed with Breath of the Wild (2017). It threw out the rules. No more "get item, beat dungeon." Just go. Climb anything. Burn anything. Tears of the Kingdom (2023) took that and added literal engineering. You can build a tank. In Zelda. It’s wild.

📖 Related: Finding Your True Partner: Why That Quiz to See What Pokemon You Are Actually Matters

Handhelds Aren't Just "Smaller" Games

Don't make the mistake of thinking the Game Boy or DS titles are "lesser." They aren't. In fact, some of the most creative mechanics in an all zelda games list come from the portable era.

Link’s Awakening (1993) is a fever dream. No Zelda, no Ganon, just a giant egg on a mountain. It’s melancholic and beautiful. Then you have the Capcom-developed era. Yes, Capcom made Zelda games. Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons (2001) were two separate games that could be linked together to unlock a secret ending. It was a Pokémon-style gimmick that actually worked.

The Minish Cap (2004) featured a talking hat and the ability to shrink. It’s probably the most underrated game in the entire franchise. The sprite work is gorgeous.

The DS era gave us Phantom Hourglass (2007) and Spirit Tracks (2009). These are "love them or hate them" games because of the touch-screen controls. You draw the path for your boomerang. You draw the path for your train. They’re charming, but they feel very different from the rest.

The Weird Ones: Spin-offs and "Non-Canon"

If we’re being honest about a truly complete all zelda games list, we have to talk about the stuff Nintendo usually hides in the basement.

First, the CD-i games. Link: The Faces of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, and Zelda's Adventure. They are objectively terrible. The animation looks like a feverish MS Paint project. They exist because of a failed deal between Nintendo and Sony/Philips. They aren't "canon," but they are part of the history.

👉 See also: Finding the Rusty Cryptic Vessel in Lies of P and Why You Actually Need It

Then there are the Hyrule Warriors games. These aren't adventure games; they are "Musou" games where you kill 1,000 enemies in five minutes. Age of Calamity actually acts as a prequel to Breath of the Wild, so it’s actually pretty important for the lore junkies.

Don't forget Cadence of Hyrule. It’s an indie crossover with Crypt of the NecroDancer. You move to the beat of the music. It’s fantastic and further proves that the Zelda formula is flexible enough to survive almost any genre.

A Quick Reference Chronology (By Release)

If you just need a list to check off, here is the chronological release order of the primary titles. Note that I'm excluding minor remasters like Wind Waker HD unless they significantly changed the experience.

1. The Legend of Zelda (1986)
2. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987)
3. A Link to the Past (1991)
4. Link’s Awakening (1993)
5. Ocarina of Time (1998)
6. Majora’s Mask (2000)
7. Oracle of Ages / Oracle of Seasons (2001)
8. Four Swords (2002)
9. The Wind Waker (2002)
10. Four Swords Adventures (2004)
11. The Minish Cap (2004)
12. Twilight Princess (2006)
13. Phantom Hourglass (2007)
14. Spirit Tracks (2009)
15. Skyward Sword (2011)
16. A Link Between Worlds (2013)
17. Tri Force Heroes (2015)
18. Breath of the Wild (2017)
19. Tears of the Kingdom (2023)
20. Echoes of Wisdom (2024)

Echoes of Wisdom is a huge deal because you finally—finally—play as Princess Zelda herself. No more playing as the guy named Link and everyone calling him Zelda.

The Remake Dilemma

Should you play the originals or the remakes? It depends on who you ask.

The Link’s Awakening remake for Switch is a visual masterpiece. It looks like a living toy box. It’s 100% worth it. However, Ocarina of Time 3D on the 3DS is arguably the better way to play that game because of the improved framerate and the ability to equip the Iron Boots without pausing the game for ten seconds every time.

✨ Don't miss: Finding every Hollow Knight mask shard without losing your mind

But if you’re a purist, there’s something about the flicker of an original NES or the scanlines of a CRT that the Nintendo Switch Online service just can’t replicate.

Addressing the Timeline Chaos

We can't talk about an all zelda games list without mentioning the official timeline. For years, fans tried to piece it together. Then Nintendo released Hyrule Historia and basically said, "Okay, here's how it works."

It splits. After Ocarina of Time, the timeline fractures into three paths:

1. The Hero is Defeated (Leading to the original NES games).
2. The Hero is Victorious (Child Era - leading to Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess).
3. The Hero is Victorious (Adult Era - leading to Wind Waker and the sunken Hyrule).

Does it actually make sense? Kinda. Sorta. Not really. Nintendo clearly prioritizes gameplay over lore consistency. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are set so far in the future that they basically act as a "soft reboot," where the previous games are treated as ancient myths that may or may not have happened exactly as we remember them.

Actionable Next Steps for the Aspiring Hylian

If you're looking to dive into this massive list, don't try to go in order. You'll get burnt out on the difficulty of the 80s titles.

Start with A Link to the Past if you want 2D perfection. It holds up flawlessly. If you want the modern experience, Breath of the Wild is the obvious entry point. For the "classic" 3D feel, Ocarina of Time is still the blueprint.

Keep an eye on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. It’s currently the most cost-effective way to access about 70% of this list without hunting down expensive retro cartridges or dealing with questionable emulators. Check the library for the Game Boy Advance and N64 apps specifically; that's where the "gold" era lives.

For the titles like Twilight Princess and Wind Waker, you're stuck waiting for a Switch port or digging out a Wii U. Prices for the physical discs are skyrocketing, so if you see them at a garage sale for under $50, grab them immediately.