The Legend of Zelda in Chronological Order
All 19 games from 1986 to 2026, arranged by when their stories happen rather than when they came out. The timeline moves 19 of 19 away from release order: Ocarina of Time (Switch 2) is #19 by release but #5 in the timeline, and The Legend of Zelda is #1 by release but #15 in the timeline. The full The Legend of Zelda guide has both orders, the reasoning, and a free progress tracker.
| # | Title | Year | Release order |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Unified era, the chronological beginning of the entire timeline | 2011 | #14 (later) |
| 2 | The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap Unified era (pre-split), second game on the timeline, after Skyward Sword | 2004 | #10 (later) |
| 3 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Unified era, the pivot point where the timeline splits into three branches | 1998 | #5 (later) |
| 4 | Ocarina of Time 3D Nintendo 3DS remake with reworked visuals, also the easiest way to play Master Quest | 2011 | #6 (later) |
| 5 | Ocarina of Time (Switch 2) The full Switch 2 remake announced at the June 2026 Nintendo Direct; launching 2026, exact date TBA. Same story position as the N64 original | 2026 | #19 (later) |
| 6 | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Child branch, direct sequel to Ocarina of Time | 2000 | #7 (later) |
| 7 | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Child branch, follows Majora's Mask | 2006 | #11 (later) |
| 8 | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Adult branch, Hyrule flooded; the first game in that timeline | 2002 | #9 (later) |
| 9 | The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Adult branch, direct sequel to The Wind Waker | 2007 | #12 (later) |
| 10 | The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Adult branch, set in New Hyrule, after Phantom Hourglass | 2009 | #13 (later) |
| 11 | The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Fallen Hero branch, the first entry in that timeline after Ocarina of Time | 1991 | #3 (earlier) |
| 12 | The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages / Oracle of Seasons Fallen Hero branch, alongside A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening | 2001 | #8 (earlier) |
| 13 | The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Fallen Hero branch; sequel to A Link to the Past | 1993 | #4 (earlier) |
| 14 | The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Fallen Hero branch, sequel to A Link to the Past | 2013 | #15 (later) |
| 15 | The Legend of Zelda The original; in the timeline it sits late in the Fallen Hero branch | 1986 | #1 (earlier) |
| 16 | Zelda II: The Adventure of Link Direct sequel to the original; the final game on the Fallen Hero branch | 1987 | #2 (earlier) |
| 17 | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Far future at the end of the timeline; the branch is left deliberately ambiguous | 2017 | #16 (earlier) |
| 18 | The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Direct sequel to Breath of the Wild; sits at the far end of the timeline | 2023 | #17 (earlier) |
| 19 | The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Newest mainline game; first to star Zelda herself as the playable hero | 2024 | #18 (earlier) |
Track The Legend of Zelda in this order → The guide's tracker follows whichever order you pick, chronological order included.