The best Zelda games showcase just how creative and memorable Link's adventures have been throughout the years. From the earliest pixelated top-down Metroidvanias to the latest expansive RPG-style open-world releases counted among the best Switch exclusives, there's no shortage of experiences that have kept us returning to Hyrule.
Now, with the recent release of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (which sees Princess Zelda leading her own adventure), there's never been a better time to revisit all of the classics in Link's long-spanning history. Whether you're a big fan of older adventures on Nintendo consoles past, or your heart belongs to the most recent installments on the Switch, every fan will have a personal favorite.
So, if you're ready to reflect on the series, join us as we rank the 10 very best Zelda games across the generations.
10. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
Platform: Wii U
Release Date: 2016
Twilight Princess is the fulfillment of the promise made by Nintendo's early GameCube tech demos, and while it ultimately didn't end up as memorable or beloved as the cartoony Wind Waker, it still holds a place in the pantheon of great Zelda adventures.
Transform into a wolf, utilize some of the series' most interesting tools (the spinner remains one of my personal favorites), and explore the dark side of a world that looks like the Japanese anime take on Tim Burton's earliest work. The HD version on Wii U fixes many of the original's biggest problems (no more required cow herding!), making for a much more streamlined experience. Read more on that in our The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD review.
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9. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Platform: Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, Wii U
Release Date: 2004
After Capcom and its subsidiary Flagship proved themselves worthy of the Zelda franchise with the Oracle games, the developers returned with the even better Minish Cap. Minish Cap introduced gamers to Ezlo, one of our favorite side characters in the series and one who had the power to shrink Link.
The shrunken world of the Piccori people gave the series a new perspective, and the deliciously colorful graphics are some of the most memorable the GBA ever hosted. Minish Cap might not have been as long as other Zelda titles, but it's no less rewarding and is hands down one of the best GBA games ever made.
RELATED: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap was smaller in scale but massive in heart and ambition
8. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: 2013
It's a bold move to make a sequel to one of the most beloved games of all time, but The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is easily one of the best 2D Zelda games ever made. While the story takes place in the familiar Hyrule (Light World) and Lorule (Dark World) of A Link to the Past, Link's adventure is anything but a carbon copy and flips many of the linear Zelda conventions on their head.
The ability to rent the series' mainstay items like the bow, boomerangs, and bombs from the lovable, new character, Ravio, brings back the truly open-world feel of the original Zelda. Now, you're free to explore the beautifully detailed, stereoscopic 3D world as you hunt down dungeons, collect heart pieces, and spin-attack spear-wielding Moblins. A Link Between Worlds is all killer, no filler; a game that lives up to its storied legacy while able to carve out its own identity.
RELATED: How The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds shook things up in the shadow of a 16-bit classic
7. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: 2011
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time isn't just one of the best N64 games of all time, it's arguably one of the most important games of the 3D era. It was never going to be easy transitioning Link's adventures into the third dimension, but Nintendo handled the challenge with grace. Its tight camera control and Z-targeting system ensured that we were able to easily navigate the sprawling version of Hyrule, and survive the many dangers it contained within.
While the original release is still brilliant, the 2011 remake for 3DS is undoubtedly the best way to experience the game today. As we detail in our The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D review, It takes the foundations and improves upon them, with an overhauled control system helping to sand down some of the rougher edges, and the updated visual design giving this version of Hyrule more spirit than ever before.
RELATED: How the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time became a timeless legacy
6. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: 2015
Majora's Mask arrived in Japan a mere 18 months after the release of the Ocarina of Time (which came out in 1998), and while it may reuse a lot of assets from the N64 classic, it's easily one of the best 3DS games and most experimental Zelda games ever made. Young Link finds himself trapped in Clock Town, doomed to be crushed under an angry, demonic moon. In order to prevent imminent disaster, he must repeatedly live out the same three days, all while the town's inhabitants adhere to their daily schedules.
You'll slowly piece together riddles and make permanent changes to your routine that help bring you closer to saving the world from apocalyptic doom. As we cover in our The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D review, this 2015 update makes tracking its myriad side quests much easier and adds helpful hints if you need them, bringing out the full potential of the weirdest game in the entire series.
RELATED: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask: Inside the surrealist sequel that was never supposed to exist
5. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
Platform: Wii U
Release Date: 2013
Proving that a great aesthetic can outshine realism every time, Wind Waker remains one of the most beloved games in the series. Set in a version of Hyrule long covered by a gigantic body of water, the last vestiges of society mete out existence on islands that dot the ocean.
You'll navigate the waterways thanks to a magic talking boat, explore some of the best dungeons the series has to offer, and learn the secret ties its story shares with the Ocarina of Time. Some late-game padding prevents it from achieving a higher place on this list, though much of it is mitigated with some helpful additions and changes in the Wii U's HD port. But for a good 14 years, Wind Waker was the best 3D Zelda game in its decades-long history.
RELATED: The making of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
4. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: 2019
The Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening was always one of the series' most underrated gems, a smaller-scale adventure with big ambitions. Today, it's remembered as not only one of the best Game Boy games, but one of the best Game Boy Color games too, thanks to a fantastic enhanced port. The thing is, there's an even better way to experience the joys of Link's Awakening these days, and that's through the utterly delightful 2019 remake for Nintendo Switch.
With its beautiful visual redesign and updated mechanics, Nintendo breathed new life into Link's Awakening and the densely packed Koholint Island, where the game is set. Link's Awakening is a lot of fun, features an extremely smart structure, and works hard to celebrate the Zelda series and Nintendo's wider history. It's a pure delight.
RELATED: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening review: "Peak old-school Zelda, and it's never looked better"
3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Platform: SNES
Release Date: 1991
Like other 16-bit Nintendo classics like Super Mario World and Super Metroid, A Link to the Past expanded brilliantly on its NES predecessor and defined how all future entries in the series are measured. The graphics, gameplay, and music were also top-notch for their time, introducing many ideas that are now core to the series.
Nintendo also used the game to push storytelling in impressive new directions, setting the mood early with its unforgettable opening. Its scale was incredible for its time too, and its version of Hyrule is still one of the largest and most diverse worlds in gaming. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past isn't just one of the best SNES games, it's one of the best games of all-time.
RELATED: The making of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: 2017
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is simultaneously a reinvention of everything you know about the Legend of Zelda as well as the next logical step for the series. It deviates entirely from the traditional formula established in A Link to the Past, instead giving you a small handful of abilities that can be exploited in ways both obvious and obscure, then sets you loose into an unpredictable world.
It's absolutely massive, ensuring that you can run off in any direction and find something interesting, whether it's a new quest, a small town off the beaten path or one of over 100 mini-dungeons that force you to discover innovative ways to use your small-yet-versatile toolset. All of it is wrapped in melancholy, its greatest monuments lying in post-cataclysmic ruin, as our hero attempts to rectify previous failures. It's, in a word, breathtaking, and it marks a rebirth for The Legend of Zelda.
RELATED: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild review: "It's taken 18 years, but Nintendo has done it again: this is the adventure game to beat"
1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: 2023
Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is everything a sequel should be. It's smarter, larger, and more intuitive – building off the foundations established by Breath of the Wild to create something that's truly special. While Tears of the Kingdom was never going to be as groundbreaking as its 2017 predecessor, Nintendo has worked to enhance the sandbox to allow for more creativity.
An overhauled set of powers lets you build weird and wonderful weapons and contraptions, giving you new ways to survive and traverse the expanded overworld. Islands in the sky and dungeons below the depths offer new opportunities to explore, while the refined structure of the experience allows for a true adventure. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is undoubtedly one of the best Switch games ever made.
RELATED: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom review: A rich, robust experience that builds on what came before"
Look ahead to future releases coming our way with our roundup of upcoming Switch games. Or, if you want to learn more about the latest Zelda release, you can read our Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom review.
