The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo's oldest and most cherished franchises out there and it continues to live a successful life some 30 years from the first release.
It began life on Nintendo's Famicom console, which saw the very first release of The Legend of Zelda and the infamous line still uttered today by fans: "It's dangerous to go alone! Take this".
Known and beloved worldwide for its excellent music, dangerously delightful puzzles and the charming world of Hyrule; Zelda and Link hold a special place in the hearts and minds of many.
The story of The Legend of Zelda is cyclical and all about reincarnation, telling the story of three main characters: Link, Zelda and the evil Ganon (sometimes Ganondorf), whose fates are woven together by the mythical power of the Tri Force.
Each game tackles the story in a different way and even if you've just started with 2017's Breath of the Wild, revisiting the older games is a must and seeing the stories, characters and systems evolve over time is magical.
Trace the never-ending journey of Link trying his best to save princess Zelda from the clutches of Ganondorf and other iterations of this great evil with our definitive ranking of all the mainline Zelda games.
18. Tri Force Heroes, 3DS (2015)
Out of all the Zelda games that have come and gone, Tri Force Heroes is tragically the most forgettable. This is in part due to the difference between it and a normal Zelda game.
Tri Force Heroes is similar to the Four Swords games, which sees the protagonist Link accompanied by two other Links, which is all part of the multiplayer aspects of the game.
Playing a Zelda game co-operatively is certainly fun, and despite this more modern version, it never came close to Four Swords.
There is a single-player option which uses Doppels to replace what would otherwise be Link copies in online play and you can switch between them at will.
17. The Minish Cap, Game Boy Advance (2004)
The premise is simple and lovable enough: Link's trademark green hat is replaced with a being called Ezlo, who is actually part of a mythical race of people known as the Picori.
Ezlo jumps onto Link's head and, aside from being damn fashionable, helps Link shrink down to a minuscule size — the size of the Picori people to navigate certain areas of the land.
It was a really cool mechanic which was added, and it seems like this idea was evolved upon in the future release of A Link Between Worlds, which saw you shift from a 2D shape to 3D.
It has the classic Zelda feel and benefits from the updated graphics of the GameBoy Advance, making so many aspects of Minish Cap downright charming and enjoyable.
Of course, it is, unfortunately, another title where Zelda is taken out of the game incredibly early when she's turned to stone.
Vaati, by the way, is the big bad evil from the Four Swords adventure game, so there's a nice... Link between the two.
16. A Link Between Worlds, 3DS (2013)
This is one of the more modern Zelda games which was one of the last two to come out on the Nintendo 3DS.
The gameplay again brought in a new dynamic which allowed Link to shift into a 2D perspective by wall merging, allowing a new way to explore the land and solve puzzles.
A Link Between Worlds also has the traditional top-down gameplay which was used in early games, except it's been enhanced greatly to give it a beautiful style.
The best part about A Link Between Worlds is the nostalgia factor, as it was an indirect sequel to A Link to the Past, which came out in 1992, featuring the same version of Hyrule.
15. Phantom hourglass, Nintendo DS (2007)
Phantom Hourglass is a direct sequel to The Wind Waker, which introduced us to a flooded version of Hyrule.
This story follows on directly from the events as Tetra and Link explore the seas for a Ghost Ship. Of course, Tetra goes missing and Link has to save her!
Much like the Wind Waker, albeit on a smaller scale, the gameplay follows two main factors: sailing the seas on your ship and exploring islands and dungeons you come across on foot.
It never really captured the same magic of the Wind Waker and that's probably got a lot to do with it being on the Nintendo DS, while Wind Waker was far more advanced technologically on the Nintendo Gamecube console.
Arguably the best thing about the Phantom Hourglass is its set in the future of the same world as the Spirit Tracks, which was the next Zelda game to come out on the DS.
14. Majora's Mask, Nintendo 64 (2000)
Of course, the N64 did absolute wonders for the Zelda franchise when it introduced the very first completely 3D Zelda game with Ocarina of Time.
Majora's Mask used the same engine and was the beginning of a split in the original Zelda timeline and can be thought of a 'what if' scenario.
This timeline is as legitimate as any other in the wider Zelda universe and it explores the story of a young Link trying to save the world from Skull Kid and a giant, evil moon.
Unique to any Zelda game even now, Majora's Mask uses a time system that spans three days, which means you were always pressured by the clock.
Majora's Mask is one of the darker and more bleak entries to the Zelda series, emphasising a lot of doom and gloom within the core story that is completely unavoidable.
This Link is referred to as the Hero of Time, the same character you control in Ocarina of Time.
13. A Link to The Past, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1992)
A Link to the Past was a return to form for Zelda games after the deviation from Legend of Zelda II. This is the third Zelda game to be released and continued the journey from the past two games.
The system which made this title stand out was the inclusion of the Dark and Light worlds, which changed up the map of Hyrule with new and different locations depending on which one you were in.
For a lot of people, reverting back to the top-down screen view from the first game was greatly appreciated. Zelda II had a sidescrolling map and simply did not resonate with people as strongly.
You can play it today if you have a Nintendo Switch and a Nintendo Online membership, which is definitely worth a try if you've never played it before.
Link to the Past holds significant importance in the extended Zelda timeline being the very first one placed in the "Downfall" split timeline introduced in Ocarina of Time.
According to the official encyclopedia of Zelda games, this one sets up the immediate sequels of Link's Awakening and the Oracle of Ages and Seasons, all of which are the same Link.
12. Skyward Sword, Wii (2011)
We definitely aren't the only ones who saw that magical, short trailer for Skyward Sword completely revolving around Link and Zelda, with an accompanying song called Romance in the Air.
This was easily a big selling point for a lot of people who enjoy Zelda games, as it was one of the most overt references that there might be some form of a romantic relationship between the two characters, which has been speculated and hinted towards by fans and the games themselves for years.
We know you ZeLink shippers have this video bookmarked, but here it is if you wanted to see it:
A lot of people didn't enjoy Skyward Sword because of its complete reliance on the Wii's motion controls, which saw you control the movements of Link's sword and other actions by swinging the Wii-mote controller.
Setting this aside, the story is gorgeous and the world is ebulliently detailed, being canonically something of an origins story for the whole of the Legend of Zelda timeline.
Skyward Sword never had a real chance to be enjoyed by a bigger audience, but with fresh rumours of a re-release for the Switch, there's plenty of hope this game could get the recognition it deserves.
The Link in this game is referred to as The Hero of the Skies.
11. The Legend of Zelda, Famicom (1986)
The Legend of Zelda is the first-ever instalment of the Zelda series. It introduced us to a young boy named Link, who became the central hero throughout every future game, along with Zelda and the evil Ganon (or Ganondorf).
From exploring an overworld, clearing a dungeon to gathering specific items and gear to progress, this entry laid the groundwork for every subsequent game and it has left one of the largest legacies in the history of gaming.
Since its first release on the Famicom, it has been re-released countless times and if you own a Nintendo Switch you can play it today through a Switch Online subscription.
The Legend of Zelda single-handedly popularised and arguably created the puzzle, role-playing action-adventure genre of gaming.
10. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Famicom & NES (1987)
Zelda II ditched the classic top-down view of the original game and instead went for side-scrolling gameplay.
This reason alone was enough for people to dislike it, but we think that Zelda II is one of the better early entries out there.
It deviated so much so that it is commonly thought of as the “black sheep” of the whole series due to the gameplay changes it introduced, like more RPG mechanics.
Nintendo clearly wanted to try and do something else with it and maybe the success of Mario previously, which uses the same side-scrolling, was an influence here.
At the end of the day, however, the top-down view of the old Zelda games is perfect and we're glad that Nintendo opted to go back to that for future releases, despite how much we love that style of that for Zelda II.
9. Breath of The Wild, Switch & Wii U (2017)
While BoTW brought a lot of new and shiny features to Zelda, completely changing up the core gameplay and progression, some of these deviations were not as welcome as others.
The dungeons, in the shape of the four divine beasts, were all perfectly fine but each one felt repetitive and all the shrines were outright bland.
These two features replaced the classic dungeons and locations from past Zelda games and we hope it's something that's subsequently dropped or at least completely improved in the Breath of the Wild sequel.
BoTW brought about one of the most beautiful versions of Hyrule we've ever seen and it's positively bursting at the seams with a visual style akin to Studio Ghibli, with a sense of wonder and exploration to match it.
While truly phenomenal, we do hope to see more of a classic Zelda feel, music and all, in the next game along with Zelda taking the main protagonist role over Link for once.
Buy Breath of The Wild for Nintendo Switch here
8. Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, Game Boy Colour (2001)
The Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons were released at the same time and were the last Zelda games on the Game Boy Colour.
Each one begins the same, but the story quickly shifts to a different narrative, making both games completely different.
Ages, for example, has more of an emphasis on puzzle-oriented gameplay while Seasons has more action.
Through the game, Link uses a Harp to travel through time, which changes how the map looks between the past, future and present.
The systems are excellent as they help switch things up and follow a compelling narrative and they are mirrored in Seasons whereby Link changes how areas appear by switching between seasons.
It's an excellent way to tell a story and, weirdly enough, these two titles were developed by Capcom instead of Nintendo, but the magic really lies in how the two games interact with each other.
Chronologically, Oracle of Ages takes place after Oracle of Seasons and by linking the two games together, the stories link up and form one linear narrative as opposed to two separate ones.
7. Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, Game Boy Colour (2001)
While the games are very different there's also a lot of things which remain the same and the classic Zelda exploration, dungeon clearing and story all felt more compelling than in Ages.
To be specific, Oracle of Season is our favourite of the two, simply because of all the different and beautiful changes to the weather and map when you switch between each season.
The two games are meant to be enjoyed as one package and, if you missed this during the first release, we highly recommend you check these two out as they rank highly for us as some of the best Zelda games.
6. Four Swords, Game Boy Advance (2002)
A Link to the Past was ported to the Game Boy Advance and with it came the addition of a brand new multiplayer expansion called The Four Swords.
The re-release had a few changes to the main game, but the best thing about this version was the Four Swords adventure.
You could party up with three other friends and take on a completely co-operative Legend of Zelda storyline and it was exceptionally well done.
It didn't follow the same sort of gameplay cycle as a normal Zelda game and instead saw you use an overworld map to travel to locations, clear levels and so on.
Four Swords was exceptionally in-depth and playing a game like Zelda with a friend was completely mindblowing to comprehend at the time and we want more.
A standalone version of The Four Swords was also released on the GameCube, which you could use your Game Boy to play it through as if it were a controller.
5. Link's Awakening, Game Boy (1993)
This was the very first Zelda game this reporter ever played and for that reason alone it holds a special place in this ranking.
It might also be the first one for many people, introducing them to the gorgeous world of Zelda due to the portable nature of the Game Boy console.
The game's intro cinematic is incredibly memorable as you see Link struggling to keep his boat afloat during a storm.
He crashes on Koholint Island and is woken by a girl named Marin, from there a journey of pure joy and excellence unfolds right before your eyes.
Everything about the game from the story, dialogue and the presentation of the island felt so incredibly whimsical at the time and its popularity is clear to see.
The game was remade completely for the Nintendo Switch last year and it is arguably one of the most important video games of all time.
4. Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Nintendo DS (2009)
Tragically overlooked and frowned upon by many Zelda fans, the Spirit Tracks is, actually, phenomenal in our opinion.
This was one of the first games which saw Link and Zelda travel together and work co-operatively and equally. Sure, Zelda was in ghost form but she still had a huge narrative arc in the story and seeing the two characters interact like this was a treat in itself.
To this end, Spirit Tracks ranks incredibly high for us, specifically because it features Zelda in one of her most detailed and nuanced roles, accompanying Link throughout the game.
As with Skyward Sword, there was some playful flirting between the two and hilariously butting heads over how stubborn the other is.
Not to mention the absolutely stellar soundtrack that goes with the overworld as you explore by train. As a side note, this is also the land of Hyrule before it becomes flooded, the self-same one you explore in the Wind Waker timeline; and that is, frankly, awesome.
The Link in this game is referred to as The Hero of Tracks.
3. Ocarina of Time, N64 (1998)
Ocarina of Time is arguably one of the best games ever made and if you've played it you'll absolutely understand that sentiment.
Ocarina is far and wide beloved by fans of the series and often thought of as the very best of it.
It helped that it was the first-ever fully rendered 3D Zelda game ever and it had a spot on Nintendo's adored N64 system. But the consequences of the game's release can still be felt today, leaving an exceptionally large footprint in the history of gaming.
It brought so many changes, from story to gameplay, which previously had only been expressed in a 2D top-down view, translating them masterfully into a living, breathing world filled with memorable moments, horrors and characters alike.
The entire game is truly a marvel and it also introduced the first instance of time-travelling which split the Zelda timeline, one of which leads on to Majora's Mask.
Special shoutout to Navi for being a downright incredible companion, we will never tire of hearing the callouts of 'hey!' and 'look!' when exploring or fighting.
Link in this game is referred to as The Hero of Time.
2. The Wind Waker, GameCube (2002)
The Wind Waker is dear to every single Zelda fan and for good reason.
Thanks to the timeless cel-shaded graphics and the stunning environments you explore in the game, The Wind Waker offers one of the best worlds in Zelda history.
Not to mention it has one of the coolest guides in the entire franchise in the shape of a talking boat — The King of Red Lions himself. Sailing the seas and changing the direction of the wind was accompanied by a masterful piece of music as well.
From the humble, serene beginnings of Outset Island to the sunken Temple of Hyrule, the sense of wonder and exploration in Wind Waker was second to none and you're able to explore an extraordinarily huge world via boat as you visited new islands and dredged up secrets from the ocean.
It is one of the best Zelda games of all time and we would love nothing more than to see this come to the Switch or even have a continuation of the story which does it justice (unlike the Phantom Hourglass).
The Link in this game is referred to as The Hero of Wind.
1. Twilight Princess, GameCube (2006)
While it is slightly impossible to choose between The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, this game gets first place from us.
Twilight Princess has a notably darker theme and story than modern Zelda games to this point, mostly with its depiction of Hyrule being sullen and sad compared the ebullient world of the Wind Waker.
Link is a more mature character from the start and this is reflected wonderfully by his badass design, like having chainmail on under his tunic and the delicious art style.
Everything from the sleek combat to the exploration of the overworld was pitch-perfect, not to mention the next-level soundtrack which punctuated your journey gloriously.
One of the most memorable moments for us, aside from the phenomenally cool final battle(s), was the unparalleled serenity felt when fishing in the hidden paradise near Lake Hylia.
What about Zelda spinoff games?
While we're only covering the mainline Zelda games here, we want to throw a special shout-out to Cadance of Hyrule for being one of the best rhythm games out there.
There will always be a place for the tragically short-lived animated series, too, which gifted us a meme to last a generation: sassy Link saying lines like "excuuuse me, princess".
The world of Hyrule, its in-depth and connected worlds and myriad timeline theories has ensured the entire franchise is rightly celebrated and obsessed over today, more than 30 years since the first game came out and we can't wait to see more.
