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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThere is no objective answer to “which is the best Zelda game?” A ranking is an argument, because the series spans top-down adventures, tightly structured 3D dungeon games, open-world systems, remakes, and multiplayer experiments. This list ranks 21 core releases by combining exploration, dungeon and puzzle design, pacing, originality, historical influence, accessibility for a new player, and critic consensus. The order reflects those competing strengths rather than a single review score.
My top three are Breath of the Wild, Ocarina of Time, and A Link to the Past. That result broadly matches Nintendo Life’s current editorial order, while aggregate critic lists put Ocarina of Time first, Breath of the Wild second, and Tears of the Kingdom third. Both approaches are useful, but neither is a universal verdict.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - World Edition | $59.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D | $52.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Scope: which Zelda games are included?
This is a ranking of the 21 core releases generally treated as mainline Zelda adventures, from the original game through Echoes of Wisdom. Top-down, side-scrolling, traditional 3D, open-world, and multiplayer-focused entries are all included so that the list reflects the series’ actual range.
Remakes and remasters are not counted as separate games. When a remake materially changes presentation or mechanics, its improvements are considered in the discussion of the original release. For example, the 2019 version of Link’s Awakening informs that game’s accessibility, but it does not create an additional ranking slot. Multiplayer-focused games remain in the list and are labeled clearly; they are judged as multiplayer adventures rather than penalized for not being solo campaigns.
#1 Best Overall
- Discover Hyrule as never before: by making your own path, choices, and consequences
- Ingenuity is the key to survival: find multiple solutions to tons of dynamic puzzles
- Surprises hide around every corner: scavenge weapons, armor, plants, animals, and more
- Live off the land: find weapons and armor, cook food, and brew elixirs
- Utilize special technology: the in-game Sheikah Slate controls, objects and enemies in fun ways
The original The Legend of Zelda launched in Japan in 1986 and North America in 1987, so “release year” depends on region. The series is set primarily in Hyrule, though several entries move Link to places such as Termina, Holodrum, Labrynna, or a dream world.
How the ranking was decided
- Exploration: how rewarding the world is to navigate and how much curiosity the design creates.
- Dungeons and puzzles: room design, item use, boss encounters, and the clarity of each game’s internal logic.
- Pacing: whether discovery, combat, story, and traversal maintain momentum.
- Originality and influence: ideas that changed Zelda or adventure games beyond their own release.
- Accessibility: how easily a first-time player can understand the controls, goals, and progression today.
- Format fit: whether the game succeeds on its own terms, including multiplayer entries that are not designed as conventional solo adventures.
Critic aggregates are a corroborating signal, not a substitute for analysis. Metacritic’s series list is a moving aggregate accessed in 2026; it uses Metascores where available, substitutes GameRankings figures for some older releases, and includes remakes when they substantially change the original. Its numbers therefore should not be read as an all-versions ranking or as a measure of player enjoyment.
Critic scores that frame the debate
| Game and version | Aggregate score | What the figure means |
|---|---|---|
| Ocarina of Time (Nintendo listing) | 99 Metascore | Metacritic critic aggregate accessed in 2026 |
| Breath of the Wild (Switch) | 97 Metascore | Metacritic critic aggregate accessed in 2026 |
| Tears of the Kingdom (Switch) | 96 Metascore | Metacritic critic aggregate accessed in 2026 |
| Tri Force Heroes | 73 Metascore | Metacritic series-list value accessed in 2026 |
| Zelda II: The Adventure of Link | 78 GameRankings score | Legacy score reproduced by Metacritic because a Metascore is unavailable |
| The Legend of Zelda (original) | 84 GameRankings score | Legacy score reproduced by Metacritic because a Metascore is unavailable |
These values can change as databases update. They measure contemporary critic reviews, not sales, longevity, or an objective quality level.
The complete Zelda ranking
1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Breath of the Wild earns the top position because it makes exploration itself the main reward. Climbing, gliding, weather, physics, elemental reactions, and weapon durability turn almost any landmark into a possible route or puzzle. Its shrines provide frequent, portable challenges, while the Divine Beasts offer larger dungeon-like spaces. The trade-off is that weapon breakage can feel disposable, and its four major dungeons are less formally staged than classic Zelda temples. For a new player, however, the generous physics and non-linear objectives make it the clearest demonstration of what the series can become.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Ocarina of Time established the template that subsequent 3D entries repeatedly refined: a navigable Hyrule, lock-on combat, cinematic dungeon entrances, contextual items, and a progression that alternates between open travel and tightly authored temples. Its 99 Metascore is the highest figure in the cited Metacritic listing. The camera, interface, and mandatory backtracking can feel dated, but its pacing and spatial teaching remain unusually effective. It is still the best starting point for someone who wants the classic 3D Zelda structure.
3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The Super Nintendo classic is the strongest traditional top-down package. Its Light World and Dark World create meaningful parallel exploration, while dungeon layouts steadily increase in complexity without abandoning readable objectives. Swordplay is simple but responsive, and the compact overworld rarely wastes a trip. Compared with later games, it offers fewer character-driven story moments and less overt guidance. Its influence on the series’ map design, item progression, and tone is enormous, making it the safest recommendation for players who prefer focused 2D adventure.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Tears of the Kingdom expands the open-air formula with sky islands, an underground world, and construction abilities that let players build vehicles, weapons, and machines. Its systemic creativity can exceed anything else in the series, and its temples restore more of the classic regional identity. The cost is cognitive and narrative overload: the enormous map repeats some discoveries from Breath of the Wild, and building systems can distract from authored puzzles. It ranks just below its predecessor because its abundance is astonishing but less consistently paced.
5. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Majora’s Mask is the series’ boldest experiment in time, identity, and consequence. The three-day cycle turns Clock Town and its surrounding regions into schedules to learn, while masks provide both utility and emotional perspective. Its four main dungeons are excellent, and the side quests are unusually interconnected. The countdown, repeated routines, and limited number of major areas can frustrate newcomers. Players willing to learn the cycle find a dense adventure unlike any other Zelda.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
Whether played on Game Boy or through the modern remake, Link’s Awakening is a compact, inventive adventure set away from Hyrule. Its dream-world premise supports playful writing, unusual enemies, and dungeons with strong visual identities. The remake makes navigation and presentation friendlier, though the small map and repeated dungeon rooms remain evident. It is one of the best choices for a first 2D Zelda because the campaign is manageable without feeling slight.
7. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Wind Waker’s cel-shaded art has aged exceptionally well, and its Great Sea creates a sense of distance and discovery that few games match. Sailing between islands, collecting charts, and meeting expressive characters give the journey a distinct rhythm. The late treasure hunt slows the original release, while the remastered version improves sailing and streamlines several chores. Its ocean is more atmospheric than dense, so players seeking constant dungeon activity may prefer another entry.
8. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Twilight Princess delivers some of the series’ most substantial dungeons, including elaborate spaces that reward careful item use and spatial memory. Its horseback travel, darker presentation, and expanded combat make it feel like a grand traditional adventure. The opening is slow, wolf sections can overstay their welcome, and the world often feels like a corridor between set pieces. It remains an excellent recommendation for players who want a long, linear 3D campaign with demanding temples.
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This Nintendo 3DS adventure reworks the world map of A Link to the Past while adding wall-merging, an ability that turns flat surfaces into navigable spaces. Renting or buying dungeon items lets players tackle many temples in a flexible order. That freedom is elegant, but it reduces the dramatic escalation of a traditional item sequence, and the campaign is relatively short. Its clear controls and generous save structure make it one of the most accessible modern 2D entries.
10. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Skyward Sword builds its entire structure around motion-based swordplay, directional strikes, and a more explicit story about Link and Zelda. Its dungeons are inventive, and the world below the clouds functions as a connected set of puzzle spaces rather than a conventional open field. Motion requirements, repeated visits, and frequent notifications divided players; later editions improve control options and pacing. It is the strongest choice for story and puzzle density, but not for uninterrupted exploration.
11. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
Oracle of Ages emphasizes puzzles and time travel. Switching between past and present versions of Labrynna changes routes, objects, and dungeon solutions, producing some of the series’ most satisfying environmental logic. Its combat and overworld are more conventional than its puzzle design, and the Game Boy presentation can feel cramped on modern displays. Linked play with Oracle of Seasons adds a larger narrative, but the two games remain separate adventures.
Rank #2
- This is the world edition. It has different packaging but is fully authentic and works on US region 3DS systems.
- The Legend of Zelda veterans can look forward to the Master Quest - a second quest with revamped puzzles and redesigned dungeons.
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is a masterful improvement on one of the landmark releases in video game history.
- “E10+”, w/Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes
12. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
Oracle of Seasons is the action-oriented counterpart to Ages. Changing seasons reshapes terrain, opens paths, and alters enemy encounters, while the ring system encourages experimentation with equipment effects. Its dungeons are direct and combat-forward, making it easier to recommend to players who find puzzle-heavy Zelda slow. The structure is less intricate than Ages, and the small screen limits visual clarity, but its brisk pace is a major strength.
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13. The Minish Cap
The Minish Cap uses size-changing as both a story premise and a level-design tool. Shrinking Link reveals routes, characters, and puzzles hidden inside an otherwise familiar Hyrule, while the Kinstone system adds optional discoveries. Its compact campaign is polished and colorful, with dungeons that teach their central ideas quickly. It lacks the scale and late-game challenge of the highest-ranked titles, yet it is an approachable handheld adventure with a strong visual identity.
14. The Legend of Zelda
The original game remains remarkably open: players can find dungeons in different orders, bomb suspicious walls, burn trees, and map a dangerous overworld through experimentation. Its design assumes note-taking and accepts that players will get lost, which can be thrilling or opaque depending on expectations. Jeff Gerstmann’s 2004 GameSpot assessment, reproduced by Metacritic, observed that it “still holds up quite well” despite the deeper games that followed. That durability earns it a high place, even though modern players may need a guide for several secrets.
15. Four Swords Adventures
Four Swords Adventures turns the multiplayer idea into a sequence of compact, arcade-like stages. Four Links solve formation puzzles, divide tasks, and compete for rupees while progressing through a clear campaign. It is unusually structured for a Zelda game and can be enjoyable solo, but its best moments require multiple players and the original hardware setup. Its narrow format keeps it below the major solo adventures while making it valuable for groups seeking cooperative Zelda.
16. Phantom Hourglass
Phantom Hourglass adapts The Wind Waker to Nintendo DS with stylus controls, touch-screen item use, and a central ocean hub. The Temple of the Ocean King asks players to revisit floors with new equipment, a clever idea that also creates repetition and time pressure. Its cheerful presentation and readable puzzles suit younger or first-time players. The touch controls are divisive today, and the recurring temple is less welcoming than the rest of the campaign.
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Spirit Tracks improves on its predecessor’s character work by giving Zelda an active role and making the train a meaningful travel system. Routing tracks, possessing enemies, and solving tower puzzles create a distinct identity. The train limits free exploration, and stylus controls remain an acquired taste. Its strongest ideas are memorable, but the repeated tower structure and travel interruptions keep it from matching the best handheld entries.
18. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Zelda II is the series outlier: side-scrolling combat, experience levels, magic spells, and an overworld that leads into platforming areas. Its swordplay has surprising depth, and its difficulty gives victories real weight. It is also unusually punishing, with lives, hidden passages, and unforgiving enemy patterns that can stop new players early. Metacritic reproduces a 78 GameRankings score for it because no Metascore is available, but the number cannot capture how distinctive its design remains.
19. Tri Force Heroes
Tri Force Heroes is built around three-player cooperation, costume abilities, and short challenge-based stages. Coordinating item use and formations can be delightful with two friends, while the solo mode has to manage multiple Links and loses much of the social energy. Metacritic lists a 73 Metascore and specifically notes the multiplayer strength alongside the solo limitation. It ranks low only when measured against solo Zelda adventures; as a focused cooperative game, it is more successful.
20. Four Swords
The original Four Swords is a multiplayer add-on rather than a conventional standalone journey. Its competitive rupee scoring and cooperative obstacle solving demonstrate the core idea that later multiplayer entries expand. The requirement for multiple compatible systems made access difficult, and the short stage structure offers little solo value. It is historically important, but its format and availability make it a weaker recommendation than the fully developed adventures above it.
21. Echoes of Wisdom
Echoes of Wisdom belongs at the end of this particular list not because it lacks ambition, but because its place is harder to compare with the older catalog. It shifts the usual focus from Link’s swordplay to Zelda’s ability to create echoes of objects and creatures, making experimentation central to combat and puzzle solving. Its top-down presentation connects it to the classic games while its systems point in a new direction. As more players and critics place it alongside the established catalog, its long-term position may move.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which Zelda game should you play first?
Choose by preferred format
- Open-ended exploration: Start with Breath of the Wild; choose Tears of the Kingdom if construction and a larger world appeal to you.
- Classic 3D dungeons: Start with Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess.
- Top-down adventure: Choose A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, or A Link Between Worlds.
- Story and atmosphere: Try Majora’s Mask, The Wind Waker, or Skyward Sword.
- Cooperative play: Choose Four Swords Adventures or Tri Force Heroes, provided you can assemble the required players and hardware.
Choose by tolerance for older design
Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, the modern Link’s Awakening, and Echoes of Wisdom offer the most immediately readable interfaces. The original The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II expect more self-directed discovery, while Nintendo DS entries rely on touch controls that may feel unfamiliar on current hardware.
How to interpret other “best Zelda games” lists
Editorial rankings and score aggregations answer different questions. Nintendo Life’s current list places Breath of the Wild first, Ocarina of Time second, and A Link to the Past third. Its earlier aggregation collected 23 top-ten lists but warned that some predated Breath of the Wild and that many represented one writer rather than an entire publication. Metacritic’s ordering instead follows critic aggregates, with legacy-score substitutions and a stated policy on remakes and remasters. A list that puts Ocarina of Time first is not contradicting one that puts Breath of the Wild first; they are weighting different evidence.
Nintendo’s current catalog includes Tears of the Kingdom and a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, so check the edition and regional compatibility before buying. The catalog also lists Zelda-themed accessories, but hardware is optional; the game choice should follow the format and design priorities you enjoy.
Quick Recap
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