Join today to claim your daily loot

The 15 Best Legend of Zelda Games of All Time

1-15

Ignacio Weil

Gaming - May 19th 2026, 22:00 GMT+2

The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass 2007 cropped processed by imagy — 15. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (2007)

Touch controls were risky business for a series built on precision, but *Phantom Hourglass* turned the Nintendo DS into a surprisingly natural little adventure map. Sailing returns after *The Wind Waker*, only tighter, stranger, and full of stylus-driven puzzles that make the hardware feel like part of the quest instead of a gimmick. The Temple of the Ocean King still gets side-eyed for all that backtracking, but Linebeck alone earns this game a seat at the table. | © Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda 1986 cropped processed by imagy — 14. The Legend of Zelda (1986)

The original *The Legend of Zelda* can feel almost rude today, dropping players into Hyrule with a sword, a cave, and the emotional support of absolutely no tutorial. That raw mystery is also why it still matters so much: secrets behind walls, bushes hiding staircases, dungeons waiting in odd corners, and a world that expected curiosity before comfort. It did not just introduce Link, Zelda, and Ganon; it taught console games how thrilling getting lost could be. | © Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda The Minish Cap 2004 — 13. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (2004)

*The Minish Cap* has the energy of a storybook that got bored sitting on the shelf and decided to become a full adventure. Shrinking Link down to Minish size gives Hyrule a new personality, turning puddles, bookshelves, gardens, and ordinary houses into tiny obstacle courses. Ezlo, the talking hat with zero patience, adds just enough attitude without taking over the whole thing. It is bright, compact, clever, and one of the prettiest 2D Zelda games ever made. | © Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda Oracle of Ages cropped processed by imagy — 12. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages / Oracle of Seasons (2001)

Bundling *Oracle of Ages* and *Oracle of Seasons* together feels fair, because separating them is like judging half a magic trick. One leans into time-shifting puzzles, the other bends its world around seasonal changes, and both squeeze an absurd amount of invention out of the Game Boy Color. The password-linked ending was a wonderfully odd early-2000s flex, rewarding players who treated the pair as one massive quest. Capcom helped make these, and somehow they still feel deeply Zelda. | © Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword 2021 cropped processed by imagy — 11. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011, 2021)

*Skyward Sword* remains one of the most argumentative Zelda games, which is usually what happens when a game swings this big. Its motion-controlled swordplay was bold, sometimes brilliant, sometimes fussy enough to test anyone’s spiritual connection to the Wii Remote. Still, the dungeons are terrific, the relationship between Link and Zelda has rare warmth, and the origin-story angle gives the whole adventure a mythic weight. The HD version smoothed several rough edges, but the ambition was always there. | © Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda A Link Between Worlds 2013 cropped processed by imagy — 10. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (2013)

Returning to the world of *A Link to the Past* could have been a museum tour, but *A Link Between Worlds* walks in, rearranges the furniture, and makes the old place feel dangerously fresh. The wall-merging mechanic is brilliant because it looks like a cute visual trick before it starts breaking your brain in dungeons. Renting items also loosens the classic formula, letting players choose their path through Lorule with unusual freedom. It respects the past without embalming it. | © Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past 2003 cropped processed by imagy — 9. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991, 2003)

The Zelda blueprint most people carry in their heads was practically forged in *A Link to the Past*. The Light World and Dark World structure remains elegant, the dungeon design is ruthless without being cruel, and the pacing has the confidence of a game that knows exactly where the next hook is. It made the series bigger, sharper, moodier, and far more cinematic without losing that top-down clarity. Plenty of later entries expanded the formula; this one perfected its spine. | © Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda Links Awakening 2019 cropped processed by imagy — 8. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (1993, 2019)

For a game that started life on Game Boy, *Link’s Awakening* has no business being this emotionally sneaky. Koholint Island trades Hyrule, Zelda, and Ganon for talking animals, dream logic, side-scrolling cameos, and a story that gets heavier the longer its cheerful surface holds together. The 2019 remake understood the assignment, giving the island a toy-box look without sanding away its melancholy. It is small by Zelda standards, but its ending still lands like a quiet little betrayal. | © Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom 2024 cropped processed by imagy — 7. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (2024)

After decades of waiting, *Echoes of Wisdom* finally lets Princess Zelda lead a mainline-style adventure, and it wisely avoids turning her into Link with different hair. The Tri Rod’s echo system makes problem-solving feel wonderfully mischievous, letting players copy objects and enemies to build their own odd solutions. Its visual style recalls the *Link’s Awakening* remake, but the rhythm is more experimental, playful, and puzzle-first. It is not the biggest Zelda game, but it gives the series a new voice. | © Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda Majoras Mask 2000 cropped processed by imagy — 6. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000)

*Majora’s Mask* is what happens when Zelda looks at heroic fantasy and decides everyone in town needs therapy before the moon hits. The three-day cycle gives Termina a strange pulse, with characters following routines that become more heartbreaking once players know where they end. Masks are not just collectibles here; they reshape movement, combat, identity, and even grief. It reuses *Ocarina of Time* assets, sure, but the result feels less like a sequel and more like a haunted stage play. | © Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker 2003 cropped processed by imagy — 5. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2003)

The internet once acted like *The Wind Waker* had personally insulted realism, which now feels hilarious because the cel-shaded art aged better than almost anything from its era. Its ocean can be slow, yes, but the sense of distance makes each island feel like a discovery instead of a checkpoint. Toon Link’s expressions give the game more personality than many voice-acted heroes manage in twice the runtime. Bright colors, buried sadness, and one of Ganondorf’s best portrayals make it unforgettable. | © Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess 2006 cropped processed by imagy — 4. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006)

*Twilight Princess* sometimes feels like Nintendo heard every fan asking for a darker, grander Zelda and responded by handing them a wolf, a shadow imp, and several emotional support goats. Beneath the heavier mood, though, there is classic dungeon craftsmanship everywhere, from the Arbiter’s Grounds to Snowpeak Ruins. Midna carries the story with enough personality to make most sidekicks look undercooked, and the swordplay has a satisfying weight. It is dramatic, occasionally grim, and still deeply adventurous. | © Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild 2017 cropped processed by imagy — 3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)

After years of carefully structured Zelda design, *Breath of the Wild* kicked open the doors, pointed at a mountain, and trusted players to cause their own problems. Hyrule became a physics playground, a survival trip, a shrine hunt, a cooking experiment, and a disaster simulator for anyone holding a metal weapon during a thunderstorm. Some traditional dungeons were missed, no question, but the freedom was electrifying. It made exploration feel dangerous, quiet, funny, and personal again. | © Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 1998 cropped processed by imagy — 2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

*Ocarina of Time* did not merely bring Zelda into 3D; it made the leap look so natural that half the industry spent years studying the landing. Z-targeting, cinematic dungeon reveals, horseback travel, time travel, musical puzzles, and boss fights with real staging all arrived with astonishing confidence. Hyrule Field may seem modest now, but stepping into it once felt like a wall falling down. Its legend is huge, but the game underneath the legend is still remarkably sturdy. | © Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom 2023 cropped processed by imagy — 1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)

*Tears of the Kingdom* had the impossible job of following *Breath of the Wild*, so naturally it gave players glue, rockets, falling rocks, floating islands, underground nightmares, and permission to build absolute nonsense. Ultrahand and Fuse turn Hyrule into a giant toy chest, but the trick is that the chaos still serves exploration, combat, and discovery. The Depths add menace, the sky adds wonder, and the story gives Zelda unusually strong dramatic weight. It is sequel design at its most ridiculous and generous. | © Nintendo

1-15

Nintendo has spent decades turning The Legend of Zelda into one of gaming’s rare franchises where nostalgia and reinvention somehow keep shaking hands. Every era of Hyrule has its own argument: the pixel-perfect classics, the 3D landmarks, the handheld gems, and the open-world giants that changed what players expected from adventure games. Ranking the best Zelda games of all time means picking through brilliant dungeons, strange side quests, unforgettable music, and a lot of very confident opinions. So yes, someone’s favorite is going to be “too low,” but that is basically part of the tradition now.

Facebook X Reddit WhatsApp Copy URL

Nintendo has spent decades turning The Legend of Zelda into one of gaming’s rare franchises where nostalgia and reinvention somehow keep shaking hands. Every era of Hyrule has its own argument: the pixel-perfect classics, the 3D landmarks, the handheld gems, and the open-world giants that changed what players expected from adventure games. Ranking the best Zelda games of all time means picking through brilliant dungeons, strange side quests, unforgettable music, and a lot of very confident opinions. So yes, someone’s favorite is going to be “too low,” but that is basically part of the tradition now.