As a huge Zelda fan, I’ve always been fascinated by the series’ history, and honestly, the timeline has been a constant source of discussion! It felt like every new game added more fuel to the fire. We finally thought things were settled with the release of Hyrule Historia in 2011 – it laid out Nintendo’s official order for Link and Zelda’s adventures, which was amazing. But then, a few years later, they actually changed the timeline! And with new games coming out all the time, the debate just keeps going, which, honestly, is part of what makes being a Zelda fan so fun!
With so many Zelda games available, it’s still debated which one is the best place to start. However, if you prefer to experience the series in story order, the general timeline is well-established. Here’s the official chronological order of every Legend of Zelda game released so far.
The Timeline Split, Explained
A common point of confusion for Zelda fans is the branching timeline. Following the events of Ocarina of Time, the story diverges into three separate paths.
The ‘Fallen Hero’ timeline explores what happens after Link is defeated in battle. It follows a new path where the hero doesn’t succeed, showing the consequences of that failure.
The Child Timeline begins when Link defeats Ganon and is transported seven years into the past. His mission is to prevent Ganondorf from carrying out his evil scheme. This creates a new timeline following the adventures of this younger Link and Zelda as they work together to stop Ganondorf.
After Link defeats Ganon, a new timeline begins, focusing on the adventures of the adult Link and Zelda after Ganon is sealed away.
As a huge fan, I’ve always been fascinated by where Breath of the Wild fits into the Zelda timeline! It feels like it pulls elements from all three timelines, almost bringing them together at the very end. Nintendo’s been pretty mysterious about it, though. They’ve actually said they won’t officially place the game on the timeline, because they want us, the fans, to come up with our own theories and interpretations – which I honestly love!
We’ll discuss each of these timelines in more detail later. For now, here’s a quick chart to give you a visual overview. Clicking on any of the chart titles will take you directly to that section.
Early History
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The Timeline Splits
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The Fallen Hero Timeline
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The Child Timeline
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The Adult Timeline
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The Era of Calamity
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Early History
The Legend of Zelda story starts long before the kingdom of Hyrule existed, even before the Master Sword was made. Though Skyward Sword is the earliest game in the series’ timeline, the tale of Link and Zelda actually began before that.
Long ago, three goddesses created the world and left behind the powerful Triforce, entrusting it to the goddess Hylia. When dangerous demons threatened the land, Hylia lifted a portion of the world into the sky to safeguard her people. Unable to wield the Triforce as a goddess, she gave up her divine power to unlock its potential. Using this power alongside a chosen hero, she sealed away the evil Demon Lord, Demise.
But the cycle doesn’t end there – the hero, the goddess Hylia (now human), and the demon Demise are all fated to be reborn endlessly. Their spirits will reappear throughout time as Link, Zelda, and Ganon, continuing the eternal conflict.
Skyward Sword
In Skyward Sword, Link lives in Skyloft, a town in the clouds, and is training to become a knight. He’s been friends with Zelda since childhood. When Zelda is taken to the world below, called the Surface, by a strange power, Link sets out on a journey to find her and explore this new, unknown land.
Following the game’s story, we learn that Zelda is actually the goddess Hylia reborn. She and Link manage to defeat Demise, but he curses them, promising to reappear as a source of evil throughout history.
Skyward Sword was well-known for its detailed motion controls and the ability to fly around the world on a special creature called a Loftwing. The game’s story explains the origins of the long-running conflict over the Triforce, and how it connects Link, Zelda, and Ganon, while also revealing the history of the Master Sword.
The Minish Cap
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap was the earliest game to show Hyrule as it first existed, and it established the origins of Link’s cap before the release of Skyward Sword. The game’s story centers around the Minish, a tiny race of people, and one Minish in particular named Ezlo. Ezlo is cursed by the villain Vaati to become a bird-like cap, and he must work with Link to protect Hyrule.
In The Minish Cap, the Four Sword appears for the very first time in the game’s timeline, showing how it was made and first used to fight Vaati. The game also introduces the “Light Force,” which serves a similar purpose to the Triforce in this story. It’s currently unknown if the Light Force and Triforce are connected.
Four Swords
Vaati, now a powerful enemy, will be the main threat in the next game. Four Swords really focuses on the importance of the Four Sword, and it was the first game to feature it. This game also marked the beginning of multiplayer Legend of Zelda experiences, needing two to four players to finish. Later, a single-player version was made available for free on the DSi and 3DS, but it wasn’t available for long.
In terms of story, Four Swords mainly adds the idea of the Four Sword to the Zelda series. The game takes place at a point where Vaati has become a mindless beast, and it doesn’t feature many cutscenes, instead focusing on randomly created dungeons. Ultimately, Vaati is sealed away, and Link (or Links) saves Zelda.
It’s discovered that Ganon was the one causing trouble throughout the game, but the hero and princess team up to defeat him and seal him away once more.
The Timeline Splits
Following the story of Ocarina of Time, the official Zelda timeline branches into three separate realities that exist simultaneously.
Ocarina of Time
Often considered the best game in the series, Ocarina of Time is a landmark title. It tells the story of Link, the Hero of Time, over seven years, as he’s suddenly forced to face the villain Ganondorf. The ability to travel through time is central to stopping Ganondorf from taking over Hyrule and ultimately shapes the future of the entire Zelda universe.
The ending of Ocarina of Time creates multiple timelines by sending Link back in time while still allowing the future to continue. The game’s ending sequence confirms that these different past and future realities can happen simultaneously, which allows later games to explore different paths stemming from Ocarina of Time. These are commonly known as the Fallen Hero, Child, and Adult timelines.
The Fallen Hero Timeline
When the hero is defeated, Zelda is forced to take extreme action. Ganon seizes the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage, leading Zelda and the Seven Sages to trap him and the Triforce within the Sacred Realm. This triggers the Imprisoning War, where the Sages work to lock down the Sacred Realm and prevent Ganon from breaking free.
Inside, Ganon corrupts the Sacred Realm and turns it into the Dark World.
A Link to the Past
A Link to the Past was a landmark game that first introduced the Master Sword, set the stage for how later titles like Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess would play, and significantly deepened the series’ overall story.
Early Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games often included Christian symbols and themes. A Link to the Past shifted this focus to a more diverse, multi-god belief system within the kingdom of Hyrule, and the game’s instruction manual also detailed the story of how Hyrule was created.
Link’s Awakening
Following the events of A Link to the Past, Link embarks on a journey to become a stronger hero. While sailing home after defeating Agahnim and Ganon, a storm shipwrecks him on the strange Koholint Island. Initially, things seem normal, but Link discovers that the only way to escape is to awaken the Wind Fish, which will unfortunately cause the island to disappear.
Link’s Awakening was remarkable for its unusual enemies, which included references to creatures from other Nintendo games, and for exploring surprisingly deep, philosophical themes. The character of Marin was also a standout, as she was one of the first in the series to be given a fully developed personality and storyline – a model that would influence future companions like Zelda and Sheik in Ocarina of Time, Tetra in The Wind Waker, and others. While not directly impacting the main plot, Link’s Awakening marked a turning point where the Zelda series began to prioritize strong storytelling.
Oracle of Seasons & Oracle of Ages
Released near the end of the Game Boy Color’s life, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages were developed by Capcom. Originally planned as a remake of the very first The Legend of Zelda, the project evolved into something much larger. These two games were designed to be played one after the other, in either order. You can even carry your progress—including items and rings—from one game to the next! Playing both games unlocks extra content, like a bonus dungeon, and references events from the first game you played.
Finishing one of the Oracle games and then playing the other unlocks a special, interconnected experience – a truly epic adventure. This linked game introduces the villain Twinrova, brings back Princess Zelda, and culminates in a final showdown with Ganon. Originally, the Oracle games were intended to fit into the timeline between A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening, but they’ve since been re-positioned as happening after Link’s Awakening. However, the story strongly suggests the same Link from A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, and the Oracle games is the protagonist.
A Link Between Worlds
Building on the classic gameplay of A Link to the Past, A Link Between Worlds is set in a time where the events of that game and Ocarina of Time have become mixed up in the game’s lore. It brings back the idea of a Light and Dark World, but instead of the original, it features Lorule – a separate world with its own unique story and Triforce.
The game begins with Link facing off against Yuga, a wizard who kicks off the adventure by transforming the Seven Sages into paintings. However, there’s more to the story than meets the eye. A Link Between Worlds cleverly reimagines familiar Zelda elements – including the Triforce and the characters themselves – to explore the series’ history in a thoughtful and sophisticated way.
Tri Force Heroes
Okay, so this new Link adventure picks up a few years after A Link Between Worlds. Link wanders around and eventually finds himself in Hytopia, a kingdom obsessed with fashion. Unfortunately, the princess, Styla, has been cursed by a witch – and not with something glamorous, either! She’s stuck in a truly awful jumpsuit, which is a major fashion faux pas for Hytopia. Now, this game, like the Four Swords titles, was really built for multiplayer, but what’s cool is they actually included a full, proper single-player story this time around. It’s a nice change of pace.
Story-wise, the only connection between A Link Between Worlds and Tri Force Heroes is a minor character who remembers Link from the previous game. It’s also important to note that the other characters who appear as ‘Links’ are simply heroes who look alike.
Echoes of Wisdom
Nintendo has confirmed that Echoes of Wisdom is officially part of the main Legend of Zelda timeline. It’s set after Tri-Force Heroes and before the very first Legend of Zelda game.
For the first time in the series, players control Zelda as the main character. After Link defeats Ganon, a mysterious tear in reality appears and pulls him away. Players then take on the role of Zelda, who sets out on a journey across the kingdom with a new companion named Tri and a magical artifact called the Tri Rod.
Once Zelda rescues Link, she discovers the Ganon she’s been fighting isn’t the real threat – it’s a fake created by Null, an ancient and powerful evil that originally captured Link. Zelda then restores shrines to the goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore, who reveal that Null existed even before the world began and has always sought to consume all life, wanting to be the sole existence.
From what I understand, the goddesses Din, Farore, and Nayru created everything we know to try and trap this being called Null. But he started trying to escape through these weird rifts that suddenly appeared, and Link actually got pulled into one! Thankfully, Zelda was able to defeat Null in the end, and everything went back to normal in Hyrule. It was a really scary time, but Zelda saved us all.
Link has the Triforce of Courage, and Zelda has the Triforce of Wisdom, but the villain, Null, possesses the Triforce of Power. Once they defeat him, Link and Zelda take the Triforce of Power and combine it with their own pieces, completing the full Triforce.
The Legend of Zelda
The very first Legend of Zelda game isn’t actually the beginning of the overall story. It takes place quite a while after a period of prosperity called the Fallen Hero era, which began when the Triforce was rediscovered in a previous age, as detailed in Echoes of Wisdom. During this time, Ganon reappears and attempts to take over Hyrule, seeking the Triforce of Wisdom. To stop him, Zelda breaks the Triforce into eight fragments and hides them throughout the kingdom.
The game opens with Link finding Impa under attack by monsters, and after saving her, he learns about Zelda’s danger, fueling his determination to help. This version of Hyrule is a desolate and broken land, suggesting Ganon is close to winning. Although the first Legend of Zelda doesn’t have a complex story, its atmosphere and hints about the past lay the groundwork for all the games that followed.
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
About three years after the events of the first Legend of Zelda game, Ganon’s followers are trying to resurrect him by sacrificing Link. At the same time, Link discovers a symbol of the Triforce on his hand, revealing that he must find the lost Triforce of Courage to awaken Princess Zelda, who has been magically asleep for many years.
As a huge Zelda fan, I always thought The Adventure of Link was a real shift in tone from the first game. It’s noticeably darker – Link is constantly facing real danger, Zelda is stuck in this awful, seemingly endless sleep, and Ganon’s monsters actually feel menacing. The story isn’t super detailed, but Zelda II really expands the world. It introduces these cool little towns – which, fun fact, inspired the names of a lot of characters in Ocarina of Time – and these ancient temples that genuinely put Link’s skills to the test. It felt like a big step in building out the Zelda universe.
The Child Timeline
In this version of events, Link successfully defeats Ganon in Ocarina of Time. Instead of remaining in the future, Zelda sends him back to his childhood. He then finds and warns her younger self about the coming danger, allowing them to work together and stop Ganondorf’s plans before the tragic events of the game’s ending can occur.
After this moment, Link’s fairy companion, Navi, leaves his side. The rest of the story begins with young Link searching for her.
Majora’s Mask
Taking place about a year after the events of Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask follows Link as he unexpectedly ends up in the world of Termina while looking for Navi. Similar to Link’s Awakening, Majora’s Mask is a story deeply focused on its themes—specifically, ideas of identity and coming to terms with loss.
The Ocarina returns from Ocarina of Time, and this time Link also uses magical masks. He needs both to stop Skull Kid from destroying Termina within three days. Majora’s Mask is a surprisingly dark game that honestly deals with death, but ultimately shows that the people who care about you still love you, even when they’re gone.
Twilight Princess
The serious and sometimes unsettling themes introduced in Majora’s Mask continue in Twilight Princess, the next game in the timeline. Taking place centuries after Ocarina of Time, a new Link must deal with the fallout from Ganondorf’s exile following the Hero of Time’s journey. As Ganondorf is about to be executed, the Triforce of Power intervenes, allowing him to escape into the Twilight Realm.
In Twilight Princess, Link teams up with Midna, a once-disrespected character, to save Hyrule in stages, gradually encouraging her to change for the better. The game is also notable for subverting typical Zelda storylines by giving Zelda a supporting role and focusing on Midna. It develops a compelling dynamic between Zant and Ganondorf, making Ganondorf’s ultimate defeat even more impactful.
Four Swords Adventures
Four Swords Adventures concludes the Child Timeline, bringing Ganondorf and Vaati into direct conflict. While the game initially focuses on Vaati as the primary villain, it’s gradually revealed that he’s actually being manipulated by Ganondorf. Centuries after the events of Twilight Princess, Ganondorf is reborn and uses Vaati to further his own ambitions for power.
Four Swords Adventures blends the cooperative gameplay of the original Four Swords with the world-hopping adventure style of A Link to the Past, and includes a more detailed story. It’s the final game in the ‘Child Timeline’ and features both the last defeat of Vaati and the only appearance of Ganondorf II in the Legend of Zelda series.
The Adult Timeline
Once Link defeats Ganon in Ocarina of Time, Zelda sends him back to his childhood. With Link now in the past, the Triforce of Courage needs a new hero and breaks into eight fragments, which are hidden across the land of Hyrule.
Princess Zelda stays in the present day, but a well-meaning action of hers has unexpected results. When Ganon returns, there’s no hero to oppose him. Desperate, the people pray to the gods, who decide to flood the entire kingdom of Hyrule rather than allow Ganon to take over.
The Wind Waker
The events of The Great Flood directly lead into The Wind Waker. Centuries after the flood, the world is almost entirely underwater and known as the Great Sea. This Link isn’t a reincarnation of the Hero of Time; he’s simply a young man determined to save his sister.
The first game in the Adult Timeline, The Wind Waker, felt like a definitive ending to the series. It dramatically reset the world of Hyrule, removing familiar elements like the Triforce and the Master Sword to create space for a fresh start.
Phantom Hourglass
Picking up right after the end of The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass follows Link as he sails the Great Sea with Tetra, who is now a pirate princess, on a quest to establish a new Hyrule. Like Link’s Awakening, the game takes place in a separate dimension, and Link eventually becomes separated from it by the story’s conclusion.
Like its predecessor, Phantom Hourglass doesn’t prioritize a strong story; instead, it focuses on creating a compelling sense of atmosphere for its alien setting. While the game’s narrative isn’t particularly memorable, it does lay the groundwork for the story in Spirit Tracks.
Spirit Tracks
After the adventures in Phantom Hourglass, Link and Tetra establish the kingdom of New Hyrule. Spirit Tracks takes place about a century later and explores the kingdom’s history before it was founded. New Hyrule faces a crisis when Chancellor Cole, a follower of Zelda, betrays her and attempts to resurrect the demon Malladus. Though Zelda tragically dies, her spirit joins Link on his journey throughout the game.
Spirit Tracks stands out as a unique Zelda game, introducing an industrial setting to the series for the first time. The story doesn’t simply retread familiar ground; the lore surrounding the Lokomo people, the Tower of Spirits, and the Spirit Flute adds a fresh and interesting layer to the plot. Notably, the game features the most fleshed-out relationship between Link and Zelda seen in any Zelda title.
The Era of Calamity
When Breath of the Wild came out, it was hard to figure out where it fit in the existing Zelda timeline. It includes elements from all three established timelines – characters, locations, and references – making it difficult to place definitively in any single one. Many players believed the game was designed to bring all three timelines together, merging them into a single reality where Breath of the Wild occurs.
Nintendo has indicated that the story is intended to fit into one of three timelines. They explain that the Era of Calamity is set so far in the future that past events are now just distant myths.
It’s become clear that these games tell a self-contained story within the larger franchise timeline. While it’s uncertain how much further Nintendo will expand this smaller series of stories, their popularity suggests they’ll likely continue to develop it for a while.
Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity
While Nintendo didn’t create Age of Calamity themselves, the story was crafted to feel connected to Breath of the Wild. It was initially advertised as a prequel, showing the events leading up to Breath of the Wild a century earlier, but the story ultimately works more like a hidden sequel.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity cleverly uses time travel, showing events both before and after the story in Breath of the Wild. However, this means the events of Age of Calamity aren’t considered official canon to Breath of the Wild – it’s more that Age of Calamity’s story is started by what happens in Breath of the Wild. While Age of Calamity takes place 100 years before Breath of the Wild and shows Hyrule before the Calamity, it’s only a prequel in a very limited way.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
Similar to Age of Calamity, this game uses time travel in a unique way, functioning as both a prequel and a sequel. The story begins in Tears of the Kingdom with Zelda traveling back thousands of years to when Hyrule was founded, during the time of Rauru, Sonia, and Ganon’s original imprisonment. After discovering the Demon King beneath Hyrule Castle, and Link receiving powers from Rauru, Zelda is sent back to this ancient era.
This game is set earliest in the timeline of the Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom series. It starts at the very beginning of Tears of the Kingdom, fitting the game in between the events of both titles.
Breath of the Wild
Nintendo hasn’t officially placed Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom on the established Zelda timeline. They’ve only said that Breath of the Wild occurs at the very end of one of the timeline branches, without specifying which one. Because the game is set 10,000 years after the last appearance of Ganon in a Hyrule with advanced technology, it’s difficult to pinpoint its exact place in history, though some clues do exist.
Despite its open-ended story, Breath of the Wild contains more direct references to the Zelda timeline than any other game, even mentioning characters from the past like Ruto and Nabooru – something rarely seen in the series. The game offers clues pointing to each of the different timelines, but Nintendo wants players to interpret the story and decide for themselves where it fits, and they have no plans to clarify things in the future.
Tears of the Kingdom
Following the highly anticipated release of Breath of the Wild, came Tears of the Kingdom in 2023. While it doesn’t follow the established Zelda timeline in a straightforward way, Tears of the Kingdom is a direct continuation of Breath of the Wild‘s story, picking up shortly after the previous game’s events.
I was so excited to see Link and Zelda continuing their adventures after finally defeating Calamity Ganon! They were checking out some old ruins when they stumbled upon the Demon King, held down by this weird, glowing hand. Then, out of nowhere, the Demon King woke up and threw both Zelda and Link into a deep pit! Thankfully, Link was rescued by this amazing, spectral figure – it turned out to be Rauru, the ancient Zonai and first king of Hyrule! It was such a surprise, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
The game reveals Hyrule is being rebuilt after the previous story, with companies like Hudson Construction working on infrastructure and Zelda establishing a school in Hateno. But a new crisis, called the Upheaval – involving the Demon King’s return and the mysterious appearance of ancient Zonai technology and floating islands – forces Link to pause the rebuilding efforts and focus on finding Zelda and defeating the Demon King.
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2025-11-07 16:42