The Top 10 Best Legend of Zelda Games Ranked
As I mention in my bio, I write a little of everything.
Maybe I’ll write about a funny story that happened on my travels.
Or maybe I’ll write about video games.
Specifically, one of the greatest and most enduring video game series of all time: The Legend of Zelda.
The series has been going strong for 38 years now, and most of its games have been, at the very least, solid, while others have been ranked among the greatest games ever made from any series.
Without further ado, the Top 10 Best Legend of Zelda Games Ever Made!
10. The Legend of Zelda
Released: 1986
Platform: Family Computer Disk System, Nintendo Entertainment System
The #10 spot on this list becomes an honorary spot for the OG Legend of Zelda, the one that started it all.
While a far cry from what the series would become, it introduced us to the characters that would work their way into legend.
The eponymous Zelda, princess of the land of Hyrule.
Ganon, a monstrous, malicious creature who seeks to take over Hyrule.
Link, the green-tunicked hero who teams up with Princess Zelda to defeat Ganon and save Hyrule.
Finally, the Triforce, an embodiment of the Three Goddesses who represent Power, Wisdom, and Courage (subsequently, these also correspond to Ganon, Zelda, and Link, respectively).
Easy enough.
Other entries in the series would expand upon this framework: adding more temples, bigger and better boss battles, and of course, the mythical Master Sword. The game would expand from a single castle to an entire kingdom and lands beyond, above, and below.
But it all started here.
9. Link’s Awakening
Released: 1993
Platform: GameBoy, GameBoy Color
I played the re-released “DX” version of this game on the GameBoy Color, but the underlying adventure shines even in black and white.
This game was a bit of an oddball in that it did away with many elements of the Zelda franchise: it did not take place in Hyrule, there was no Triforce, there was no Ganon, and there wasn’t even a Princess Zelda. It was just Link, now a sailor, getting caught in a terrible storm and washing up on Koholint Island.
It was a flipping of the script that, in this case, worked. Worked very well, in fact. Link’s Awakening became an incredibly popular title, and is the only one on this list that was primarily a mobile game.
8. Skyward Sword
Released: 2011
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Memory can be a funny thing.
I distinctly recall everyone and their dog calling Skyward Sword one of the best games ever made.
Fast forward a decade and change and that statement will get you laughed out of the building.
I think that, at the time, the introduction of flight to the series blew everyone’s minds. However, as the game wore on, the limitations of the Wii setup for this kind of game began to show through. The game was also considered too linear for peoples’ liking; the Zelda series has always been about exploration, so when you’re stuck on a set path, a game about flying around on giant birds can actually feel a little…limiting.
So while it may not have stood the test of time, hey…flying around on a giant bird is dope.
7. Tears of the Kingdom
Released: 2023
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Ohhhhhh if I haven’t courted controversy yet with this list, I sure will now.
Now that you’re done booing and cursing my name, let’s talk about the most recent entry in the series. And I probably have more to say about this title than any other game in the series.
Tears of the Kingdom is without a doubt a Top 10 Zelda. In fact, it could even be argued that, taken by itslef, it could take the #1 spot on this list.
But nothing happens in a vacuum.
Tears of the Kingdom has one major flaw, and that flaw is called Breath of the Wild.
Despite having probably the strongest array of individual elements of any game on this list, TotK just feels derivative. It uses the exact same map as BotW, with only a few ultimately unappealing additions. Whereas BotW had a lot of faulty aspects but ultimately managed to be greater than the sum of its parts, TotK ended up collapsing under the weight of all its brilliant aspects.
It didn’t feel like I had finished one adventure and was starting a new one. It felt like I had just finished celebrating victory and now had to do everything all over again. There is a difference.
The major milestone that TotK adds to the mix is crafting, particularly the Ultrahand ability that allows you to fuse things together, creating whole new items. There are videos of gamers who created horse-drawn buggies, even fully functioning motorcycles using ancient technology found in the game. Don’t get me wrong; zooming around Hyrule on a motorcycle is a fantasy I didn’t know I could live out (it also unlocked a core memory of my friend gifting me a motorcycle back in my World of Warcraft days).
However, I had two problems with this:
- The crafting could get tedious. And I don’t like tedious. Especially when I’m just playing for fun.
- If I wanted to play Minecraft, I’d play Minecraft.
Now, you may LOVE TotK! That blend of open-world gaming and in-depth crafting might be right up your alley. I knew I’d court controversy with placing TotK so “low” on the list, and that’s because the internet absolutely erupted with applause for this game when it dropped. It’s a very, very popular game, and I’m sure the crafting aspect will give it endless replayability for a lot of people.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
6. A Link to the Past
Released: 1991
Platform: Super Nintendo
For many people, A Link to the Past is the game that really got them hooked on Zelda.
ALttP was actually the very first Zelda game that I ever played. I played it in a hotel room on a road trip with my family, back when hotel rooms all had game systems in them. Even though it was already a little dated when I first set foot in Hyrule, it stole my heart, and I’ve been a diehard fan every since.
The third installment of the series, this is the first time that all the elements really came together in a cohesive, enjoyable, realm-spanning way. This is where the series really became epic.
5. Majora’s Mask
Released: 2000
Platform: Nintendo 64
The game that ushered Link & Co. into the 21st Century had some very big shoes to fill.
Coming hot on the heels of Ocarina of Time — which has definitely stood the test of, well, you know — Majora’s Mask needed to show us some stuff.
And show us some stuff it did.
MM takes place in an even darker world than TP. In this entry, Link is traveling in the land of Termina, which is threatened by the Moon. Yes, you read that correctly. In three days, the grinning satelite will crash down into Termina, killing everyone and everything.
Of course, three days is not nearly enough time to do everything you need to, so you then have to deal with multiple three-day loops, changing things in one iteration so they show up differently in the next. It caused a lot of confusion. I remember my friends complaining about it and switching it off.
And yet many people today will actually call this game the greatest of all time. So there’s been some interesting reversals of what we saw with SS and TP.
You also have access to a number of different masks that allow you to turn into a Goron, a Zoro, even a Deku!
One funny memory I have of this game took years and years to come to fruition. SPOILER ALERT: At one point in the game, you’re actually battling the moon itself. During the battle, the moon grows arms and legs, to attack you, but it also starts doing this weird backwards walking motion that I found very intimidating. Anyway, I never finished the game as a kid but years and years later I decide to fire the ol’ N64 back up, and I pop this bad boy back in. I get to that fight, and I realize — after I shit you not two decades — that the weird, backwards walk that the moon is doing is the moonwalk. Get it? Because it’s the — anyway…
4. Twilight Princess
Released: 2006
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Another title that time was not particularly kind to. Many have complained about two things in particular about this entry: Link spending half the game as a spirit wolf, and the controls. I can’t even begin to understand the first complaint (come on, he turns into a spirit wolf!) but I totally get the second.
As with SS that came after it, Zelda games on the Wii were something that seemed perfect on paper but lacked in execution. However, whatever flaws may be lurking in the shadows, its brilliant aspects shine brightly. Your companion, Midna, has a very satisfying story arc and the Usurper boss bottles is one of the most gleefully unhinged in the entire series.
Say what you want about it, I loved it.
3. The Wind Waker
Released: 2002
Platform: Nintendo GameCube
Talk about a game that I hated at first and loved after I played it. I think that was a common feeling for a lot of us when we first saw the goofy cel-shaded animation of Wind Waker in the pages of Game Informer.
And yet, it worked. It actually fit the maritime setting of the game to a T. It felt bright and airy, just like the sea can be. It was, in fact, a stroke of genius. Even today, over two decades after it came out, WW feels as refreshing as a dip in the water at the beach.
They just don’t make ’em like they used to.
2. Ocarina of Time
Released: 1998
Platform: Nintendo 64
Listen.
These top two rankings can really be swapped out for each other. Ocarina of Time can be 1b, and the final entry can be 1a. They were both, for their time and place, perfect.
OoT was the game that ushered the series to whole new heights — or shall I say, depths — in the 3D world. It also added depth and backstory to the plotline and fleshed out a lot of the characters. For a lot of us, if your favorite Zelda memories weren’t from A Link to the Past, they were from Ocarina of Time. Simple as that.
Everything that the Zelda games are known for, Ocarina of Time perfected. It has some of the best temple design and some of the most memorable boss battles of all time. Bongo Bongo from the Shadow Temple and Twin Rova from the Temple of Light are my favorites, but let’s not forgot about the infamous boss fight from the equally difficult Water Temple.
Unfortunately, this game also came out in the ’90s, and quite frankly, it’s held back by the very, very limited processing power of the day. As a kid you filled in the gaps between the pixels with your imagination, but by today’s standards it leaves a lot to be desired.
Story Time: My dad got me an N64 when I was seven years old (convinced, I’m sure, by my mother) and with it came OoT. It should be noted that my dad’s interests in video games petered out sometime after the heyday of Galaga. So ask me why, when I get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, my grown ass dad is out there shooting Skulltulas with a slingshot.
It’s just that good.
A game that truly deserves to be called a legend.
1. Breath of the Wild
Released: 2017
Platform: Nintendo Switch
The Legend of Zelda series has always had its defining elements, but it’s also always been about trying new things.
Despite its flaws, Breath of the Wild is the greatest Legend of Zelda game ever made.
This is why you pick up a Zelda game. You play it to explore new places, fight monsters, discover secrets, have adventures, battle the boss, kick his ass out of your kingdom and rescue the beautiful princess. If it looks absolutely gorgeous on top of all that, that’s even better. To me, this game nailed that better than any other game on this list.
The Legend of Zelda got the ball rolling.
Ocarina of Time lead the way into the 3D world.
Breath of the Wild honed everything to a sharp edge in the HD world. It took all the elements that made the series wonderful, added some new ingredients, cooked them in a pot over an open fire in a lush valley, and served up a savory dish.
BotW just feels like adventure. The map is gigantic and you can explore all of it. See that island off in the distance in the sea? Get your stamina high enough and get the right spell and you can fly there. See that cool-looking thing at the top of that big, snowy mountain? With the right gear and enough patience, you can climb up to it. Gerudo Desert? There are new, incredible things to see out there. There are cyclopean labyrinths to figure out, puzzles, mini-bosses, epic bosses, a wide variety of weapons and armor sets, and some of the coolest locations and regions in games.
Of course, nothing is perfect, and BotW does fall a little short in some ways. It added a truly open world at the expense of unique boss battles and traditional temples. In that technical regard, you could say OoT is in fact the quintessential Zelda game, but I’m sticking by BotW. I think it embodies the spirit of The Legend of Zelda perfectly. What every other Zelda game wished it could be, BotW finally became.
To me, it’s the embodiment of the spirit of Zelda. It’s adventure done right, everything great about the other wonderful games in the series, sharpened to crystal clarity and with fresh life breathed into it. It doesn’t get any better than this.
