Plus, see where Echoes of Wisdom landed in our ranking!
There is no gaming franchise quite likeThe Legend of Zelda.
For over 35 years, theLegend of Zeldaname has been synonymous with greatness.
Its no surprise that so manyZeldafans seem to have so many personal favoriteZeldagames.
You could easily make an argument for anyZeldagame being the bestZeldagame.
Thats honestly what makes rankingZeldagames and debating those rankings so much fun.
If its on theZeldatimeline and part of the mainZeldacanon, it was eligible for this list.
That said,Cadence of HyruleandHyrule Warriorsare both very goodZeldaspin-offs.
Finally, remakes and remasters do not have separate entries on this list.
For ranking purposes, the best possible version of each game was considered the eligible title.
Its not much, but its in the canon, so its on this list.
To be fair,Four Swordsdoes deserve a little more love than it typically gets.
Its an incredibly enjoyable little co-op adventure that greatly benefits from itsMinish Cap-style visuals.
Still, its a testament to the quality of the franchise that this fundamentally fun game is this low.
Unfortunately, accessibility really is one of the biggest things this game has going for it.
Its co-op campaign is filled with creative multiplayer puzzles, though some of them feel a little forced.
Its probably the least accessible mainlineZeldagame ever made from a logistical perspective.
Yet, I loveFour Swords Adventures.
Its story is surprisingly good, its campaign is substantial, and its co-op concepts are incredible.
Its truly tragic that theres never been an easy way to enjoyFour Swords Adventuresin its full glory.
Its a fantastic novelty that fits this all-time great franchise surprisingly well.
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
This is where the rankings get really tough.
Released in 2001 for the Game Boy Color,Oracle of Seasonswas a companion piece toOracle of Ages.
Indeed, those two games often share a spot on lists such as this due to their similarities.
However, they are different games.
Oracle of Seasons main gimmick is the ability to change the current in-game season.
That emphasis on combat makesOracle of Seasonsone of the better gatewayZeldagames.
Even still, its the first must-play game on this list.
Its not hard to see why.
Adventure of Links ambition is the source of its greatest strengths and weaknesses.
Adventure of Linkholds up to this dayas both a curiosity and one of the NES most unique adventures.
Its easy to understand why.
Its a weird and sometimes annoying game.
However,Phantom Hourglass best attributes are simply not spoken about as often as its biggest flaws.
This is pretty far from a traditionalZeldagame, and its also not the sequelWind Wakertruly deserved.
However, its a fantastic little adventure in its own right.
That same gimmick arguably madeOracle of Seasonsthe better-looking of the two games as well.
In nearly every other respect, though,Oracle of Agesis the better experience.
It also tells a truly wonderful and genuinely emotional story that everyZeldafan should experience in some way.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
I once argued that its time forZeldafans toforgiveSkyward Sword.
Well…there are.
At the time of its release,Skyward Swords uneven pacing and wonky motion controls frustrated many fans.
In a post-Breath of the Wildworld, though,Skyward Swords unabashed traditionalZeldagameplay feels better than ever.
Skyward Swordis probably not your favoriteZeldagame.
Its certainly not mine.
The Legend of Zelda
It honestly felt like there was no great spot forThe Legend of Zeldaon these rankings.
Play it today, and youll easily recognize how it laid the foundation for one of gamings greatest franchises.
Its not really the standard that this franchise is still held to.
That honor belongs to some other titles.
Anyone can playThe Legend of Zeldanow and be amazed by how clearly Nintendo saw the future of gaming.
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
LikePhantom Hourglass,Spirit Tracksis a DSZeldatitle built around a navigation gimmick.
LikePhantom Hourglass,Spirit Tracksis often outright dismissed due to its central gimmick.
Yet,Spirit Tracksultimately does so much more with its core premise thanPhantom Hourglassdid.
More importantly,Spirit Tracksgets many of its coreZeldaideas right.
In fact,Spirit Tracksis sometimes hindered by theZeldaname as much as its helped by it.
Fortunately, most of that swing connects on target.
It was that darkerZeldaadventure that fans had clamored for.
This is aZeldagame that demands afair amount of unpackingfrom more than just the usual lore hounds.
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
The most popular knock againstMinish Capis its short length.
Well, I cant argue against the numbers.
That certainly puts it on the shorter end of a franchise famous for its epic adventures.
However, I prefer to think ofMinish Capas an injection ofpureZeldaadrenaline.
I dont know what you love most about theZeldafranchise, but I do know that its all here.
Logs become fortresses, leaves become ships, and insects serve as massive bosses.
Despite a significant increase in competition,Majoras Maskstill feels like one of the best examples of that concept.
Having said that, the act of playingMajoras Maskcan put a smudge on your shiniest memories of it.
Even still, its hard to see this as anything less than anambitious piece of art.
Not since the originalLegend of Zeldahas aZeldatitle made you think Wait, thats possible?
quite as often asBreath of the Wilddoes.
Experimentation is at the heart of this game.
Yes,Breath of the Wildprobably would have been better off embracing a few moreZeldatraditions.
Out of that already daunting challenge sprung an even more incredible idea.
NPC side missions, musical instrument minigames, fishing, expedited item management…theyre all here.
However, the most impressive things aboutLinks Awakeningare its many ideas that are still missing from largerZeldatitles.
Its hard to play this game and not be blown away by some aspect of it.
How does a 1993 Game Boy game feel like one ofLinks most original adventures?
Famous franchise conventions (such as acquiring important items solely through dungeons) are removed or replaced.
Those concerns were more valid than some may care to admit.
EarlyTears of the Kingdomfootage showcased a game that looked similar toBreath of the Wildin many notable ways.
Thankfully, all roads lead to a truly unforgettable adventure.
ManyZeldagames that followed were tasked with expanding its concepts or subverting them entirely.
However,A Link to the Pastdemands no historical context when youre actually playing it.
A Link to the Pastmay very well be one of the few truly timeless video games.
It was a grand cinematic adventure that could be freely explored.
All these years later, Im still not sure how to answer that question.
To this day,Ocarina of Timeremains synonymous with the idea of epic gaming adventures.
Dont fret if you never got to experience this game the first time around.
Its remasters show why the standard this game set cant be contained in a mere memory.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Some say that your favoriteZeldagame is the one you played first.
However,Wind Wakerwasnt my firstZeldagame.
It wasnt my second, third, or fourth either.
