You would be forgiven if you believed the original The Legend of Zelda game started the Zelda Timeline. That would be incorrect, though. Over the years, gamers have pondered over where each entry fits into the timeline, and the answer is more confusing than it should be. Nintendo might not have planned for these entries to be chronological in any way.
But that’s not how the minds of their player base work. Gamers want to know exactly how everything fits together, especially when there are recurring characters and locales across 20 games and almost four decades. While things don’t always line up perfectly and the result is admittedly pretty convoluted, here’s what is widely accepted as the official timeline.
Where the Zelda Timeline Begins
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As mentioned, the original game is not the first entry into the saga of Link and Zelda. In fact, none of the earlier titles start the timeline. The beginning of the saga and the first iteration of the characters wasn’t made until 2011. This was Nintendo’s attempt at clearing up some of the chronology issues, and it introduced the cycle in which these characters find themselves.
It is the first iteration of Zelda, Link, and the enemy. Here, he’s known as Demise, but it’s the same evil that gives way to Ganondorf in most other games. In the game, Demise puts a curse on that effectively means some version of the Hero (Link) and the Goddess/Princess (Zelda) will have to keep fighting evil (Ganon) endlessly in a cycle.
The direct next game in the timeline is The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. This introduced the world to the standard Hyrule, and it gave an origin for Link’s green hat. It is followed by Four Swords and then the very first 3D adventure: Ocarina of Time. That is where things get dicy.
The Timeline Split After Ocarina of Time
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The Zelda timeline after Ocarina is interesting, to say the least. The game is one of the few in this franchise to have a direct sequel, but that’s only one aspect of the timeline. Majora’s Mask is sequential, but only in one of three timeline branches. These branches depend on the outcome of Ocarina of Time and they result in different games.
In OOT, you defeat Ganondorf and return to the past as a child. That’s the main outcome, and it leads into the Child Timeline. This is where Majora’s Mask is, since you’re again a child in that game. The next sequel is Twilight Princess, and it concludes with Four Swords Adventures. But if you have a different outcome of Ocarina (you can’t have different endings, the branches are just ‘what-if’), things change.
If you remain as an adult after defeating Ganon, you go on to Wind Waker. This is the Adult Timeline. Following Wind Waker, which is ironically an “adult” game with a whimsical design and a child-like Link, you live the events of Phantom Hourglass. This game also has a direct sequel and in the timeline: Spirit Tracks. This concludes the Adult line of the Zelda timeline.
Most of the rest of the games are now found in the Fallen Hero line. This is if Ganondorf won at the end of Ocarina. The timeline is as follows:
- A Link to the Past
- Oracle of Ages/Seasons
- Link’s Awakening
- A Link Between Worlds
- Tri Force Heroes
- Original The Legend of Zelda
- The Adventure of Link
That concludes the Fallen Hero timeline, which has the majority of the games in it. That was the outcome Nintendo seemingly preferred.
Zelda Timeline Connects Back with Breath of the Wild
That is the end of any branching (for now). All three timelines come back together and merge with Breath of the Wild. From there, the Zelda timeline continues with Tears of the Kingdom, as it is another direct sequel in the same world. Where it will go from here remains to be seen, but hopefully Nintendo can keep the order straight.
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