The Legend of Zelda is one of the longest-running video game franchises ever created. Although each game has the same basic story (boy in green rescues princess from evil-doer that wants the Triforce)
SKYWARD SWORD (WII) 2011
Skyward Sword has gotten a bad rap over the years, even with the HD release in 2021. Most of the frustrations from players come from the infuriating motion controls that were new to the Zelda series.
The story of Skyward Sword is where it all begins. In the official timeline from Nintendo, this is the first game chronologically. It’s the first time Link is forced to be a hero by rescuing Zelda (who is not a princess in the series yet).
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA (NES) 1986
No other Zelda games would exist without the original Legend of Zelda. That being said, just because it’s the first doesn’t mean it’s the best. This is where the basic storyline for all Zelda games started.
LINK’S AWAKENING (GAME BOY) 1993
Following the great success of A Link to the Past, Nintendo decided it needed a handheld version of Zelda, and that’s where we get Link’s Awakening. This game was so popular that Nintendo remade it… twice.
A LINK TO THE PAST (SUPER NINTENDO) 1991
This was Nintendo’s first and only Zelda game on the Super Nintendo and it was ported to the Game Boy Advance in 2002. There are some players that claim it is the greatest Zelda game of all time.
OCARINA OF TIME (N64) 1998
It is the only game in The Legend of Zelda history that has an almost perfect score (99) on Metacritic. So why isn’t Ocarina of Time in the top five? Although it was near-perfect for its time, no game is without its flaws.