The Legend of Zelda Timeline, Explained Simply
The official Zelda timeline splits into three branches after Ocarina of Time. Nintendo published it in the art book Hyrule Historia in December 2011, for the series’ 25th anniversary, and has tweaked it since.
Here is the whole thing in plain English, game by game, plus the spots where Nintendo is deliberately vague. The short version: start with the opening four games, pick a branch, and treat Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom as the far-future finale.
The Scroll in Brief
- Before the split, in order: Skyward Sword, The Minish Cap, Four Swords, Ocarina of Time.
- After Ocarina of Time the timeline splits three ways: Child, Adult, and a branch where the hero is defeated.
- Breath of the Wild was placed after every other game in 2018, without naming a branch. Tears of the Kingdom follows it.
- Echoes of Wisdom was added to the timeline in November 2024, in the defeat branch.
- The timeline is Nintendo’s own, but it is not a fixed rulebook. Nintendo has changed it before, and a few placements are still open.
Where the official timeline comes from
For years, fans guessed at the order. Then Hyrule Historia, released in Japan on December 21, 2011, laid out an official timeline and introduced the three-way split. A later book, The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia, updated it. Nintendo’s Japanese Zelda website also carries an interactive timeline that has been revised as new games arrive.
The timeline is a framework, not a promise that every game connects neatly. Eiji Aonuma has said the team designs new games without first deciding where they fit.
Step one: the shared beginning
Four games come before the split, in this order:
- Skyward Sword (2011): the origin of the Master Sword, the Hylians and the Zelda and Link cycle.
- The Minish Cap (2004): Link meets the tiny Minish and the villain Vaati appears.
- Four Swords (2002): Link splits into four to fight Vaati again.
- Ocarina of Time (1998): the game that triggers the split.
Tears of the Kingdom also shows the founding of the kingdom of Hyrule in flashbacks, which fans place early in the story. Nintendo has not tied those events to a specific game in the list above, so treat that as the game’s own backstory.
Step two: the split after Ocarina of Time
At the end of Ocarina of Time, Link defeats Ganondorf, and Princess Zelda sends him back in time to his childhood. That one moment creates two timelines. A third exists because Hyrule Historia also includes a version where Link loses to Ganondorf.
| Branch | What happens | Games in order |
|---|---|---|
| Child | Link returns to childhood and warns the royal family, so Ganondorf never takes over. | Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess, Four Swords Adventures |
| Adult | Link is gone from the adult era, so Hyrule has no hero. Ganon escapes and the gods flood the kingdom. | The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks |
| Hero defeated (fans call it the Fallen Hero or Downfall timeline) | Ganondorf wins in Ocarina of Time, and the Sages seal him away. | A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, Oracle of Seasons and Ages, A Link Between Worlds, Tri Force Heroes, Echoes of Wisdom, then The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link |
The Child branch
This is the “happy” branch. Because young Link warns the royal family in advance, the evil in Ocarina is stopped before it starts. It still has plenty of trouble: Majora’s Mask comes first, followed by Twilight Princess, and Four Swords Adventures closes it.
The Adult branch
Here Link has vanished from the adult era, and Ganon later breaks free. The gods flood Hyrule and the mountaintops become the islands of the Great Sea, which is the world of The Wind Waker. Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks continue that story on the seas and then on a new continent.
The defeated-hero branch
This one holds the most games. After Ganondorf wins and is sealed away by the Seven Sages, a long run of mostly 2D-era Zelda stories follows. Nintendo has rearranged the order inside this branch over the years, so I give the group rather than a strict order. It ends with the original The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II, which are the last events in the branch.
Nintendo added Echoes of Wisdom to this branch in November 2024. The change appeared on Nintendo’s Japanese Zelda website, as reported by Nintendo Wire, and puts the game after Tri Force Heroes and before the first Zelda.
Where Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom fit
In August 2018, Nintendo’s timeline put Breath of the Wild at the very end, after all the other games. It did not say which of the three branches leads to it. The same update moved Link’s Awakening closer to the Oracle games.
Tears of the Kingdom (2023) is a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, so it sits right after. Its flashbacks mention an Imprisoning War, and it is unclear whether that is the same war referred to in A Link to the Past.
Caveats on the newest games
- Breath of the Wild branch: Nintendo has deliberately left it open. Aonuma has said they had not decided where it belongs.
- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (2020): generally treated as outside the main timeline because it changes Breath of the Wild‘s backstory.
- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment (November 2025): set during the events of Tears of the Kingdom. Whether Nintendo formally lists it on the timeline is less clear, so treat it as a tie-in.
- The CD-i games and the Tingle and Satellaview spin-offs are not on the core timeline.
- The Ocarina of Time remake for Switch 2 (November 5, 2026) is a remake, so it should not move anything on this chart.
Ned’s Verdict
Do not read the timeline as a rule you must follow. Play in release order, or by branch if you like a cleaner story. The only part that really matters is knowing that Ocarina of Time is the fork in the road.
If you want a gentle way in, pick the Child branch with Majora’s Mask and Twilight Princess. If you only care about the newest games, the timeline tells you to read Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom last, and nothing says you need the rest.
Keep digging: why Ocarina of Time still matters and the history of the Zelda anniversary releases.
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Sources
- Wikipedia: The Legend of Zelda
- Wikipedia: The Legend of Zelda (series), timeline
- Zelda Wiki: Adult Timeline
- Zelda Wiki: Timeline
- Zelda Wiki: History of the Zelda Timeline
- Zelda Wiki: 25th Anniversary (Hyrule Historia date)
- Nintendo Wire: Breath of the Wild joins the timeline (2018)
- Nintendo Wire: Echoes of Wisdom added to the timeline (2024)
- Nintendo of America: 40th anniversary announcement (Business Wire)
