The Legend ofZelda gamesare exactly that: legends. With a few exceptions, each entry takes place in a different time or version of Hyrule with a new Link, Zelda, and Ganon (or Ganandorf) fighting over the fate of the land. That alone makes for a confusing plot to track across each game, but it gets even worse when Nintendo appears to contradict itself.

After the first two games, it wasn’t clear if the subsequent games were connected at all. Certain themes, places, and races appear in most games, but we only have hints and clues as to a wider timeline. For years, fans worked to try and make sense of the timeline as games came out, but eventually, Nintendo set the record straight with the official timeline in theThe Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historiabook (which has beenconverted into a handy wiki). However, since that book’s publication, we’ve had a few new games come out that we need to find a way to place in the existing timeline … or should we say timelines.

This is by far the most complex timeline of anyNintendo franchise, so take notes if you need to as we draw our Master Swords and Z-target the trueZeldatimeline.

All Zelda games in release order

Beginning in 1987 (1986 in Japan) as one of thebest NES gamesand showing no signs of stopping, there are almost too manyZeldagames to play if you’re just starting now. However, playing them in the order they came out is never a bad way to go since that’s how everyone else first experienced them, and you will get a nice upward trend in quality (for the most part).

That said, we do have to cut out games that have no place in the real timeline, arepure spinoffs, or are otherwise non-canon (sorry CDI games). Here’s every majorZeldagame in release order.

All Zelda games in chronological order

This is where we get into the real meat of the Zelda franchise. Back before it was official, most fans had already worked out there there were multiple timelines going on. That’s true, but there are technically three of them. There’s the Child Timeline, Adult Timeline, and Fallen Hero Timeline. Each of these stems fromOcarinaof Time,which makes sense as that game so heavily focuses on time travel.

The timeline begins simply enough, but we will pause to explain where each split occurs and why and tackle each branch one at a time. We won’t spoil the events of each individual game, but will have to spoil some aspects of the games where timelines split.

The beginning of the timeline

Before things get crazy with multiple branches, the first four games in the timeline all follow in a nice, neat line. It is referred to as The Legend of the Goddesses and the Hero because it revolves around the origin of Hyrule itself, the Triforce, the Master Sword, and the cycle of a hero appearing to face evil.

There are three possible outcomes based on the possible waysOcarinacould end. These are the aforementioned Child Timeline, Adult Timeline, and Fallen Hero Timeline.

The Child Timeline

This timeline is the one players will see by beating the game and occurs in the event that Link defeats Ganon inOcarina of Timeand is returned to the past as a child by Zelda. He then warns Zelda and Hyrule about Ganondorf, stopping his plot before it can begin. Link then later leaves Hyrule.

The Adult Timeline

For the Adult Timeline, things go mostly the same as the Child Timeline, except after being sent back in time, Link didn’t warn Zelda or anyone about Ganondorf. Instead, he simply disappears and no one is there to oppose Ganondorf’s rule.

The Fallen Hero Timeline

By far the most interesting and dark timeline is the Fallen Hero Timeline. In this scenario, Link simply loses to Ganon duringOcarina of Time.This allows the latter to claim all three pieces of the Triforce. Somehow, Zelda and the people of Hyrule manage to trap Ganon and the Triforce within the Sacred Realm before he can take over the entire world.

Breath of the Wild, Age of Imprisonment, and Tears of the Kingdom

That just leaves us with the two most recentZeldagames as of now:Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom,as well as the prequel Musou Hyrule Warrior games. The unfortunate truth is that Nintendo has once again left it ambiguous, but not completely. In aninterview with Famitsu, producer Eiji Aunuma and director Hidemaro Fujibayashi were asked where these titles fell in the timeline.

Aunuma started off by stating: “Well of course it’s at the very end. But, I get what you’re asking, it’s which timeline is it the end of?” Fujibayashi added, “That’s … up to the player’s imagination, isn’t it?”

The two prevailing thoughts are that these games either take place at the end of the Child Timeline or somehow reunify all the timelines back into one. However, there is evidence to support and contradict it falling at the end of any or all of the timelines.

The Warriors games are all considered non-canon, except forAge of Imprisonmentif the press kit is to be believed. It states that “Fans of theLegend of Zeldaseries and players of both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom can experience the thrill of battle and this canonical tale featuring Princess Zelda, King Rauru, and other familiar characters. Fight for Hyrule’s future when Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment comes to Nintendo Switch 2 this winter.” This would place it betweenBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom.

Unless some new information comes out, you can simply decide for yourself where these games fall in the wider Zelda lore.

Non-canon Zelda games

There are a ton of games that simply have no place in the timeline despite featuring Link, Zelda, Ganon, and the world of Hyrule. We won’t list every game where Link makes a cameo, but these are the non-canon Zelda games you might think fit somewhere in the timeline.