The 10 Best Legend of Zelda Games (2023)

The Legend of Zelda is one of the greatest franchises in gaming. The gameplay, music, and stories told have inspired countless gaming studios to recapture the beauty Zelda games create. And with every game in the series, something new is offered. With so many games that are seen as perfection, it is hard to choose a favorite. Every gamer has a different opinion on which game is the best Zelda game ever. Some choose games based on nostalgia, others from recency bias. My opinion changes some days just from hearing a certain musical piece from one of the games.

I’ve been playing The Legend of Zelda all of my life, completing each one. All of those journeys were incredible, but some were better than others. So, with that, here are the best 10 Zelda games as of 2023. This is my opinion based on my experiences, as every Zelda fan will have their own opinion. No matter what game you choose as your favorite, they are all respectable opinions because every Zelda is a uniquely fantastic experience.

The Minish Cap

In 2001, Nintendo gave the rights to The Legend of Zelda to Capcom, the creators of Mega Man, to create a game for the Gameboy Color. They ended up creating the Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages games, which are great, especially for handheld. In 2004, Capcom once again was to make a Zelda game, this time for the Gameboy Advance. And thus, The Minish Cap was created. This game was incredibly unique for the series, with a new villain instead of Ganondorf, truly setting itself apart.

The story for The Minish Cap starts eerily similar to Chrono Trigger, with Link and Princess Zelda running around a festival together. Afterward, they go to the castle where Vaati, a mysterious sorcerer, turns Princess Zelda to stone. To save her, Link journeys to the forest and finds a talking hat named Ezlo, which he wears throughout his journey. Ezlo is one of the best companions in the franchise, as his help is often accompanied by humor that makes him more personable. For a Zelda game, The Minish Cap delivers on unique items and intricate dungeon design that stands as some of the best in the series. 

One of the gimmicks of The Minish Cap is being able to shrink down to the size of an ant. This feature is mostly for story purposes to talk to a unique race of people called the Minish. However, the puzzles and gameplay that come from this are amazing and extremely unique. Capcom created a standout amongst the franchise that is easily one of the best Zelda games.

The Minish Cap’s shrinking ability opened a whole new realm of possibilities, allowing some of the most amazing dungeons and puzzles in Zelda.

The Legend of Zelda (1986)

It all began somewhere. The Legend of Zelda was the game that revolutionized adventure games, giving the freedom to go wherever you want. The idea was simple, but the execution was flawless. The game opens up with no tutorial, just an amazing overworld theme and a cave with a sword to take. No direction, just “go”. That freedom of exploration, discovering secret caves, and finding dungeons to tackle had never been seen before, and to this day is still a blast to play. The game is very difficult at times, but the basic Zelda formula set the tone for decades of gaming. 

The Legend of Zelda started with just a simple concept from Shigeru Miyamoto. He would go on hikes and discover things along his journey that would surprise him. And with no map on hand, he would discover more and more, such as a lake. This feeling of discovery was the main idea for the original Legend of Zelda and has been the strong point of all the games following it. Without The Legend of Zelda, who knows where adventure games and the whole gaming industry would be today. And for this revolutionary effort, The Legend of Zelda is one of the best Zelda games.

The Legend of Zelda set the tone for what the entire franchise would revolve around: discovery.

Link’s Awakening

Being the first handheld game for the franchise, Link’s Awakening does not disappoint at all. A direct sequel to A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening is a complete transition, with a whole new land and characters to talk to. Hyrule and Princess Zelda are in the past, and Link washes up on an island by a girl named Marin after sailing in a storm. Link has no way to escape the island except to wake The WindFish, requiring him to collect items from eight dungeons.

The amount of content packed into this tiny handheld game is incredible. There are a plethora of items to collect, along with a trading side quest to eventually find the boomerang. The dungeon designs all are unique and are accompanied by a few challenging but enjoyable puzzles.  Along with this, the characters are all a joy to talk to and are especially unique compared to other Zelda games. The gameplay is very simple due to the limited function of the Gameboy, but with the remake on the Nintendo Switch, Link’s Awakening is better than ever. The remake includes a remastered soundtrack along with a beautiful art style, making it the definitive way to enjoy Link’s Awakening. It even has a dungeon builder, allowing players to create their own dungeons, comparably to Super Mario Maker. For being the first handheld game for Zelda, Link’s Awakening is a home run.

For a handheld game, the amount of content that was put into Link’s Awakening is astonishing.

The Wind Waker

After the success of both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, the Zelda team wanted to try something new. When The Wind Waker was first introduced, many fans were turned off as they were expecting a darker tone for Link’s first adventure on the Gamecube. However, today The Wind Waker is seen as a timeless classic, and easily one of the best Zelda games. The cartoony-style graphics that were the main controversy in the beginning still hold up to this day. The art direction is simply beautiful, whether looking at the explosion of bombs or the waves of the ocean. With the release of the remaster on the Wii U, it became more apparent that the art style is timeless, which a few Zelda games cannot say.

The story of The Wind Waker is fairly straightforward and doesn’t get in the way of the main draw of the game, the exploration. Sailing the seas, exploring different islands, and finding treasure maps were never seen before from Zelda, and made the world feel truly open. Although, at times, it can become a drag to sail once you’ve explored the whole map. The HD remake on the Wii U fixed a few of these problems though, such as a sail that changes the wind direction automatically.

Link has also never been more expressive, bringing a lot of personality to a character that has been mostly emotionless in the past. This brings a lot more connection between Link and the player, making the journey much more memorable. However, The Wind Waker’s dungeons weren’t the best, even with a few fantastic items that can be found, such as the Deku Leaf. The dungeons are very linear, which makes them very simple for experienced gamers. After the joy of dungeons such as the Stone Tower Temple in Majora’s Mask, this linearity feels like a downgrade. However, The Wind Waker is still an absolute joy to play and stands as an achievement for the franchise.

The Wind Waker felt like an open-world adventure, sailing the seas and discovering different islands. And the art style makes it a timeless standout in the franchise.

A Link to the Past & A Link Between Worlds

It is hard to imagine that A Link to the Past was only the third game in the franchise. The amount of content alone for an SNES title is staggering. And with a spiritual successor in A Link Between Worlds, it was hard to separate the two on this list. They share the same world and dungeons, with A Link Between Worlds having the painting gimmick and a more fleshed-out story. Both of these games, however, are amazing on their own and deserve to each be played. 

A Link to the Past took the original Zelda formula and expanded it exponentially, with many more items, dungeons, and characters. Every dungeon stands out by itself, with each item allowing further exploration around the world. And the addition of the Dark World expands that even further. There is also a sense of freedom, allowing you to choose which dungeon you want to tackle in almost any order, with no downsides. There is also the feeling of progression, going from a simple boy with a lantern and a sword, to the champion of Hyrule with armor and magic to fight with. And isn’t that what The Legend of Zelda is all about? Even if the game came out in 1991, the game itself is timeless and is just as enjoyable today as it was back then.

A Link Between Worlds took the world of A Link to the Past and improved on it dramatically. One of the best additions was the rental system, allowing Link to rent items from a vendor named Ravio instead of finding each in separate dungeons. This expands the freedom of A Link to the Past tenfold, giving Link every item he could want before even tackling his first dungeon. Although this makes some dungeons not as complicated due to being limited to the one-item requirement, the freedom of choice stomps that conflict. Along with this is the addition of Lorule and a new storyline that must be played to be enjoyed to its fullest. The puzzles are even stronger with the painting mechanic, which lets Link attach himself to a wall like a painting, allowing him to traverse across the wall. Both of these games are the best Zelda has to offer and are both worthy to be on this list.

A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds are the best 2D Zelda has to offer and each carry the torch for what a Zelda game should be.

Twilight Princess

Although we see The Wind Waker as a success nowadays, it wasn’t seen that way at its release. There was a lot of controversy due to the transition to a different graphics style. With this, Zelda decided to go back to what made Ocarina of Time so loved, as much as Shigeru Miyamoto did not want to. Thus, Twilight Princess was created, bringing a much darker tone after the light-hearted Wind Waker. Twilight Princess is compared constantly to Ocarina of Time because of how many similarities they share and is seen as a spiritual successor to the 1998 title. But, it stands on its own as one of the best Zelda games.

The story of Twilight Princess is especially dark compared to other games in the franchise. Link begins in a small village as a farmhand until it is attacked, with the children of the village being stolen away. When Link attempts to chase after the captors, he is brought into the Twilight and is transformed into a wolf. He is saved by an imp by the name of Midna, who becomes the best companion in any Zelda game. So, Link’s journey through Hyrule begins to save the children and, later on, save the world. The story is engaging throughout and has some of the best characters in Zelda. This is the main strength of Twilight Princess, as it keeps you motivated to continue the journey. 

The dungeons of Twilight Princess are some of the best in the series, including the Arbiter’s Grounds, Snowpeak Ruins, and City in the Sky as some standouts. Not to include the outstanding boss battles at the end of the dungeons. Along with this, the items in Twilight Princess are amazing, creating some engaging puzzles. The Clawshot and Spinner, exclusive to Twilight Princess, are especially loved by fans. With all of this combined, along with the best final boss battle in any Zelda, Twilight Princess is much more than just a copy of Ocarina of Time and stands on its own as one of the best Zelda games.

The shift of tone from The Wind Waker to Twilight Princess was staggering, but Twilight Princess stands tall with some of the best stories and dungeons in the franchise.

Majora’s Mask

After the immense success of Ocarina of Time, the Zelda team and Shigeru Miyamoto wanted to take advantage of the incredible engine they made for the game. And quickly. With some unfathomable crunch for the developers, Majora’s Mask was made in under two years after the release of Ocarina of Time. With this rushed development time, there were a lot of corners that had to be cut to get the game released. This included reusing assets from Ocarina of Time, such as character models. However, with all of this, Majora’s Mask manages to be the most unique Zelda game out of them all.

The moon is falling on a land separate from Hyrule called Termina, and Link finds himself as the only one who can save the people there. The most unique part of Majora’s Mask is the time system. There are three days until the moon completely descends on Termina, and Link must go to four different regions to find the giants to push the moon back away. It is impossible to do everything Majora’s Mask has to offer in those three days. But, by playing the Song of Time, Link can time travel back to the morning of the first day.

Everything revolves around the time cycle, with every character having a set schedule they go on every cycle. Each side quest requires Link to be at certain locations at certain times, and the rewards he gets are masks that he keeps after traveling back in time. These masks are each special in their own way, with some transforming Link into one of three races. And if you collect all the masks before fighting the final boss, one of the most rewarding items is given to you in any Zelda game ever.

With satisfying side quests, well-written characters, and a story that has fans coming up with theories to this day about the true message, Majora’s Mask is one of the best Zelda games. And with a beautiful remaster on the 3DS, Majora’s Mask is much more accessible today.

Majora’s Mask quick development time was not a detriment at all, as it stands as one of the greatest Zelda games.

Tears of the Kingdom

It might come as a surprise that Tears of the Kingdom comes below its predecessor, but I will explain in the Breath of the Wild section. Everything about Tears of the Kingdom is an improvement on Breath of the Wild. The open world is three times as big, with much more to discover in every location. On top of that, the new abilities make the gameplay borderless, allowing almost any solution to every puzzle.

The Ultrahand ability is especially unique, being able to create amazing creations with enough imagination. This addition, along with the Fuse ability, expands the gameplay immensely, making every combat encounter and puzzle different for every player. Need to get a Korok from one spot to another? Some players might choose to attach a rocket and launch them over. Others will build a vehicle to drive the Korok. The possibilities are endless, and that makes Tears of the Kingdom an amazing game. The addition of temples as well is a return to Zelda’s roots, which was a criticism of Breath of the Wild

The story for Tears of the Kingdom is also much more engaging, with one of the greatest intros for a Zelda game ever. Just like Breath of the Wild, the bulk of the story is told by locating spots in the world to see a cutscene, which allows the player to enjoy the story at their leisure. After all of that, however, the game plays exactly as the prequel. The new abilities and bigger map are amazing additions and make it hard to play Breath of the Wild again, but the innovation Breath of the Wild brought makes Tears of the Kingdom lower on this list. For more details, check out my review of Tears of the Kingdom.

Tears of the Kingdom improves on its predecessor in every way, bringing much more to discover than before.

Breath of the Wild

Every Zelda game since 1998 has been copying the original concept of Ocarina of Time. Travel to dungeons around an open Hyrule Field or sea, discover new items, and defeat bosses to ultimately collect the necessary items to progress to the final boss. When Skyward Sword came, the realization that the formula was fading hit. So, Nintendo set out to create a game that captured what the original Legend of Zelda was to be, an open-world sandbox to get lost in. Thus, Breath of the Wild was created. And it holds a special achievement that stands next to the revolutionary efforts of Ocarina of Time. It inspired gaming industries everywhere to attempt to model the artistry of Breath of the Wild and its unique world.

One of the most common problems in most open-world games is that the world can feel empty. In Breath of the Wild, every turn can lead to something interesting. The original concept from the very first The Legend of Zelda is expanded upon drastically, giving players a sense of discovery at every turn. With shrines, side quests, stables, and Koroks everywhere, it is hard not to have something to find in Breath of the Wild. The gameplay also stands out compared to any open-world game. Any mountain, wall, or tower can be climbed with enough stamina. This simple concept of climbing anything brings immense freedom to the player and makes every player’s journey in Breath of the Wild unique. Some players may have found Prince Sidon and went upriver to Zora’s Domain. Or, they instead went towards the main quest and went to Kakariko Village. The power of choice has never been stronger.

Breath of the Wild is an achievement for the gaming industry and will be held as the standard for open-world games to come. Almost every open-world game will be compared to Breath of the Wild because of its impact and is seen as a masterpiece by some. But, it is not the best Zelda game.

Breath of the Wild was a literal breath of fresh air for the Zelda franchise and changed the gaming world forever, a second for the series.

Ocarina of Time 

When first creating this list, it was extremely difficult to rank each game. But, I always knew Ocarina of Time would be at the top. This game is revolutionary and timeless. Once Ocarina of Time came, adventure games were forever changed. Nintendo had created something that studios still strive for to this day. The creativity and open playground environment available was never seen before in the industry. The atmosphere set in every area you visit makes every location iconic. Entering Lon Lon Ranch with the relaxing music and goofy characters such as Talon to set the tone of safety. Then there is the Deku Tree with the eerie music and spider webs everywhere that tell the player that the tree is dying and no one has set foot in here for centuries. 

The time travel from child to adult is one of the best storytelling through gameplay to this day. Exploring the same world seven years later that was so alive and carefree was shocking. First stepping out of the Temple of Time and seeing Death Mountain in the distance, and then seeing the once lively market with ReDead wandering the streets. It would be horrifying for a boy who skipped seven years of his life to be the hero of this world. But, you drive through all the turmoil because of the beautiful music and motivating characters that continue to push Link and the player to save the land and defeat Ganondorf. 

Ocarina of Time is a crowning achievement in video games, and will always stand the test of time. Without this game, who knows where the video game industry would be, and which other beautiful gaming experiences we would never have because the inspiration never came. People to this day say that Ocarina of Time is not only the best Zelda game, but the greatest video game of all time. I attest to that.

Ocarina of Time stands the test of time as one of, if not the, greatest achievement in video game history.