How Many Zelda Games Are There?

Since the '80s, Link has been embarking on wild and exciting adventures that usually end with him saving Zelda, the world, or both. These escapades are depicted in The Legend of Zelda games. Over the years, the series has earned its reputation as one of the greatest video game series of all time.

28 Game Franchises With The Best Lore

Some stories are exceptional, and many will be much more hidden or deeper than you think. Here are the games with the best lore.

It didn't prove its brilliance with just a few strong installments. There has been a litany of Zelda games. In fact, even big fans of the series might not know how many, nor the names of each one. However, all of that information can be found here.

Updated October 15, 2024, By Ben Jessey: Not too long ago, there was a new addition to The Legend of Zelda series named The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Its existence means this article about how many Zelda games there are went out-of-date. So, we've updated the piece to add the game and tidy up a few things.

There Are 21 Main Zelda Games

The 21 main entries in the Legend of Zelda series are predominantly action-adventure titles with a few RPG influences. From a story perspective, most of them revolve around Link attempting to stop whatever dark evil is threatening Zelda and the Kingdom of Hyrule.

Yet, despite the main objective not varying much between titles, the gameplay sure does. The early games are relatively small and feature plenty of 2D action. As the series progressed, though, the open-worlds started to enhance, as did the visuals and overall presentation.

Game

Release Date

Systems

The Legend Of Zelda

1986 (Japan) and 1987 (North America)

Famicon Disk System, Nintendo Entertainment System, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Wii Virtual Console, 3DS Virtual Console, Wii U Virtual Console, Switch Online.

Zelda 2: The Adventure Of Link

1987 (Japan) and 1988 (North America)

Famicon Disk System, Nintendo Entertainment System, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Wii Virtual Console, 3DS Virtual Console, Wii U Virtual Console, Switch Online.

The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past

1991 (Japan) and 1992 (North America)

Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Satellaview, Game Boy Advance, Wii Virtual Console, Wii U Virtual Console, 3DS Virtual Console, Switch Online.

The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening

1993

Game Boy, Game Boy Color, 3DS Virtual Console, Nintendo Switch.

The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time

1998

Nintendo 64, iQue Player, GameCube, Wii Virtual Console, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U Virtual Console, Switch Online.

The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask

2000

Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii Virtual Console, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U Virtual Console.

The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Ages

2001

Game Boy Color, 3DS Virtual Console.

The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Seasons

2001

Game Boy Color, 3DS Virtual Console.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past & Four Swords (Link To The Past Is A Re-Release, But The Four Swords Is Original)

2002

Game Boy Advance

The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker

2002 (Japan) and 2003 (North America)

GameCube, Wii U.

The Legend Of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

2004

GameCube

The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap

2004 (Japan) and 2005 (North America)

Game Boy Advance, 3DS Virtual Console, Wii U Virtual Console.

The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess

2006

GameCube, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U.

The Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

2007

Nintendo DS, Wii U Virtual Console.

The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

2009

Nintendo DS, Wii U Virtual Console.

The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword

2011

Nintendo Wii, Wii U Virtual Console, Nintendo Switch.

The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

2013

Nintendo 3DS

The Legend Of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

2015

Nintendo 3DS

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

2017

Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Switch

2023

Nintendo Switch

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

2024

Nintendo Switch

There Are 17 Zelda Spin-Offs

In most cases, the spin-off titles mess with The Legend of Zelda formula. Some swap protagonists, others experiment with different genres, and a few are played on wristwatches.

10 Things You Never Knew About The CD-i Zelda Games

Excuuuuse you, Princess, and learn about Zelda on the CD-i.

In fact, Nintendo's traditional home systems didn't get many Zelda spin-offs until recent years. Before that, everything from handheld consoles to lesser-known pieces of hardware served as the homes for these games. Plus, a few of the titles were never seen by American audiences as they were only released in Japan. Overall, there are 17 of these spin-offs.

Game

Release Date

Systems

Zelda

1989

Game & Watch, Nintendo Mini Classic.

The Legend Of Zelda

1989

Nelsonic Game Watch

Zelda No Densetsu: Kamigami No Triforce

1992 (Japan Only)

Barcode Battler 2

Zelda: The Wand Of Gamelon

1993

CD-i

Link: The Faces Of Evil

1993

CD-i

Zelda's Adventure

1994

CD-i

BS Zelda No Densetsu

1995 (Japan Only)

Satellaview

BS Zelda No Densetsu Inishie No Sekiban

1997 (Japan Only)

Satellaview

Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland

2006 (Japan)

Nintendo DS

Tingle's Balloon Fight DS

2007 (Japan Only)

Nintendo DS

Link's Crossbow Training

2007

Nintendo Wii

Dekisugi Tingle Pack

2009 (Japan Only)

DSiWare

Irozuki Tincle No Koi No Balloon Trip

2009 (Japan Only)

Nintendo DS

Hyrule Warriors

2014

Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch.

My Nintendo Picross: The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess

2016

Nintendo 3DS

Cadence Of Hyrule

2019

Nintendo Switch

Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity

2020

Nintendo Switch

There Are 9 Zelda Remakes And Re-Releases

Nintendo seems to be very fond of remaking and re-releasing Legend Of Zelda games. Many of the most beloved main installments have been released a second time in some form. And there are nine remakes and re-releases in total.

The Most Iconic Locations From The Legend Of Zelda Series

These iconic locations from the Legend of Zelda series span different games and console generations, yet all remain must-visit places.

In most instances, these games have received simple graphical upgrades. However, some of them have received more significant changes, such as improvements in control schemes. The alterations have generally improved the experiences, and the developers have done well to keep the magic of the originals.

Game

Release Date

Systems

The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX

1998

Game Boy Color

The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Master Quest

2002 (Japan) and 2003 (North America)

Nintendo 64, GameCube.

The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time 3D

2011

Nintendo 3DS

The Legend Of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition

2011

DSiWare

The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD

2013

Nintendo Wii U

The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D

2015

Nintendo 3DS

The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD

2016

Nintendo Wii U

The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening

2019

Nintendo Switch

The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

2021

Nintendo Switch

There Are 46 Zelda Games In Total

So, with all of these mainline entries, spin-offs, and re-releases over the years, there have been a total of 46 Zelda games. Whether it be a new entry with fresh mechanics, a classic with some graphical alterations, or an experimental title, we have seen plenty of Zelda games, with many more surely to come.

Every The Legend Of Zelda Game, Ranked By Map Size

The Legend of Zelda is known for its expansive adventures and large maps. Here's each game ranked by map size.