October 20, 2026

7 the Legend of Zelda Games Ranked Worst to Best

We're ranking every 3D Zelda by one thing: how well it plays today.

Skyward Sword, 2011. The HD remaster fixed controls, but the backtracking still drags. Twilight Princess, 2006. A great Hyrule buried under a slow, tutorial-heavy opening.

Ocarina of Time, 1998. It introduced Z-targeting, but the N64 version shows its age. Majora's Mask, 2000. Its three-day clock still feels bold, if a little stressful.

The Wind Waker, 2002. The cel-shaded art looks timeless; the sailing, less so. Breath of the Wild, 2017. Climb anything, go anywhere, and it still feels fresh.

Tears of the Kingdom, 2023. Ultrahand building makes every problem yours to solve.

Our pick: Tears of the Kingdom keeps everything Breath of the Wild got right, then adds building tools with modern polish, so nothing about it feels dated yet.

The full ranking

1. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
   2011 · Wii, Switch
2. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
   2006 · GameCube, Wii, Wii U
3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
   1998 · N64, 3DS
4. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
   2000 · N64, 3DS
5. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
   2002 · GameCube, Wii U
6. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
   2017 · Switch, Wii U
7. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
   2023 · Switch

Counted down from number 7 to number one.

Games in this story

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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

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The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

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The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

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The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

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The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

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