Every Legend of Zelda Game, Ranked

by Fox Van Allen, for Metacritic – March 7, 2017

Updated May 2023 to add Tears of the Kingdom.

The Legend of Zelda, now over 35 years old, is one of Nintendo’s strongest, most popular and longest-running franchises. The latest Zelda title, Breath of the Wild for the new Nintendo Switch console, has drawn rave reviews from critics, with many giving it a perfect score.

Is Breath of the Wild just a great Zelda game … or the greatest Zelda game of all time? To answer that question, we have ranked every Zelda game by Metascore. (Note that some of the older titles are not available on Metacritic, and in those instances we have used scores from our sister site, GameRankings.)

Additional content by Jason Dietz

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#2: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Nintendo Switch, 2017 (also on Wii U)

The newest entry in the Zelda franchise, IGN’s Jose Otero says, “is a masterclass in open-world design and a watershed game that reinvents a 30-year-old franchise.”

The game, which is easily the most notable launch title for the new Switch console, is the biggest in Nintendo history, too: According to GameSpot’s Peter Brown, “there’s so much to see, to accomplish and to learn that you never feel like you have control over the world. This is a great thing.”

“Breath of the Wild is a defining moment for The Legend of Zelda series,” he concludes, “and the most impressive game Nintendo has ever created.”

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