Which Zelda Should You Play First in 2026? Order, Versions
Which Zelda to start with in 2026, what order to play Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, and which Switch 2 versions to buy: one answer per situation.
Three groups of people ask this question in 2026: people who just bought a Switch 2, people who saw the Ocarina of Time remake trailer, and people waiting for the April 2027 movie. Search results answer a different question for each of them — mostly with 2017 Breath of the Wild guides. This page gives one answer per situation.
Which Zelda games can I actually play right now?
| Game | Platform | Released | Why it matters in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breath of the Wild (Switch 2 Edition) | Switch 2 / Switch | 2017; Switch 2 Edition June 5, 2025 | 34.06 million sold; the open-world reboot |
| Tears of the Kingdom (Switch 2 Edition) | Switch 2 / Switch | May 12, 2023; Switch 2 Edition June 5, 2025 | 22.71 million sold; direct sequel, same Hyrule |
| Echoes of Wisdom | Switch (free Switch 2 update June 5, 2025) | September 26, 2024 | Top-down, play as Zelda, easiest entry |
| Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment | Switch 2 only | November 6, 2025 | Musou spin-off, Tears of the Kingdom prequel story, 1 million+ shipped |
| Ocarina of Time (remake) | Switch 2 only | November 5, 2026 | The 1998 classic rebuilt; the anniversary headline |
Sales figures are Nintendo’s as of June 30, 2026.
I have a Switch 2 and have never played Zelda. Where do I start?
Breath of the Wild, Switch 2 Edition. It is the game that reset the series, it runs and looks best on Switch 2, and everything in Tears of the Kingdom assumes you have seen its Hyrule. Play it until you have freed at least two Divine Beasts, then decide whether to finish or move on. Tears of the Kingdom will still be there.
The order that most players who have done both recommend: Breath of the Wild → Tears of the Kingdom. The reverse works, but Tears of the Kingdom’s opening lands harder when you recognize what changed. The full comparison is in Tears of the Kingdom vs Breath of the Wild. Once you have picked, the beginner tips for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom list what to do first. If you do not know the two games yet, read the Breath of the Wild overview and the Tears of the Kingdom overview first.
I only have time for one. Which?
Tears of the Kingdom. It contains more of everything — 152 shrines to Breath of the Wild’s 120, 1,000 Korok seeds, the sky and the Depths, and the building systems — and it is the game the Switch 2 Edition improvements matter most for. You will miss some story context; the game recaps enough.
I want the “classic” Zelda with dungeons and items. Which?
Play the Ocarina of Time remake. It is a Switch 2 exclusive that came out on November 5, 2026 — see the release details. Without a Switch 2, Echoes of Wisdom is the most dungeon-like modern entry, though it plays very differently from the 3D games.
What kind of game it is and where its story starts is on the Ocarina of Time overview. N64 and Nintendo 3DS walkthroughs describe earlier versions. Their room layouts, puzzle solutions, item locations and collection totals cannot be assumed to match this remake. Our main Ocarina of Time walkthrough has been rewritten for the remake, and each Ocarina of Time guide says at the top whether it has been checked against the remake yet.
I am buying for a child or a complete beginner
Echoes of Wisdom. It is top-down, has no weapon durability, no cooking survival loop and no stamina climbing, and its puzzles are built around copying objects rather than combat. It received a free Switch 2 update (HDR, stable 60 fps) on June 5, 2025.
I am here because of the movie
The live-action film opens April 30, 2027 and tells an original story — see the movie page. You do not need to play anything to follow it. If you want context on Hyrule, Ganondorf and the Triforce, Breath of the Wild is the most approachable place to get it, and its Switch 2 Edition is the best-looking version.
What order should I play the whole series in?
There is no required order. Every Zelda is a complete story, and the official timeline is a retroactive framing rather than a play order. The real questions are which games your console can run and which part of the story you want to fill in first.
Every Zelda you can play on Switch and Switch 2
These are the games you can buy and play today, with their release dates. Games marked “Switch” also run on Switch 2, which plays most Switch games. Games marked “Switch 2 only” do not run on the original Switch.
| Game | Platform | Released | Connection to the two open-world games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breath of the Wild | Switch; Switch 2 Edition | March 3, 2017; Switch 2 Edition June 5, 2025 | The first open-world game |
| Tears of the Kingdom | Switch; Switch 2 Edition | May 12, 2023; Switch 2 Edition June 5, 2025 | Direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, same Hyrule |
| Link’s Awakening | Switch | September 20, 2019 | None. It is set on an island at sea, and the goal is to leave it |
| Skyward Sword HD | Switch | July 16, 2021 (Wii original 2011) | No direct story link. It is the earliest story in the timeline and tells how the Master Sword was made |
| Echoes of Wisdom | Switch (free Switch 2 update June 5, 2025) | September 26, 2024 | None. Top-down, and you play as Zelda |
| Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity | Switch | November 20, 2020 | Musou spin-off about the Great Calamity, 100 years before Breath of the Wild |
| Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity – Definitive Edition | Switch 2 only | February 25, 2027 (scheduled) | The Switch 2 version of the row above, with all of its add-on content |
| Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment | Switch 2 only | November 6, 2025 | Musou spin-off about the Imprisoning War in Tears of the Kingdom’s past |
| Ocarina of Time (remake) | Switch 2 only | November 5, 2026 | A full remake of the 1998 Nintendo 64 game; prices and editions are on the release date page |
Older Zelda games in Nintendo Switch Online
Nintendo Switch Online includes a set of older Zelda games in its Nintendo Classics apps. NES, Super NES and Game Boy games come with the base membership. Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance and GameCube games need Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.
| Game | Original system | Membership | Added |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda | NES | Base | September 2018 (service launch) |
| Zelda II: The Adventure of Link | NES | Base | January 2019 |
| A Link to the Past | Super NES | Base | September 2019 |
| Link’s Awakening DX | Game Boy Color | Base | February 2023 |
| Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages | Game Boy Color | Base | July 2023 |
| Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64 version) | Nintendo 64 | Expansion Pack | October 2021 |
| Majora’s Mask | Nintendo 64 | Expansion Pack | February 2022 |
| The Minish Cap | Game Boy Advance | Expansion Pack | February 2023 |
| A Link to the Past & Four Swords | Game Boy Advance | Expansion Pack | June 2024 |
| The Wind Waker | GameCube | Expansion Pack, Switch 2 only | June 5, 2025 |
Each of these is a standalone story, and you do not need any of them to follow the open-world games. How the Nintendo 64 version of Ocarina of Time compares with the remake, and whether saves carry over, is covered in How to Play Ocarina of Time Now.
Recommended orders
- New to Zelda and want the essentials: Breath of the Wild → Tears of the Kingdom → Ocarina of Time (remake). Play the first two as Switch 2 Editions. The third came out on November 5, 2026 and adds the classic dungeon-based style.
- Want the full backstory of the open-world games: Breath of the Wild → Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity → Tears of the Kingdom → Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. Each Hyrule Warriors game plays out the war that the main game only shows as the past, so play each one after its main game: see the memories first, then fight the battle. To go back further still, Skyward Sword HD tells where the Master Sword came from.
- Only the open-world games: Breath of the Wild → Tears of the Kingdom. Finish both, then pick from the tables above if you want more.
Which versions should I buy on Switch 2?
| If you own… | Buy |
|---|---|
| Nothing | Breath of the Wild Switch 2 Edition ($69.99), then Tears of the Kingdom Switch 2 Edition ($79.99) |
| The original cartridges | The $9.99 upgrade pack for each, or claim both through Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack |
| An original Switch only | The original versions; Ver. 1.4.3 runs on both consoles. The Ocarina of Time remake needs a Switch 2 |
Everything the upgrade changes — and the one save-slot catch — is in Tears of the Kingdom Switch 2 Edition: every difference.
FAQ
Should I play Breath of the Wild before Tears of the Kingdom?
Do I need to play the old Zelda games first?
Which Zelda should a child or complete beginner start with?
Which versions should I buy on Switch 2?
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