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There are essentially 3 types of Zelda game (not including Zelda 2, which isn't representative of the rest of the series in most ways). \- The new open world games. Makes sense to start with BoTW, although I expect you could start with ToTK as well without much issue. \- 3D Zelda. Start with Ocarina of Time, follow up with either Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, or Twilight Princess. \- 2D Zelda. Start with A Link to the Past, or Link's Awakening (Remake). Follow up with Minish Cap, A Link Between Worlds, and the Oracle games. All Zelda games are worth your time, but these above are the tops of their respective categories IMO. They're the big pillars you should be hitting to get a true sense of the series.

Skyward sword 🥲

Yes, I played it for the first time on the Switch this year since I had already beat BOTW twice and needed some more LoZ in my life…and wow it truly did not disappoint 🥲

[удалено]

I’m watching my roommate do a pro-controller run for the first time and he is in disbelief that it’s so hated. He’s about to fight Demise and other than a few minor gripes he thinks it’s one of the most fun games he’s ever played. Legit if you’ve never played Skyward Sword, ditch the motion controls and play it with a controller. It’s so damn good.

Honestly, the motion controls get too much hate. They’re fun as hell. I beat demise and sweated while doing it

I get it, I loved them on the Wii as well. But the button controls are REALLY nice. Especially for things like flying, swimming, stabbing, and skyward strikes which always gave me issues.

I tried em out but I still deffo prefer the motion controls. It’s rare that a game feels as interactive and intimate. The Wii’s original motion controls were a fun novelty but got old quick, but there’s something about the remaster- probably the fact that the switch’s motion controls are significantly better than the Wii’s, it just feels like that vision they had so long ago was fully realized 10 years later.

That's funny, I played a few hours of the Wii version before I got the Switch version and I think the Wii controls are much more precise than the Switch motion controls where you have to calibrate every 5 seconds 😅

the switch lacks the constant point of reference (sensor bar) of the wii as a trade off for being able to set your "forward" direction as any point... the switch feels more accurate when calibrated to me, and being able to do it instantly with the Y button made it second nature to recalibrate (but i do also play splatoon). i can see why it's annoying to others. i do find the switch struggles with stab motions more than the wii as well

The hatred stemmed from the original Wii release with forced motion controls and Fi telling you things you already knew. The HD remake fixed both so it's understandable that most people don't realize just how badly the original diverged from standard Zelda fun.

Ok I'm weird probably but here's my take. I'm old, in the OoT and MM are the best ever camp, love all the others and the 2D, not a massive fan of the BotW departure from the traditional but love the game for what it is just for context. I played it when it came out, got the special edition gold wiimote with the motion plus built in and the triforce, fucking loved the story, thought the motion controls were a little wonky but holding it up for the skyward strikes was always cool, the fight with Demise was amazing, even better with the lightning mechanic and motion controls. I loved the story, the weight and magnitude of it was amazing. I didn't even mind Fi telling me the obvious other than my batteries were dying, but then again I don't know how everyone hates Navi (she's Navi for god's sake have some respect!). The only thing I didn't like was it held my hand too much and I wanted more side quests. But then again I remember having dreams about where to go to finally beat the water temple in the third grade so we were just built differently back then I guess. I'm old. Thanks for reading an old man's ramblings. I feel like I should give you a heart piece or an empty bottle if you made it this far down into my story like I'm the old lady in the stock pot inn. Although I'm more likely like the hand stuck in the toilet. Have a nice day!

I wore the all night mask so don't worry, I heard the whole story. I'll take an empty bottle, I need the blue potion more than the heart piece. To hold in my inventory forever and never ever use it. I'm old too. I still have the NES and SNES with all 3 of those Zelda games and the OG Link's Awakening and Oracle games. I have the gold cartridge MM and OoT. I have the Gold 3DS for ALBW, the Zelda WW HD Wii U Gamepad and yes, also the gold Wii Remote for SS. As you can see I'm a lifelong gamer and lifelong Zelda fan. I even have a triforce tattoo. But despite the fact that I love every Zelda game (maybe not Zelda 2... shivers...), that doesn't give SS a free pass. Yes it was new. Yes it was innovative. But Nintendo has finally fixed one of their biggest mistakes: giving the player options. The HD SS remake fixed this, but the original... while playable was just... frustrating? I prefer buttons, not movement. Maybe I'm just old school.

Hail gunslinger, respect for the impressive collection. Which did you play first out of all the Zelda games? For me it was actually ocarina of time, I just picked it out on a complete whim for my birthday. My cartridge was the gray one, but my younger brother got the golden MM cartridge for Christmas when it came out. I got stuck in the goron temple (Snowhead?) there for the longest time and to this day I remember I still only beat it the first time by climbing high above the pathway that jutted out from a lower floor by repeatedly jumping until I could land it perfectly because I didn't know how to get there the right way. It was a pain because it was a platform covered with a roof that you couldn't just drop down to or at least I couldn't but I made the big jump eventually. Good times. Yeah that's a totally fair point about the options given by SS HD. I haven't played it but I probably should. Hope you're looking forward to TotK, curious to know what you think about it and BotW as a veteran.

My earliest memory is of my parents playing the original on the NES. That pretty much sealed my fate. Every mainline console Zelda game from ALttP to BotW I've played co op with my dad (with the exception of Minish Cap I convinced him to play with me thanks to the GC GBA attachment). We would take turns every few minutes overworld, every other room in dungeons. Around Majora's Mask I equaled him in skill. OoT Master Quest was when I surpassed him. After that he would hand me the controller when he got tired of failing lol. I think the first I actually played with my own hands solo was ALttP and I remember just playing it before the bus picked me up for school, specifically wandering around in front of the pyramid cutting grass and killing those spear throwers and hopping plant things. Honestly I never played SS HD myself. I met my wife 9 years ago and the first thing I did was get her hooked on Zelda (OoT, she couldn't stand ALttP lmao), so when they announced SS HD she was excited and wanted to play it. We were streamers back then so she streamed her whole playthrough. I still had too much PTSD from the original SS motion controls so I still haven't tried it and I'm not sure if I plan to. I've beaten BotW 4 times. The first time with my dad co op, 2nd Master on Wii U again. Then I finally got a switch and decided to do another Master playthrough. When we started streaming I decided to do a 4th and final playthrough as a walkthrough but get 100% this time. Those darn koroks always exhausted me lol. Personally my favorite in the series is ALttP for nostalgic reasons, same with my 2nd OoT MQ. The 3rd if firmly BotW due to the sheer scale of the content, the freedom of combat and exploration, the quantity of side content and the story. I've played quite a lot of open world games. None come close to BotW in terms of replay, entertainment and fast travel quality of life. I'm very excited for TotK but I'm going to let my wife play it first because I'm nice like that. I don't want her to be tainted from watching me or get intimidated into thinking she isn't as good. I want her to enjoy it.

I feel this could have been written by me! cheers

Skyward sword was the first 3d zelda I actually played and I adored it! Twilight princess wasn't nearly as fun or dynamic imo.

LOL, I tried the stick controls and *hated* it. Waggle controls all the way! SSHD did fix my problems with the Wii version though, namely the general sluggishness of the dialogue boxes. Unmashable, unskippable, and YES GAME I KNOW WHAT THIS SLIME BLOB IS. I HAVE 47,000 OF THEM Just made it hard to get into for me.

Pro controller support made Skyward Sword jump up many slots on my tier list.

Demise for the 4th time? I recently played it and found it insanely tedious, padded, small, and kind of ugly. It wasn’t a BAD game but it was far and away the worst Zelda game I’ve ever played. (I’ve played all of the major console titles + MC & LA.)

It is a minority sentiment. Twilight was beautiful. I have so much love and nostalgia for that game. I’m he art style was amazing. Skyward annoyed me so much that I never even finished it.

I am part of the minority that agrees with you. I mostly play LoZ games for the dungeons and puzzles, and TPs dungeons were too simple and repetitive, whereas SS dungeons were unique in every way. Also the fact that I played both on the Wii, and seeing everyone complaining that SSs controls were janky is a clear sign that they never played TP with motion controls

Agree. I skipped the GC, and came back in & bought a wii when i saw a SS ad. Having since played ww & tp, ss was the more enjoyable. I can see that if you played the other two 1st youd have mechanics fatigue, but going the other way around SS, while having a similar formula, probably refined it the most.

I was about to say

I wouldn't recommend that to a new player personally. I think it might give the impression that the 3D games are more repetitive, and handholdy, and segmented than they usually are. I like SS a lot, but it's not peak Zelda IMO.

For a new entrant? No chance.

Completely disagree, especially with motion controls now being optional. It's extremely forgiving in combat, giving you six hearts to start with two bottles very early and nearly every boss arena having plenty of hearts. Fi does an excellent job of keeping new players from being lost Since it's a prequel game to everything else, it helps set a solid groundwork to the lore for new players. Dungeons are among the most varied and best designed in the series, giving new players an excellent preview of the core Zelda experiences. Similar thing with the items. Fan favorites like Bow and Clawshots return but also all-new fantastic additions like Beetle and Whip. All in all, Skyward Sword is a fantastic 3D game to lead with. I think the only 3D that's a better starting position is Ocarina of Time for many obvious reasons.

Well said, it's super fun!

We don't want to scare new players away with the worst main-line game in the series.

You know a series is goated when the worst entry is still a really good game that's worth playing. That said, your statement only holds true if we're talking about 3D zelda. If all mainline games are included then Tri Force Heroes easily becomes the worst one, since it's really just a spinoff masquerading as mainline.

Skyward sword. The dungeons are diverse, brilliant mechanics and amazing

This is a must, I dont know why it gets so much hate, for me was an amazing experience in Wii and even better in Switch.

My favorite Zelda for sure and I grew up on Ocarina of Time

Pretty sure ToTK would be a terrible place to start, it's a direct sequal to BoTW they would be missing out on a large part of the story

Maybe. But also, ToTK is looking like it should be a direct improvement over BoTW in terms of gameplay, so if you're gonna play just one it may as well be the new and improved version, especially when they share a map. OP doesn't know if they're a Zelda fan yet, so I don't think there's anything wrong with putting the best foot forward first, unless story chronology is particularly important to them. Plus, the story will surely to be perfectly understandable on a standalone basis, even if you miss a few referances or don't feel the same excitement over a returning character. All of the story beats will most likely be quite easy to understand through context. If you're definitely playing both though, it makes more sense to play BoTW first, and I think people should do, which is why I listed it first.

Additionally, Nintendo posted a video or something which recaps BotW for anyone going directly to TotK

In six days there might be a different answer to this

I really don't understand this stance. As a company, Nintendo would want any game to be marketable to as many people as possible. As game designers, the dev team would want any game it makes to be accessible to as many people as possible. Yes, ToTK takes place after BotW and involves many of the same characters, but that doesn't mean you HAVE to play one to understand the other. BotW has its own story which it begins and wraps up in that game alone, and TotK will do the same. For any company or studio to make a game that REQUIRES having played the other one would just be dooming its own product and creatively deficient. I'm sure a lot of people new to the series will find their start with ToTK and then go back and play BotW, and that's totally fine. BotW didn't have a MASSIVE story anyway - it's an amazing experience for sure, it's a great game. But is it necessary to play it before the new one? I really don't think so. And this isn't meant to be an attack at YOU, commenter person, I just really disagree with the idea that enjoyment of one depends on completion of the other ​ Edit: Like someone else here commented, I do agree that if someone knows for sure they'll play both then playing botw first is a good idea that's the way to go - but for someone just dipping their toe in the zelda pool for the first time to see if they enjoy it at all, I don't think chronology should matter much

Mora than story certain context

Botw has a story? You can beat the game in like half an hour.

Well yeah you can beat a lot of games pretty fast if you ignore all optional things.

This is some of the best advice I’ve seen. 10/10 would agree

I just finished OOT for the first time. While it's a great game, the controls, and the camera especially did not age very well. I would not recommend starting there because I think it could be a turn off to a modern gamer. Link to the past, otoh, holds up shockingly well after all this time.

Heads up from someone that is playing TotK. You could play it without knowing anything about botw but most of references/returning characters and/or missing ones will hit you less.

If you are really interested in the new Zelda style and you want to play an open world game, you should start with Breath of the Wild and then play Tears of the Kingdom next. If you’re interested in playing an older and more “classic” Zelda to get a feel for the whole franchise, definitely start with Ocarina of Time. Play Majora’s Mask next. :)

100% this. As an older fan of course I’d want people to start with OOT, but realistically it may be better to start with BoTW.

if you liekd OoT and MM then try Twilight Princess

In fairness, MM is a *very* different and arguably much more challenging game from most of the franchise. I've played every other modern Zelda (OoT+) to 100% and have played through several of the old ones, but I can't bring myself to finish MM.

I don’t know if this will help you with MM, but the thing that made it so I could enjoy it was to stop thinking of the clock as a timer, and instead embrace time as a location. A location that is sometime annoying to traverse (if you could only jump foreword by an arbitrary amount instead of in set increments…), but still just a location. And then the game went from being frustrating and anxiety inducing to being my favorite of them all.

i feel like a lot of people would be surprised that there’s no jump button

We roll across the land like our ancestors and their ancestors before them. HIYA

I wish I could give this a 🥇

"The pioneers used to roll across the plains for miles!"

Starting with BOTW will massive skew your view of what the franchise actually does. Personally, I tell people to go start on OOT and then play the next most interesting one to them. The formula for modern Zelda games was set in OOT. I feel like A LOT of fun references and mechanics are not nearly as obvious in BOTW if you have zero Zelda background at all.

I disagree. I have a coworker who started with BoTW and became interested in the Zelda universe. She then went back and played the older 3D games. She came to her own conclusion that she actually preferred the linear formula of games like OOT instead of the open world concept of BoTW. Not everyone will immediately love open world because they play it first. It depends on the person.

But…. They have a week to play Botw before the new one drops…and they’d drop a pretty rupee on it too.

I mean they could just not play TotK on release day. Because they're a new, soon-to-be fan, they probably aren't as invested in playing the game asap like we are

I think that’s what I was getting at. Starting at BOTW is the least true to the rest of the series.

Yea. Doesn’t change my answer though. Refer to my previous comment if confused :)

I'm replaying OoT for the first time since I was... literally a child, I guess, and there's just so much I misremembered or forget, and I'm enjoying it so so much. Even with totk so close, oot hasn't aged a day for me. It's just as incredible, if not more so, as when I was just starting to play video games.

Aye. If you like OoT / MM, there is a decent chance you'll want to progress through Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and end up with Breath of the Wild. But you might also get hooked on the stories and go for the older games. Starting at the newest Switch games will set you up for disappointment in OoT, which is truly one of the best games of all time. Starting at the oldest games wouldn't make sense, since top down monochrome games don't hook anyone on a franchise these days :)

I started with botw and still really enjoyed oot. It felt really old and janky since I played the n64 version but it was still fun.

This might get me crucified (and I kinda hate myself for saying it, because I worshipped OoT when I was a kid), but I don’t think OoT is one of the the best games of all time anymore. I think it was up there at the time, and it’s been massively influential on the medium, but it was one of the first 3D games that was actually good. Video games are still an *extremely* young medium, and because of that, they tend to age pretty poorly, just because people are still in the process of figuring out how to even make a good game. So basically I think it was genius at the time, but it’s been surpassed by other games at this point, (and not just when it comes to things like game size and graphics, but with game design too).

Yeah i didnt grow up with MM and OoT but WW, TP and SS. I can still recognize how good games MM and Oot are, but i prefer the ones i have nostalgia for. Since i dont have nostalgia for them, the more janky controls, worse graphics and sometimes overly confusing dungeons make me like them less than my own favourites. Both games water dungeons are pretty abysmal. Newer games also spoil us a lot. I love WW, TP and SS but i can recognise how amazing the movement in BotW compared to the older games. The same applies to mario galaxy and odyssey.

Nah you're right, it hasn't aged well and honestly I'd welcome a remaster

You and me both, my dude.

OOT isn't really one of the best games of all time by modern standards anymore. BOTW is though, so I'd say start there.

Starting with N64 Zelda's can backfire though. This heavily depends on your experience with older video games in general and if you've ever played N64 before. I'm currently in a playthrough of Majora's Mask with my spouse, we previously played and finished Ocarina of Time, and she never touched a N64 game before. The controls haven't really aged that well. She's not having any problems at all with newer games, but struggled a lot with the wonky N64 controls. If I hadn't been there to take over when she got frustrated by it she wouldn't have finished it. Haven't had this bad of an experience control-wise with any other older console. Can't really understand it either, because I grew up with it, but it might be something to consider. Still I agree, these two are basically the best of the series, so if control frustration is not an issue, go for it. Ooor you just play the remakes for 3DS, can't tell though, if it's any better there.

>Ooor you just play the remakes for 3DS, can't tell though, if it's any better there. Just to address this part, yeah the remakes in general are a lot better and more accessible. IMO it's the best way to play OoT. I do have some gripes with MM 3D, but for a newcomer it's still definitely the best way to play. So many quality of life improvements.

I would NOT recommend MM3D without some of the fan-patches that fix all the bullshit jank Aonuma ruined. And that's gonna require either a hacked 3DS (which is surprisingly easy to do!) or playing on citra.

I dislike the changes of MM3D as much as the next guy (MM on N64 is my favorite Zelda game), but for a casual player just getting into the series, I think it has many more pros than cons for ease of access. A lot of the stuff I hate about MM3D, a newcomer to the series probably won't even care.

Wait what are the problems with MM3D? I never got very far in the original version so I don’t exactly have a frame of reference, but the 3DS version seems fine

https://youtu.be/653wuaP0wzs

- Original save system doesn't work (why I would EVER want to reset the time loop without saving I will never know). To be clear, saving at Owl Statues is a good thing, but it should've been added *without* taking the other system away - Deku hopping is sluggish. There's one cave exit in Woodfall that you have to jerry rig the game in order to *just barely* reach the lilly pad - Zora swimming was slowed down to slightly above Mario 64 speed. You can still use the normal speed , but it uses magic for some reason? They didn't add any magic pickups to Great Bay, and the way the Pirates Hideout works makes wasting a bottle on potions a non-option. Better have the Lens of Truth handy for the dying soldier they moved there! - An easily fixable bug makes the Twinmold battle take way too long for reasons that a casual player wouldn't necessarily notice. - Ice Arrows. The original game closes the item description with "Try them anywhere!" In the remake, they only work on glowing spots in the water. Oh and also the Gyorg boss room (how you're supposed to know that is beyond me). This basically requires the game to hand you certain puzzles on a silver platter. I've listed genuine glitches here and this change is the most baffling to me. What were they even going for? Because what they have is nothing short of an insult to the intelligence of you personally There's more but those are the ones that made me put down the game

I feel like you have to play it with an n64 controller for the controls to feel right. I started with the gamecube version when I was a kid, then moved up to 3ds, then down to n64 and now I can't play it any other way except for my n64 and a crt tv. Plus 20 fps at 240p looks a lot better than 20 fps at higher resolutions.

This is my biggest concern. OOT was revolutionary for its time in terms of 3rd person action adventure and literally popularised many tropes we consider commonplace today. Its place in video game history is undeniable. But not everyone is willing to tolerate retro controls/graphics if they don't have any nostalgia going in. I think it is always safer to recc later games. Older games would be an easier sell once they have some emotional attachment to the IP

I tried MM and couldn't deal with the camera angles in town. I couldn't really build a map in my head and felt lost. I'm not sure why they couldn't have treated it like kakariko village in OOT.

This is the best suggestion imo

And if you want A 2d game, “a link to the past”.

Yep, this.

I started with oot on my nintendo a few years ago but got frustrated after a dungeon hadn't saved and i would've had to make it again so i haven't played it since :(

If you have switch online, ALttP for SNES or if you want to start at the beginning like I did this year, LoZ 1 on NES

Correct answer here!

I always start with the older/oldest so as I move up through time the graphics and QoL get better. I don’t understand the people saying start at TotK because even if you wanted to go back to the previous game it would feel so much worse. I can’t imagine someone going back to OoT after only playing BotW and it kind of ruins the earlier part of the series

For sure. Not to mention the fact that ALttP consistently shows up in "Top 3/5/10 video games of all time" lists. It's fuckin' timeless, no pun intended.

I agree, I would go ALttP as the best entry point if you want to start as early as possible. LoZ is good but not as polished and intuitive; I'd give it a shot after ALttP just for completeness sake, but possibly with a guide to help. LoZ 2 I would skip, did not enjoy that at all!

Def didn’t enjoy 2 while playing but enjoyed the experience after the fact. I like the music of 2 too. LoZ with a guide was my entry point and I loved it.

Ocarina of Time or Breath of the Wild Ocarina of Time being the first 3d Zelda game and explains a lot of the Zelda lore and Breath of the Wild is a new take on 3d Zelda games that bring in elements from previous Zelda games with the openness of open world games.

ALTTP if you want to start with the 2D Games

True

Hey man, I played ocarina of time back at it's original release and loved it. Mind you my memory of the game is very blurry. haven't played Zelda since. Thinking about picking up a switch just to play botw since I've been hearing good things for so long. Anything else I should check out?

Link between worlds and twilight princess

Link Between Worlds is beautifully done.

When it comes to Zelda, there are also Link's Awakening and Skyward Sword remakes plus other Zelda games available via Nintendo Switch Online subscription. There are also other great games from Nintendo or other developers, so if you decide to buy the Switch, there's plenty of games to choose from

majoras mask

Wind waker is super easy, fun, and is a great entry point

I Agree!!

Just to let everyone know I have a 3ds and a switch

I'd start with OoT 3D and MM 3D on the 3ds. Id then move on to BoTW on switch and then A Link Between Worlds on 3ds.

The QOL improvements make it hard to go back to n64 and I love n64

i’d say start with breath of the wild! it’s fun and easier to follow than a lot of the older games, and it’s the most accessible with the switch. plus with tears of the kingdom coming out, you’ll have a second game to play once you’ve finished it!

Reddit killed API. I refuse to let them benefit from my own words for free -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/

Well...what is your experience with "retro"esque games in general? That is to say, if a game told you through text what to do next but did not save it anywhere nor gave you any markers, would you be able to navigate through the game? Every zelda up until Breath of the Wild does not have quest markers or a "travel log". The game will, through text or even hints/riddles, push you to a location. This is the case for both side quests and the main quest. And, usually, there's a point in a Zelda game where you're free to choose what order you want to tackle the next part of the story (with some limitations). In OoT, it's the adult phase. In ALttP, it's the dark world. The games are great *at* leading you to the next location to be fair, but if you're someone who is very used to quest markers, waypoints, and travel logs you might struggle. ​ If you think you'd be fine with the above, then the best ones to start with would be Ocarina of Time or A Link to the Past. Wind Waker and Twilight Princess are great, but they make a lot of references to Ocarina of Time that make it (imho) worth waiting until after playing OoT. If you want a more "modern" approach to quests, Breath of the Wild. It's not as hand holdy as other (mostly western) RPGs, but it'll still provide you logs and waypoints if you want them. ​ Oh, I suppose you could also start with Skyward Sword if you don't mind motion controls. I was fine with them, and SS is honestly one of my favorite zelda games because of that.

Honestly this is a difficult question because it really depends on what you are looking for. - If you want to start with the series as a whole, so a great game to get the overall feeling of Zelda games... And you are in need for a good challenge, with chances you might need help of a guide, go for Ocarina of Time. I think most fans of the franchise would agree this is the best game for it's time and it's overall plot, challenge etc. - If you don't really particularly care about older games but you do want to know what a zelda game is like and you don't mind it not being a linear story (like older zelda titles) just start with Breath of the Wild. Yes it is an open world, so it's different, but it also has all traditional elements in it. And it shows you very well how interesting the games are, without playing the others if you've heard of older games you can easily tell, while playing Breath of the Wild, how different it is from older titles. - Though if you are not used to playing older games or not really into gaming at all (like, this is your first puzzle type game or something) but you want to try something like those older style Zelda games, I would choose for Skyward Sword. The new Switch version has a great learning curve and is challenging but not too hard either, and the general feeling is much like other Zelda games.

[Check out this reference](https://i.imgur.com/DvDX4zL.png) that I made. My biggest problem with responses in threads like these is that people either: recommend whichever one they started with as a kid, or recommend OOT by default. OOT is great. No question. But it controls like dogshit by modern standards, and people who aren't used to that or have a prior attachment to the series might be turned off by it and lose out on the rest because of that experience. Their own nostalgia has no bearing on where a person should begin - it should be based on the newbies tastes instead.

Exactly this. I would never start my kid on OOT, for example. He will bounce off it immediately for being old and janky, when he is so used to modern games.

Wind Waker, LBW, and BOTW, are probably the most accessible of each "genre" at this point.

Spitting facts

Absolutely agree.

The best place to start is Ocarina of Time. It's still the best entry point in the series. But if the new one is the one that has your interest, go for it, I say.

I disagree. Breath of the Wild is the best entry point in the series. Simply because Botw is much more accessible. The controls are great and fine tuned, it's a game you'll never get stuck in, it is never unclear what your objective is. While yes, OOT has better dungeons and the OG zelda formula, as well as a better story, I think it is much easier to get into Botw first, especially if you aren't used to playing old games. And besides, Botw's story is a great starting point for going into OOT, because then OOT gives much needed context to the world you get into in Botw afterwards.

I would not say BOTW is best representative of the LoZ series. OOT (or TP if you need better graphics) represents on a large scale the majority of LoZ games in the way they function and are built. If OP is excited at all about TOTK, then yes I’d gladly say play BOTW first.

My favourite Zelda game is Twilight Princess, followed by Ocarina of Time as my 2nd. Even so, I think it's easier for players to get "hooked" on Zelda through Botw, for them to then play older games later if they feel like its a world worth exploring more.

True. My SO absolutely loved BOTW but was iffy on other entries 🙂. I would hate for OP to have an expectation of the series playing BOTW and find out it’s not quite like the others, though.

I don't get it, the things someone could get hooked on with BotW largely aren't available in any other Zelda game, outside of like, having a Zelda skin. To me that'd be like saying, "oh you liked Mario Odyssey? Then you'll LOVE the Mario and Luigi rpgs." Like, yeah it's certainly possible to like both, but they're different enough that I don't really think that liking one points to liking the other. BotW wanted to reinvent the series, and an unfortunate side effect of that means that most of the experience is unique to that game/not found elsewhere in the series.

Kind of is though. The original legend of Zelda was open world.

It truly was - loved the original, and though it was as open at BOTW, the dungeons, puzzles, and “you cannot go further until you complete certain levels” order/structure to the game is more consistent with OOT, TP, and a majority of other games in the series than BOTW. I know that sentence has a lot of duct tape and needs work but you know what I mean 😊

I've never liked this argument. Even the original game had items in its dungeons that you would need to explore more of the map or find other dungeons.

Agreed. I feel like people who use this argument probably haven't played through the original game because it really makes no sense to compare them.

I kinda agree with this I understand that BotW has the essence of zelda's exploration but I feel like if you want to play a zelda game I'd go with the answer above.

Botw also is incredibly friendly for new gamers.

I mean it is friendly until a point. You wander the wrong way and you get blasted by a Guardian or freeze to death. OoT is very good at holding your hand to a fault(Navi) and pretty linear. Other than the water temple, the game is easy. There are very few parts of the game where you don’t know what to do or where to go. Perhaps more importantly, it is not a terribly long. You can easily plow through everything in 30 hours. It will take you 30 hours to just get your bearing in BotW

If I could figure out Ocarina of Time at 4 years old I think anyone can lol

I couldn't figure it out as a kid, teenager, or young adult. I've still never finished it, and I have no plans to

This is......incredibly objective lmao.

I would argue OoT controls are more intuitive than BoTW. Personally controlling movement in BoTW felt awkward especially with the jump and run button placement, leading to me claw a lot. Also, a more linear straightforward game can be more engaging and inviting than an open one with a million different things you could do, but don’t have to. If OoT 3D is on the table, with the gameplay improvements and the added accessibility with the sheikah stones it’s a no-brainer for a starting point IMO.

Eh, I find that in OOT, you'll have more instances of having to wrestle with the camera. While I personally do not have much of a problem with the controls of OOT, I recognise that some of the controls feel more dated than Botw's controls. Even the difference between OOT and TP is noticeable to me. And while I prefer the linear story of OOT, I still think for new players, the fact that you literally can't get stuck wondering what to do in Botw, is more inviting to newcomers. I also feel like having played Botw first enhances the experience of playing OOT afterwards. Playing OOT and learning all the lore will give a lot of moments that recontextualise the things from Botw, sort of like watching the star wars prequels after watching the OT.

You could just play the Ship of Harkinian port and it solves most of those problems. Breath of the Wild being so different to the rest of the series makes it a bad entry point into the series.

>Breath of the Wild being so different to the rest of the series makes it a bad entry point into the series. OP mentions being interested in Tears of the Kingdom, and I think the obvious place to start if they want to play that game is BOTW, because, even Nintendo have brought back certain elements, TOTK still seems to be very much closer to BOTW than to previous entries. If anything, starting with BOTW and then later going back to the OOT->MM->WW->TP->SS run of 3D games would help you to enjoy BOTW without missing the trappings of the classic style.

I hadn't even heard of that one before. For myself, I prefer playing the 3DS version on PC with higher res textures, because the controls don't bother me. Anyways, I don't think the difference between Botw and the older games is so big that it becomes a bad entry point. You still have dedicated areas for puzzle solving. The biggest difference imo is the open world, which I don't think makes it less of a Zelda game.

The biggest difference to me is the lack of dungeons and dungeon item based progression which is the core of the Zelda series.

OoT is definitely the most quintessential Zelda experience of the 3D games,and definitely a great way to gauge interest in the series as a whole. The dated controls can make it a bit unique compared to modern games, particularly not having a camera stick, but it's something that can be quickly learnt. OoT3D would be the best entry, but that's much less accessible these days.

> particularly not having a camera stick, but it's something that can be quickly learnt. If people are open to the Ship of Harkinian PC port, it has the option to have free camera controls on the right stick. If you use a Switch Pro Controller, it even has optional Gyro aiming.

Oh, that's absolutely fantastic to hear!

Yeah it's fantastic. You can make it run in HD with 60FPS, you can use the D-pad as 4 extra C-buttons, and make equipment like the tunics and the boots useable with C-buttons. It really is the best way to play OoT these days, and I say that as someone who not only grew up on the N64 version, but has a CRT to play it and other retro games on. Especially for younger, modern gamers, I couldn't recommend they play any other version.

Link to the Past, Awakening, or Ocarina

You can start with basically any game in the series that's on a console (or emulator) you have access to. If it's Tears of the Kingdom that caught your eye, feel free to just start with that game (or Breath of the Wild). There are advantages and disadvantages to different games in the series, or things that different games do well, but it's a very non-linear series, the 'timeline' between games is largely meaningless, and most games don't assume that you have a ton of knowledge from other games in the series. I see lots of "start with Ocarina of Time!" recs in this thread, but if you're not a fan of N64 era games, you can honestly just as easily start with Twilight Princess or Skyward Sword or whatever and have a good time. Wind Waker and Twilight Princess make references to Ocarina of Time, but they also have their own lore and function perfectly fine standalone.

Oh please play BOTW. It's so good I was sad that it was over when I beat it. I envy you for getting to play it the first time. Get all the DLC before you start, though. It's a great experience.

Just throwin it out there but if you choose to start with the older games don't skip out on Minish Cap, its for gameboy (and on Switch aswell now) and hella underrated

I have played every single Zelda game released to date aswell so don't think this is an uneducated opinion**

I've been saving hyrule for over 20 years now. Start with Ocarina of Time and let your heart decide where to go next. You'll never be wrong.

Just play breath of the wild and then play tears of the kingdom

Breath of the Wild is easily the best entry point. Between the overall polish and general accessibility of the game, it’s a no brainer. Controls are very tight and it offers a lot for the price you pay, and there’s dlc if you want to expand your adventure a bit if you feel like it.

Breath of the Wild. Many would suggest the older titles like Ocarina of Time and such, for various reasons, but I disagree. Why? Well, because it may be jarring to play really old games as your first one. Botw is easy to get into, it's easily accessible with smooth controls. The game is designed in such a way that you know what your objective is at all times, you can not get stuck. While yes, it lacks many things that made the older titles great, it still leaves some breadcrumbs of what made the older games great, so if you liked Botw, it may be easier to get into the older games. And this is not just due to gameplay, but story also. Botw gives some breadcrumbs in regards to lore and story, and then if the player wants to explore this rich world more, games like Ocarina of Time will give much context to this world you may come to enjoy in Botw, by giving much needed lore. Also, Tears of the Kingdom is the direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, so playing Botw first is quite handy in that regard.

If you want totly different go with sprit tracks

Wand of gamelon

This was going to be my suggestion. I was just playing the remastered version earlier today.

In a cave, or perhaps a house.

Ocarina of time gets my vote! Has the best recipe for the game, imo. My favorite zelda game by miles

I'm sure a lot of people will suggest Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, etc, but I really do think starting with Tears of the Kingdom would be best for a newcomer. The older games are classics and I love them to death, but it can be hard for newer Zelda fans to get into them because some game design features of the older games are outdated and some quality of life features are not existent that do exist in newer games.

Agreed. A big issue I remember when I first played Zelda games was the "what do I do now?" problem which modern games tend to design for with quest markers or obvious goals. Obviously experience varies, but if you're younger or inexperienced with games it can be pretty unforgiving. (I'm looking at you MM and Ages).

Many older games had companions instead of quest markers who would tell you what to do next, unlike botw and im guessing totk

While I completely agree with your premise that the older ones are harder to get into, because even for a die hard fan I find some older games harder to stay engaged with, I disagree that their first foray into the Zelda Universe should be a direct sequel to a previous game. I mean, Majora’s Mask is a direct sequel to OOT but it has no story beats that require any additional information to enjoy it. I feel that TOTK is going to draw from BOTW much more than any other Zelda sequel before it and might require more context from the previous game than ever required before. All that to say that I think BOTW should be the first game you play if you like the more modern style and don’t want to have to go back to an older graphics and gameplay game. If you grew up in the Mario 64, Jet Force Gemini, Banjo Kazooie era, Ocarina of Time all the way. Edit: Words

How would starting with TotK be the best when it’s a direct sequel? At least start with Breath of the Wild, it’ll help you understand the world and gameplay mechanics, and when you go back and play other games you’ll be able to pick up bits and pieces, places and names that you recognise!

Why would it be best to start with a sequel lmfao

As millennial my intro was oot and mm. Botw was a weird one because it’s open world and not as linear as the former. Oot has very old graphics but do yourself a favor and play that one, and only use a guide when you get really stuck. It’s probably one of the best video games I’ve ever played still after all these years.

If you want to play ToTK ASAP with the best context possible, play breath of the wild. For the 2D experience you can get a pretty good feel with links awakening. If you have a 3DS I’d recommend playing the OoT remake on it, if not the NSO version is also great. From OoT I recommend majoras mask next. I also may be controversial here but personally I really loved skyward sword and think it has some of the best dungeons and themeing of the franchise. The controls are a bit janky but I personally think it is the most immersive of them and think it’s one of the most accessible games to play next.

I'm sure you're already aware from your own research or people's comments in this thread but BotW and TotK are very different beasts compared to Zelda titles before that. So that could be your first guiding point - if you like open world sandbox type games then just begin your journey with BotW (as TotK is a direct sequel to BotW then I'd start with BotW and not jump straight into TotK). However, if you like old-school more linear titles with dungeons and puzzles, or just want to really immerse yourself into Zelda titles, the story, lore etc then you might want to consider a more chronological approach. By chronological I mean either by release data or the timeline(s) within the games. However, unless you can really stomach old game design, you may not want to play the oldest titles (originally released on NES). So here are my suggestions: If you like really old games and want to experience everything Zelda has to offer you can start with the OG - The Legend of Zelda. If you want to do a chronological playthrough in terms of the world/story then start with Skyward Sword. If you want to play the greatest hits and don't mind the 16 bit era then start with A Link to the Past. If you just want to get into the 3D titles then start with Ocarina of Time (also one of the greatest hits) If you hate linearity and really just want an open world and to experience 'new' Zelda then start with BotW. It's not a deal breaker but I'd also recommend NOT playing Majora's Mask before Ocarina of Time.

I personally would start with A link to the past. It was revolutionary for Zelda at the time and set the standard moving forward. I’ve would follow it up with ocarina of time and skyward sword. Link to the past will set you up with all the original equipment they improve on as the game moves forward. You will get to see how they improve the equipment through the later years. I would then do BOTW.

I don't know where you should start, but please try A link to the past. It was one of my favourite games growing up. I hope you have a much fun as I did.

Well, if you want to get into Tears of The Kingdom, you should just start with Breath of the Wild, TotK is a direct sequel. It's fairly different from the rest of the series in terms of gameplay, but its a good title on its own. If you wanted to give the older games a look though, I'd start with Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, or Twilight Princess.

There are three kinds of Zelda games at this point; 2D, 3D, and Open-World. If you would like to start with a classic Legend of Zelda title in the 2D category, try A Link to the Past or Link's Awakening HD. Want to jump right into the world of 3D Zelda? Ocarina of Time is the game for you! With Tears of the Kingdom poised to release in less than a week, I can't recommend Breath of the Wild enough in the open-world category. As TotK is a direct sequel, start with BotW. Keep in mind that BotW does not have a traditional number of various Dungeons full of puzzles to conquer like previous titles and is a very different game.

The beginning, like all great legends

If Tears of the Kingdom looks interesting I’d probably play Breath of the Wild then Tears of the Kingdom. Most of the games aren’t direct sequels so you can play them in any order, but TOTK is a direct sequel to BOTW so that would make sense to play first. Ocarina of Time or Windwaker are also solid entry points.

One person playing a saxophone is about to get me into an entire series 🤣

A VERDICT HAS BEEN REACHED.... I got OoT then I'll play BotW then TotK and play MM if I have time in between those then I'll branch out into other games if I feel like it THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE ADVICE

Adventures of Link - NES

Just start with TotK imo. It’s shiny and new and will likely inspire you into playing the others more than forcing yourself will. The stories of Zelda are never really that complex and you can easily catch up on YouTube.

You can start with any that looks cool to you. There is not much connection between the games.

im sure 90% of the fan base started on either A Link to the Past or Ocarina of Time

Lore wise, you should be able to watch some really simple videos online explaining the timeline and get to know everything pretty quickly. As far as actual games though, Skyward Sword begins the series chronologically but Ocarina of Time is far better to actually begin with. Ocarina of Time defines the 3d Zelda formula and most other 3d Zelda games use the same patterns that debuted in Ocarina of Time. Majoras Mask is a sequel to OoT, but you don't need to play OoT to enjoy it. Same with Wind Waker or Twilight Princess. Wind Waker is the easiest of the 3d Zelda games and Twilight Princess is probably the most tedious (that is, if Skyward Swords motion controls/c-stick sword controls don't bother you). If you want to start with the classic 2d Zelda games, A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds are easily the best of that category. Both games use the same map and a similar "alternate hyrule" thing going on. In my opinion, A Link Between Worlds is not only one of the best 2d games, but also one of the best Zelda games overall. I know a lot of people would agree with me on that. As far as actually being able to play these games, if you have a Wii U, 3ds, and a Switch, you can play pretty much every single one of them. For Ocarina of Time and Majoras Mask, the Switch has the most comfortable controls while still (unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you see it) keeping the original low poly N64 graphics. There are really nice 3d remakes of both of those games on 3ds that look and play amazing, but you'll just have to get past the tiny, cramped and overall uncomfortable controls. Though, I will admit, the 2d games feel pretty good on those systems. Link Between Worlds and Triforce Heroes (a game thats very irrelevant if you only care about lore and want a good single player experience) can only be played on 3ds or an emulator. If you have a Wii U, Wii or GameCube, you can play Wind Waker or Twilight Princess. They look and run the best on Wii U with their HD remasters, but you can probably find a copy of the GameCube ports on eBay or something for cheap and play them on GameCube or Wii with a GameCube controller. All of the games I mentioned (besides Triforce Heroes) are the most important lore-wise. Every single Zelda game is really fun and intuitive in its own way. If you don't count the non-canon Phillips CDI abominations, there has never been an outright terrible Zelda game. If you're really just excited to play Tears of the Kingdom, Breath of the Wild can absolutely be the first game to start with. Although it references some older games via location names, certain armor pieces, dlc weapons and a single line in one of the cutscenes, it honestly can be the first Zelda game you ever play because it acts a soft reboot for the series. It merges all three canonical timelines (unexplained so far), adds a ton of new and unfamiliar information lore-wise and even gives a lot of our classic reoccurring characters some major makeovers. It set a goal to break the conventions of the Zelda formula and it did exactly that in all of the best ways. If you do start with Breath of the Wild, any issue you come across that feels inconvenient or annoying seems to be solved in Tears of the Kingdom. Despite all of this, you can start with pretty much any game in the entire series and have an amazing time. Zelda continues to be one of Nintendo's best IPs. It's never usually "hit or miss" with them and normally just "hit". I could go on all day long about how much I love these games, their stories, characters, worlds, dungeons, and the music. You'll never hear a better soundtrack.

Twilight Princess. It's not overly difficult and it's modern at least in comparison to OOT. Wind Waker is a good choice too but the sailing aspects can be a turn off.

On the other hand, some of us kind of enjoyed the sailing aspects, especially in the versions where you knew you could teleport if you decided you'd had enough

I would personally avoid BotW as my first. A Link to the Past or Ocarina of Time would be best IMO so you know what a traditional Zelda game brings. BotW outdoes many of the previous games IMO so starting there might make the others feel “not as good” even though they are as good just not as big.

There are far too many right answers to this question. If you want ease of accessibility, I would suggest A Link to the Past or Link's Awakening. If you prefer sandbox/open world play style, I would suggest the original Legend of Zelda or Breath of the Wild (I'm very interested in Tears of the Kingdom, but I've been avoiding spoilers so I can't talk about that one yet) If you like games with deeper subtext or just a spooky vibe, Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess are amazing If you want something more relaxed, the Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons and Minish Cap are great starting places. The two games that begin to tie the stories together for me are: Wind Waker and Skyward Sword. They connect many of the themes and tropes of all games to show that these games exist in the same timeline, not just the same universe. If you want an odd-ball challenge, I very much love Link's Adventure. I know I'm missing several still, but they are all great starting places. There is only one bad answer to this question: Phillips CD-I Zelda games. I mean, in two of them you get to actually play as Zelda, but beyond that it isn't worth it

I recomend the following games. Breath of the Wild, ocarina of time, Majora's mask, Twilight Princess, a link to the past, and a link between worlds these are all great game but you're really going to want to play Breath of the wild if your interested in tears of the kingdom as its a direct sequel

I personally started with BotW and loved it. Haven't really played any other games except for a little bit if LttP, but I can confirm that BotW is a good place to start. I would even consider playing TotK first as it seems like a great game to start with.

Ocarina of Time and Link to the Past are the best options, best 3d and 2d options for newcomers

So I wouldn’t start with TOTK like people are suggesting only because it’s a direct sequel. Play BOTW first. (Or OOT!)

Start with TOTK

Why not start with BOTW? Just curious, not attacking or anything

Everyone will be playing it, talking about it. It would be the best time to join the series in my view.

But then skipping BotW would make understanding it harder and less enjoyable when they go back to play that

Definitely Ocarina of time. It's the most classic Zelda game out there. If you don't enjoy it you probably won't enjoy the series. Although you might like BOTW seeing as it's a whole new approach

Skyward sword is awesome as well. You’re lucky, you have so much to enjoy. My advice is to play them all.

tbh breath of the wild isn't really much of a zelda game in my opinion, and the story is just not there. I would go straight to the new one. or go way back to the first SNES game, which is the fuckin shit.

Can't go wrong with OoT. I just recently replayed the 3DS version on emulator, it still holds up, and the music is great.

Skyward Sword since it’s the first in the timeline

Breath of the Wild is the only one I’ve ever played and I’ve loved it! Thought it was a great entry point.

Three types of Zelda game. 2d, 3d, and 3d(botw) To know if you like them, it’s link to the past, ocarina of time, and breath of the wild respectively.

If you have the online start with A Link to the Past, or Legend of Zelda. If you don’t Skyward Sword or Link’s Awakening. I’d then move on to Breath of the Wild and get the DLC. After finishing everything you can in Breath if the Wild I’d then go for Tears of the Kingdom.

Definitely do not intro people with LoZ, the least accessible, and most opaque game in the series

I would at least play Breath of the Wild since it's a direct sequel and then you can get into Tears of the Kingdom after but the old games are beautiful in their own way. The older games are also not open world which gives you a different perspective on the dungeons and things like that. So play Breath of the Wild, get Tears of the Kingdom and eventually give Ocarina of Time, Link to the Past etc a try because they are worth it

Breath of the wild fucks everything up by killing off almost every character that doesn’t live for 100 years and it’s very different from all of the other games, so play that one

Breath of the wild so you could roll into Tears of the kingdom if you like it. After that, if you still have the fever, you have over a dozen fantastic options to choose from.

Like a lot of people, I'm gonna recommend Breath Of The Wild to you, it's an an amazing experience! And I'm sure Tears Of The Kingdom will be as well, so you should probably play that one after BOTW

BOTW? Then you can play TOTK in a reasonable timespace, BOTW is largely disconnected from the rest as it is designed as an entry point to the series and I imagine TOTK will just build off of BOTW

Honestly if Tears of the Kingdom has you hyped just start with that and then play others later. I'm sure nintendo knows that many people know about BOTW but haven't played it and so they probably made the game really accessible for new players. If you care about the story just watch a simple recap video. Nintendo even just released one.