Legend of Zelda timeline with Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom

Inserting the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on a timeline is fairly easy: It’s set shortly after the occasions of Breath of the Wild. However the chronological sequence for the Legend of Zelda collection as an entire is… difficult. To say the least.

In 2023, Polygon is embarking on a Zeldathon. Be a part of us on our journey by way of The Legend of Zelda collection, from the unique 1986 recreation to the discharge of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and past.

There’s practically 40 years of Zelda historical past establishing that it’s not protected to imagine something about any given recreation’s timing — or the circulate of time generally. Ignoring some spinoffs, there are formally 19 ​​— quickly to be 20 — video games throughout 37 years that make up the Zelda collection, from 1986’s The Legend of Zelda to 2023’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. A handful of them match neatly collectively — there are a couple of direct prequels and sequels — however any chronology throughout the entire collection shortly will get muddied by time journey, a number of timelines, and a ten,000-year time skip.

Fortunately, in 2011, we acquired the primary formally revealed timeline in The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia. (The artistic workforce behind the Zelda collection had an eyes-only, confidential model of the timeline someday earlier than 2003.) That official model rearranges the video games right into a cohesive-ish timeline that branches into three attainable outcomes.

However issues get difficult after we get to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. That is made express within the e-book The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Making a Champion: “Hyrule’s recurring durations of prosperity and decline have made it inconceivable to inform which legends are historic reality and that are mere fairy story.” That doesn’t negate the earlier timeline as established in Hyrule Historia, however it provides room to elucidate any inconsistencies with the wave of a hand. Myths and fairy tales don’t must be completely constant, in spite of everything. They’re simply tales.

The Legend of Zelda collection in chronological order

So, yeah, the Legend of Zelda timeline: Fairly difficult, and positively up for some debate. However there’s nonetheless a typically accepted chronology. Right here, in keeping with most major sources — together with the definitive tome that’s Hyrule Historia — is the timeline for the Legend of Zelda:

Graphic: Jeffrey Parkin/Polygon

Nonetheless, even working off of this official timeline, there’s quite a lot of wiggle room and confusion as to the place precisely Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom belong. After which there’s the matter of the three branching paths. Let’s break all of it down.

From Skyward Sword to Ocarina of Time

Picture: Nintendo

• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011)
• The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (2004)
• The Legend of Zelda: 4 Swords (2002)
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

Chronologically talking, the earliest recreation within the Zelda collection is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, the place we study that Zelda is a reincarnated goddess — the goddess Hylia, unique protector of the Triforce. Demise was the massive dangerous defeated by Hyperlink, however on the finish, Demise sort of morphs right into a proto-Ganon.

An indeterminate period of time later, we get The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. In it, an evil sorcerer named Vaati desires to make use of the Mild Power inside Zelda (presumably her reincarnated divine blood) for evil causes. Hyperlink is triumphant and locks Vaati away for some time.

Many generations later, throughout 4 Swords, Vaati escapes and kidnaps the present reincarnation of Princess Zelda, this time in an try to pressure her into marriage. A brand new reincarnation of Hyperlink — 4 of him, technically — beats Vaati once more, leaving Hyrule protected for some time.

Nicely, protected till a “numerous eras”-long civil warfare broke out in Hyrule (in keeping with Hyrule Historia). After which we come to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, through which we meet Ganondorf. Then there’s a while journey that, because it usually does, causes some timeline confusion.

On the finish of Ocarina of Time, Hyperlink defeats Ganon(dorf).

Perhaps.

The three Legend of Zelda timelines

Per the official timeline in Hyrule Historia, the result of Ocarina of Time performs out in certainly one of three attainable methods: Hyperlink is defeated and Ganon wins; Hyperlink wins and goes again in time to his childhood to warn Zelda about Ganon(dorf); or Hyperlink wins and goes again in time to his childhood, solely to fade from historical past. These are formally known as the Fallen Hero, Little one, and Grownup Timelines.

Fallen Hero Timeline

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• The Legend of Zelda: A Hyperlink to the Previous (1991)
• The Legend of Zelda: Hyperlink’s Awakening (1993)
• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages (2001)
• The Legend of Zelda: A Hyperlink Between Worlds (2013)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tri Power Heroes (2015)
• The Legend of Zelda (1986)
• The Legend of Zelda: The Journey of Hyperlink (1987)

On this darkest timeline, Hyperlink misplaced to Ganon throughout Ocarina of Time, and Ganon claimed all three elements of the Triforce to change into the Demon King.

Mainly, after his victory throughout Ocarina of Time, each Ganondorf and the whole Triforce acquired sealed within the Sacred Realm to forestall him from taking up the world. Throughout this time interval, Hyrule was at peace, however individuals heard inform of the Triforce within the Sacred Realm and greedily sought it out — at which level these individuals found that the Sacred Realm had change into a Darkish World because of Ganondorf’s affect. They have been remodeled into monsters and recruited into Ganondorf’s military. In an occasion often called the Imprisoning Warfare, Ganondorf and his new military of monsters tried to invade Hyrule as soon as extra; they failed and have been finally resealed within the Sacred Realm.

Many centuries later, somebody tried to open that realm again up once more throughout The Legend of Zelda: A Hyperlink to the Previous. A brand new incarnation of Hyperlink confirmed up, defeated Ganon (once more), and returned the Triforce to Hyrule.

Hyperlink — the identical Hyperlink, in all probability — went on a bit cruise, acquired shipwrecked, and finally washed up on Koholint Island throughout The Legend of Zelda: Hyperlink’s Awakening. That recreation was sort of all a dream, although, and that model of Hyperlink isn’t heard from once more.

Again in Hyrule, Ganon’s adoptive moms tried to resurrect the Demon King. A brand new Hyperlink was despatched to the lands of Holodrum and Labrynna (in both order) throughout The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages. Hyperlink was triumphant once more.

A number of centuries later, in a mirror model of Hyrule known as Lorule (get it?), a sorcerer named Yuga tried to resurrect Ganon. After some painting-based adventuring, The Legend of Zelda: A Hyperlink Between Worlds’ Hyperlink saved the day, and Hyperlink and Zelda collectively saved Lorule with the Triforce.

A number of years after that, the same Link in numerous garments headed to the close by kingdom of Hytopia for some fashion-themed shenanigans in The Legend of Zelda: Tri Power Heroes.

Some centuries later, the king of Hyrule began to get anxious in regards to the energy of the Triforce. He broke it aside, preserving the Triforce of Energy for himself, entrusting the Triforce of Knowledge to the (nicely, a) Princess Zelda, and sending the Triforce of Braveness off to discover a worthy hero (a model of Hyperlink).

As soon as once more, Ganon and his forces invaded Hyrule, and as soon as once more (an incarnation of) Hyperlink defeated him throughout The Legend of Zelda. Six years later, it principally occurs once more in Zelda II: The Journey of Hyperlink.

Little one Timeline

Picture: Nintendo

• The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Masks (2000)
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006)
• The Legend of Zelda: 4 Swords Adventures (2004)

Again in Ocarina of Time, Hyperlink has to take his seven-year nap to develop into the Hero of Time. On this model of the timeline, after Hyperlink defeats Ganondorf, Princess Zelda sends him again to his childhood seven years earlier, armed with the information of Ganondorf’s eventual betrayal. Previously, Hyperlink warns the Hyrulean rulers, thereby avoiding Ganondorf’s rise to energy.

After delivering the warning, Hyperlink goes off on his personal journey. He results in Termina — a land parallel to Hyrule — in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Masks. After saving the day(s), that model of Hyperlink is finished.

A while later, again in Hyrule, Ganon is about to be executed for his future crimes. However that doesn’t go in keeping with plan, and a brand new model of Hyperlink has to defeat him throughout The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

A number of centuries later, Ganondorf is reborn in Hyrule, the place he seeks to resurrect the mage Vaati (from Minish Cap and 4 Swords) throughout The Legend of Zelda: 4 Swords Adventures. The Hyperlink(s) of that period handle to defeat him once more.

Grownup Timeline

Picture: Nintendo

• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002)
• The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (2007)
• The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (2009)

For the Grownup Timeline, now we have to move again to Ocarina of Time as soon as once more. On this model, after Hyperlink is shipped again to his childhood, he simply sort of vanishes.

A few years later, when Ganon tried to take over Hyrule once more, there was no Hyperlink that got here to face him. Out of desperation, the gods selected to drown Ganon and Hyrule beneath the ocean. Sooner or later, an incarnation of Hyperlink does seem and has an journey with some pirates in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Hyperlink and Zelda defeat a brand new Ganon(dorf), however Hyrule is destroyed within the course of. The pair set off to search for a brand new land.

A number of months into their search, that very same Zelda and Hyperlink have some ghost adventures in The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass after which arrange on a brand new continent the place they discovered New Hyrule.

5 generations later, throughout The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, a brand new Zelda and a brand new Hyperlink battle (and defeat) a distinct Demon King named Malladus.

Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom

Picture: Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Making a Champion from 2018 has its personal timeline. The factor is, it lumps the whole lot collectively below one massive query mark known as “the distant previous” — a interval set greater than 10,000 years prior.

This tells us one factor already: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are in all probability not a part of the Grownup Timeline, since we see Hyrule in each video games, not New Hyrule. It’s even vaguely comparable in geography to variations of the world from earlier video games. (This does assume that there weren’t any Triforce needs to revive the sunken Hyrule, although.)

Picture: Nintendo

There are many references to Hylia, tying Breath of the Wild again to, at the least, Skyward Sword. The 13 goddess statues throughout Hyrule, for instance, resemble the statue of Hylia that was on Skyloft. Even the monks in Breath of the Wild’s many shrines are followers of Hylia.

However we will’t inform if Breath of the Wild is within the Fallen Hero or Little one timelines. A pleasant clue would’ve been the state of the Triforce and who possessed it throughout the occasions of the sport, however, curiously, the traditional artifact doesn’t come up — so we’re additionally undecided of its standing on the outset of Tears of the Kingdom, both.

The wording of the occasions in Making a Champion’s “distant previous” gives some obscure hints, although. Particularly how, “in a seemingly infinite cycle of darkness and lightweight, Ganon continues to be revived after which sealed away.” Nothing about that sounds significantly sure or concrete, however it reads a bit nearer to the Fallen Hero Timeline than the Little one Timeline. Additionally, since Breath of the Wild describes how Hyperlink had didn’t defeat Calamity Ganon 100 years prior, and Creating A Champion’s reference to “sealing” harkens again to notable Fallen Hero occasions just like the sealing of Ganon within the Sacred Realm and his resealing after the Imprisoning Warfare, it does appear that Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom bear quite a lot of thematic and structural similarity to the Fallen Hero timeline.

Picture: Nintendo

All that we will say for positive is, since Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, it shares no matter model of the timeline that Breath of the Wild is in. And that’s 10,000 years after no matter recreation comes earlier than it.