The Legend of Zelda is a video game series that includes one of the most beloved and fantastical gaming settings. The series revolves around Link and Princess Zelda and their experiences in various periods and settings, and our Zelda Tier List ranks all the 3D games in the series based on their mechanics, controls, graphics, and storylines.
The article comprises 19 games full of complex puzzles, exciting bosses, exploration, quests, and many other interesting things to captivate players. So get ready, because we will now dive into the article with no brakes. But the reader should remember that the list is subjective to my interests and opinions, and I have based my rankings on the time I spent on these titles and how much they mean to me.
Key Points
- There are a total of 19 Zelda games on this tier list.
- I have ranked these games based on my personal experience with them.
- You will find Link’s Awakening and Ocarina of Time among the highest ranks.
- The lowest ranks contain the likes of Tri-Force Heroes and Four Swords.
Summary
The following table has the 3D Zelda games listed.
| S Rank | A Rank | B Rank | C Rank | D Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breath of the Wild | Link's Awakening | Skyward sword | Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link | Four Swords |
| Ocarina of Time | The Wind Waker | Phantom Hourglass | The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks | Tri Force Heroes |
| A Link to the Past | A link Between Worlds | Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons | ||
| Majora's Mask | Twilight Princess | Four Swords Adventure | ||
| The Legend of Zelda | Minish Cap |
You can read about each entry in more detail below.
S Tier
S-TierLet’s start our list with the superb tier that has exceptional games. All these games are highly interactive and encaptivating, and they have top features and one-of-a-kind bosses.
Breath of the Wild
Breath of the wild is an innovative approach to the Legend of Zelda series. It introduced a dramatic story that was novel for all other gamers. This game also allows players to jump and climb however they want. There were very few restrictions on a player, and there were a lot of activities that a player could choose to indulge in The Legend of Zelda has always promoted exploration and a player’s will in their games.
It resides in the S tier because it wavered all quests list and marked points on the mini maps, and allowed a player to sustain himself inside the game and enjoy the empowering movement. The game’s landscapes and creativity encompass the whole gaming series in itself. It took every gameplay system introduced in previous entries and flipped them on their head to form a new and improved game. Some of the traditional formulas were eradicated to create the best version of the game. Players await its second part’s release because the first part changed the meaning of Zelda and turned it into an open-world game free of the creators’ choices and their quests.
| Release Date |
March 3, 2017
|
| Game Length | 50 Hours |
Ocarina of Time
Ocarina of Time game of Zelda series is a masterpiece that is an epic invention by the creators. It was released in 1998 and presented players with varying experiences of exhilaration and excitement. It was the first 3D Zelda game that formed a mold to change the direction of the Zelda series. Zelda fans could get a grip on the legendary lore of Gannon and peek into the history of golden goddesses through the game’s storyline.
Ocarina of Time game is in the S tier of the Zelda Tier list because it opened a new exploration technique through the exploration camera and the one-on-one battle landscape. Its gameplay had Time travel mechanics and a 3D puzzle that brought on a more fun approach inside the game. It helped a player visualize his game from a better perspective. The game is an amalgam of fluid dynamics, challenge, and a mesmerizing storyline that can suck the player inside the game for hours.
| Release Date |
November 21, 1998
|
| Game Length |
26-37 hours
|
A Link to the Past
A Link to the past was the 3rd game in the Zelda series. It introduced the dark element inside the game and created two separate versions of one single space. It allowed the player to explore the world of Hyrule and reveal the darkest secrets of various bosses. They made several improvements in their gameplay and mechanics to better their production. A Link to the past was the game that saw changes in graphics and vibrant 3D landscapes. Along with an epic exploring adventure, mind-twisting plot twists were introduced that kept the game at the top.
It is the game whose game mechanics aged like a fine wine and, to this day, impressed many players with its distinguished systems. The two different scenarios were a new take on the series and showed how the creators were trying to reform their games.
| Release Date |
November 21, 1991
|
| Game Length | 17 Hours |
Majora’s Mask
Majora’s mask gained success just like its spin-off, Ocarina of Time. Thegame introduced many new teams and conditions inside the game that set it apart and distinguished it from other versions of the game. The addition of melancholic themes And a heart-wrenching thing turn the faith of the game. Abandonment, death, and trauma were seen inside the game, creating new points of view.
It unfolds a back story of Ocarina of Time, which was highly motivational and tempting. Its storyline took place two months after its spin and requires the player to solve the mysteries of the chaotic world in three days. When it was released, it did not gain much fame, but after the years, its game mechanics were applauded and gained recognition. People said that its repeated failure over success gave it a slow progression.
The time limit in the game brought on a new experience, and if a player runs out of time, the moon crashes on the clock town and destroys everything while killing its inhabitants. The three days are 54 minutes for a player, making the game hard. But when a player loses after 54 minutes, his trusty Ocarina of time takes him back to the first day, where he can start over. But some things do not change, and a player doesn’t have to start at the very beginning. it improved a player’s gaming session and provided an exhilarating experience.
| Release Date |
April 27, 2000
|
| Game Length | 20½ Hours |
A Tier
A-TierThe A tier has games that have the potential to be great, and they would have been in the S tier but lacked quality or features that dragged them down to the A rank. But the games here are just as mesmerizing as S-tiered ones. They have hooking game mechanics and bright graphics. Their storyline lures a player towards itself, and Their puzzles and adventures are exhilarating.
Link’s Awakening
Link’s Awakening is a sequel to Link to the past, and it brought on a new storyline that was interesting and intriguing. The game mechanics and the traditional storyline was changed and renewed. It seemed as if the creators thought outside the box and created a revolutionary game to inspire their players. The game revolves around Link being away from home and finding his way back through multiple puzzles and mysteries.
He can take control of numerous characters and storylines to depict his path. Link awakens at Kohilint island after a storm and discovers that everything has changed around him. Then he makes his way back to his home through several quests that obstruct his path. Link’s Awakening was the game that was introduced by a game boy and turned the Legend of Zelda into a futuristic gaming experience. The dungeons puzzles and the soundtrack was mesmerizing and laid the foundation for the upcoming Zelda games.
It is a part of the A tier because it is the simpler game of the franchise and doesn’t involve a player putting great thoughts into the puzzles. The artistic style and vivid graphics were also amazing in captivating a player. After the game’s success, the creators introduced another iteration, the Link’s Awakening DX, a color release with a color-based dungeon. Nintendo Switch released another version that rebuilt the game’s graphics and changed the quality of life features.
| Release Date |
September 20, 2019
|
| Game Length | 14 Hours |
The Wind Waker
The Wind Waker is where Nintendo introduced the first game of Zelda on GameCube. It eradicated the mature and realistic graphics and brought in anime-style cel-shaped pictures. It involved a boy with a big head and a green tunic. The wind waker was the game that allowed the player to sail around on the ocean to hunt down mysteries. The Wind Waker game was in a flooded Kingdom with a secluded island. A player has a small boat through which he travels the sea and also gains powerups to unravel mysteries.
When players start the game, they discover new islands, shores, dungeons, and the enchanting civilization that captivates them. He gets to unravel thrilling mysteries with a mesmerizing story that hooks a player to it. Along with that, a player can have combat and cast spells on the characters. It is a part of the A tier of the Zelda Boss Tier list because the cartoonish graphics steal the beauty of Zelda’s 2D animation. Although the vibrant colors are more acceptable in the world right now, it was a novel step that infuriated the players. Also, the experience of sailing the sea to move from one island to another seems boring, and the Wii version of the game cut it short. But even then the long expeditions tampered down the gaming session.
| Release Date |
December 13, 2002
|
| Game Length | 25.5 Hours |
A Link Between Worlds
A Link between worlds Is a sequel to A Link to the past and brought a radical change to the Zelda game productions. Hyrule gained a lot of fame through this sequel as it gave the players a familiar background. After they released it in 2013, it became one of the toughest and most delightful Zelda experiences.
The player was able to overcome dungeons and experience their emotional story. The Link between worlds has poor graphics that include it in our Zelda tier’s A tier. It also transforms the Link into a painting with the most flawed pictures. It seems like a child drew it. Although in stealth mode, he can pass through gaps and wall paintings that cover up the lacking graphics.
| Release Date |
November 22, 2013
|
| Game Length | 16 Hours |
Twilight Princess
Twilight Princess is a darker and morbid version of Zelda in the Zelda games. It is compared to the Wind Waker due to its animated art style; Wind Waker’s art style is better, even though it is cartoon based but is decipherable. After Wind Waker, Nintendo reverted back to its previous graphics with the series However, it involves dark shadows and voids that were new to the game.
The story revolves around Princess Midna, the Princess of the shadow realm. Link’s transformation into a skulking wolf is the darkest aspect of the game. It was uncalled for and astonishing. It is a part of the A tier because it was commendable and a unique approach. But the graphics are a little blurry and have a low resolution, making it hard to decipher what is on the screen. But it grants a player complicated dungeons and memorable characters.
| Release Date |
November 19, 2006
|
| Game Length | 37½ Hours |
The Legend of Zelda
The original game deserves to be a part of the top tiers because of how the whole series started. It was an ambitious game that brought monsters, dungeons, and puzzles to the player and made them unravel all mysteries. Legend of Zelda is a unique approach to the gaming world as it lays the foundation for the next series.
The whole game revolved around eight dungeons that had well-hidden and complicated secrets. The main purpose of the game was to receive the feeling of great expeditions in the wilderness and take a step towards adventure. It was also available on Nintendo Switch Online and gave a top-down world view like Pac-Man. a player should be able to create a balance between the challenges and the accessibility of this game. It had a retro look to its graphics included in the A tier.
| Release Date |
February 21, 1986
|
| Game Length | 8 Hours |
B Tier
B-TierNext up is the B rank of our Zelda Dungeon tier list, which has all the mediocre games. These games are neither extraordinary like the S-tiered ones nor are they abysmal like the D-tiered ones. These Zelda games have average game mechanics, and some of the game storylines bore a player. Some parts of the game are a little boring and can be extended. Nintendo tried editing these problems, but they couldn’t make them flawless. But still, these games are not bad; they can be a good treat for the legend of Zelda fans who like to get an experience of each game.
Skyward Sword
The skyward sword is an average Zelda game as it changed the pace at which its production succeeded. Even though the game has multiple puzzles and good graphics, It still had many deficiencies that made it a part of the B tier. First, the game required a lot of time in that tutorial island, which wasted a player’s time. During the game, the previous information popups are shown, which a player usually knows, and the companion is always chatty. All these features dampen the exhilaration and ruin the game session.
The title is famous due to its one-to-one motion controls through which a player can control Link’s sword movements. A player has to use real swings of a sword to take down their enemy that includes it in a puzzle. The story is set in the sky loft area, where Link soars the lengths of the skies through his gigantic red word.
| Release Date |
November 18, 2011
|
| Game Length | 38 Hours |
Phantom Hourglass
Phantom hourglass is the 14th game of the Zelda series and is a direct sequel to the Wind Waker. It grants the feelings and graphics of its ancestor. It promotes familiar feelings through Link’s cartoonish graphics and other characters. By the time Nintendo released it, the players had accepted the innovative graphic change and applauded its graphics.
| Release Date |
June 23, 2007
|
| Game Length | 17 Hours |
Similar Article: Zelda Boss Tier List
The game tries to improve the fallbacks of Wind Waker by enhancing the experience of sailing. A player can explore the islands, seek treasure, and fill his hourglass with sand. The game has poor narrative speech, and the game mechanics are boring.
Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons
Oracle of Ages and Seasons games were in the format of Pokemon titles and were significantly different from other entities. The game was more into combat than exploration, and they did not emphasize its puzzles. A player found that the game mechanics world is different in this version. The two games are similar in their gameplay and so are explained together.
Though Link gained a lot of other powerups, including using the rod of seasons that allowed him to change winter to summer, with Ages, a player could use the harp and can travel in time. The game is interconnected with many versions of Zelda titles, hence that changed the whole format of the game and ruined the perspective. All these are included in the B tier.
| Release Date | February 27, 2001 |
| Game Length | 16½ Hours |
Four Sword Adventure
Four Sword Adventure is the 11th game of the Zelda series and is an action-adventure game. The storyline and the gameplay are almost similar. It involves Links and his three clones to bring peace to Hyrule. The engaging gameplay is of Shadow Battle which involves a player combatting in multiplayer mode.
The game is a part of the B Tier because of its poor single-player mode. A player can gain entertainment by fighting against their peers but not in single-player mode. The single combat version is dull and drab and brings this game down among the average games.
| Release Date |
March 18, 2004
|
| Game Length | 15 Hours |
Minish Cap
A Gameboy advanced Zelda game was Minish Cap. It was not much radical and was not a polished version of Zelda. Although it included many innovations, the game mechanics and other settings were similar. The main element of the game is the magical cap that shrinks Link into a mini-version of him.
Through that, he was able to pass through cracks and niches. Thes game allowed him to also regain his size and become even become gigantic, and it provided a whole new perspective through the new feature, and the main purpose of the story is to save the minish people. It is a part of the B tier because the developers did not think much out of the box. It only revolved around the hat, and no other bosses were in the game.
| Release Date |
November 4, 2004
|
| Game Length | 15½ Hours |
C Tier
C TierThe C tier of our Zelda tier list 2022 is a collection of bad Zelda games that are disappointing and do not have intriguing game mechanics. They have multiple faults in their production. They also have poor movement execution, and the puzzles are extremely difficult. Some of these games stray away from the main expedition theme of the game.
Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link
After the success of the first Zelda game, Zelda II did not succeed that well. It became black sheep in a horde of white ones. The game tried hard to achieve big goals but could not follow through. It was a role-playing game that involved side-scrolling, casting spells, and combat. But the players did not love these changes because Zelda was an exploring game, and players appreciated the difference.
Additionally, the games and the puzzles were complex and complicated. A player was unable to decide what the hidden meaning behind them was. The difficulty level did not increase the exhilaration but demotivated a player to play the game.
| Release Date |
January 14, 1987
|
| Game Length | 10-11 Hours |
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
The sequel to the phantom hourglass is the spirit tracks with trains and engineers. Spirit tracks is a game in which Link appears as a blue-collared guy who works for the royal family. Link is asked to find out about the disappearing train tracks. When Zelda’s body gets kidnapped, Link helps set the situation right.
This game has the worst storyline and many plot holes, and Nintendo changed the controls to touchscreen ones that do not work. Although it had some good dungeon designs, the puzzles and the complication are still not worth much, which takes it down to the C tier.
| Release Date |
December 7, 2009
|
| Game Length | 19½ Hours |
D Tier
D TierAt last, we have reached the end of the article, and the games contained here are abysmal. They have boring storylines, and the gameplay is not particularly interesting. Only true fans can appreciate these.
Four Swords
It is a Game Boy version of A Link to the past, and players can connect through multiplayer campaigns. Together they get to solve puzzles and form a team to crawl the dungeons. They even get to compete for a higher score.
But it is a part of the D tier because it has a lousy storyline and does not follow the exploration theme. The players can crawl the dungeons rather than explore the islands and the settings. Also, a single player cannot play this game and requires another player to access it.
| Release Date |
December 2, 2002
|
| Game Length | 17½ Hours |
Tri Force Heroes
Another multiplayer game is triforce heroes, which was also bad. It had many loopholes and deficiencies that ruined the outlook of the game. It required another player to start the game, then three or two players could battle against bosses, solve complicated puzzles, and gather and hoard the loot. These features were not enough to raise it to the top tiers. A player demands more from these games rather than a similar gameplay period.
| Release Date |
October 22, 2015
|
| Game Length | 14½ Hours |
Comparison Table
| Games | Tier | Release Date | Game Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breath of the Wild | S | March 3, 2017 | 50 Hours |
| Ocarina of Time | S | November 21, 1998 | 26-37 hours |
| A Link to the Past | S | November 21, 1991 | 17 Hours |
| Majora's Mask | S | April 27, 2000 | 20½ Hours |
| Link's Awakening | A | September 20, 2019 | 14 Hours |
| The Wind Waker | A | December 13, 2002 | 25.5 Hours |
| A link Between Worlds | A | November 22, 2013 | 16 Hours |
| Twilight Princess | A | November 19, 2006 | 37½ Hours |
| The Legend of Zelda | A | February 21, 1986 | 8 Hours |
| Skyward sword | B | November 18, 2011 | 38 Hours |
| Phantom Hourglass | B | June 23, 2007 | 17 Hours |
| Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons | B | February 27, 2001 | 16½ Hours |
| Four Swords Adventure | B | March 18, 2004 | 15 Hours |
| Minish Cap | B | November 4, 2004 | 15½ Hours |
| Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link | C | January 14, 1987 | 10-11 Hours |
| The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks | C | December 7, 2009 | 19½ Hours |
| Four Swords | D | December 2, 2002 | 17½ Hours |
| Tri Force Heroes | D | October 22, 2015 | 14½ Hours |
Verdict
Our Zelda tier list enlists and ranks all 3D games within The Legend of Zelda franchise. These games are action and adventure-related and hook players with their interactive game mechanics. These Zelda games are organized by the specific attributes that add them to their respective tiers.
The S tier has the top games with amazing features and attributes. The A tier has games with great potential, and the B tier has mediocre games. Then comes the lower tiers with worse games. The C and the D tier has abysmal games that ruin the whole outlook of the legend of the Zelda series. But still, all these games grant players with good characters and interactive gameplay.