This weekend marks 40 years since The Legend of Zelda series changed gaming forever. On February 21, it’ll have been four decades since the first game landed on the NES, introducing the world to Link, Zelda, and Ganon.

While there are plenty of plans for Zelda in 2026, gamers looking to mark this anniversary by revisiting the series’ past will no doubt be aware there are plenty of classic Zelda titles available to play for free on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. But if you’re newer to the series and want to know where to start? Well, here are all nine Zelda games currently available with Nintendo Switch Online, ranked from worst to best. I should stress that the “worst” in this scenario isn’t even really that bad. Even when Zelda isn’t at its best, it’s still great.

The Legend Of Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link (1987, NES)

Zelda 2: Electric Boogaloo

If there’s one Zelda game that you should probably avoid unless you’re deeply serious about playing through every single entry, it’s The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. It’s not that this game is awful, but it’s absolutely nothing like any of the other games in the series, and is brutally difficult.

The Adventure of Link swaps top-down exploration for side-scrolling combat in a game that never quite hits the heights of its predecessor. If we can thank this game for anything, it’s that it taught Nintendo what worked and what didn’t for Zelda at a very early stage.

The Legend Of Zelda (1986, NES)

Can’t find Zelda? Triforce

The game that started it all is absolutely still worth playing in 2026, although I would warn younger gamers to make sure they come equipped with a guide. There are some puzzles and secrets in The Legend of Zelda that I have absolutely no clue how gamers in 1986 were able to figure out on their own. Dungeons are extremely well hidden, hints from NPCs are cryptic to the point of being unhelpful, and there are enemies that can take Link apart in just a few hits.

With all that said, there’s a magic to this game. Playing The Legend of Zelda today, you can see how it went on to inspire a new generation of developers. While purists will probably tell you it’s cheating, the fact there are save states and a rewind function built in to this version of the game means it’s far more playable than ever for modern audiences.

The Legend Of Zelda Link’s Awakening (1993, Game Boy)

Something fishy is going on here…

While you could go ahead and play the shiny Nintendo Switch remake of Link’s Awakening, there’s something special about the Game Boy original. Nintendo Switch Online also has Link’s Awakening DX, which is essentially the exact same game but in color and with an extra dungeon. It’s up to you which one you choose, but DX is probably the way to go.

Link’s Awakening is a wonderfully weird Zelda game that takes Link out of Hyrule and places him on a mysterious island. The world is full of secrets, the dungeons are spectacularly designed, and there are some truly fantastic boss battles. Oh, you can also take a Chain Chomp for a walk. Why? Why the heck not?

The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Seasons (2001, Game Boy Color)

Link is in this season

Alone, The Legend of Zelda Oracle games are two fantastic standalone Zelda adventures. Combined, they form one epic quest, with the story changing slightly depending on which game you decide to play first. It remains an incredibly ambitious and impressive project, and proof that Nintendo should let Capcom make more Zelda games.

Leaving aside the bonus story content and super secret final boss you get if you combine the two games, Oracle of Seasons isn’t quite as good as Oracle of Ages. There’s more of a focus on combat and action, and the puzzles are less memorable as a result. That doesn’t mean this game isn’t worth your time, however. Any game in which you can hop into the pouch of a boxing kangaroo is clearly an all-timer.

The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Ages (2001, Game Boy Color)

Wibbly wobbly timey wimey

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages edges out Seasons due to a better story, superior dungeons, and some really cool time travel mechanics that call back to the dual world aspects of A Link to the Past. If you only play one of the Oracle games, you’d best make sure it’s this one. But given both are free with Nintendo Switch Online, you’d be silly to only play one and not link the two titles for the full story. Back in my day we had to go out and buy both of them just to see the final boss.

The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap (2004, Game Boy Advance)

What is this, a video game for ants?

Capcom returned to the Zelda series in 2004 with what is, for my money, one of the best top-down Zelda games ever made. The Minish Cap is an absolute treat of a game, one that makes the most out of the Game Boy Advance to give players a stunningly vibrant pixel art interpretation of the more cartoony style established in The Wind Waker.

The dungeons are perfectly paced and immaculately designed, the boss battles fill the screen, and the world is absolutely packed with secrets and genuinely worthwhile rewards. The game’s central gimmick, which sees Link able to shrink down for Ant Man-esque adventures, is an absolute joy. Younger gamers looking to break into classic 2D Zelda should probably start here.

The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000, Nintendo 64)

Enter: Tingle

Not putting Majora’s Mask at the very top of this article will undoubtedly send some Zelda fans into spasms of anger. I get it. Majora’s Mask is one of the very finest Zelda games ever made, and a genuine argument could be made for placing it at the top of any list of Zelda games. I’m just not here to make that argument.

Majora’s Mask is a brilliantly weird and introspective adventure that takes players on a much more personal journey than they’re used to for this series. There are still dungeons to explore and a world to save, but it’s the characters that really make Majora’s Mask come to life. As Link learns everything there is to know about the residents of Termina over the same three-day loop, he discovers the heartbreaking secrets and hidden desires that plague them. There’s a palpable sadness to Majora’s Mask that sets it apart from its siblings. You can also turn into a Goron and roll around everywhere, so that’s pretty neat.

The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time (1998, Nintendo 64)

The time of your life

There’s a reason people haven’t shut up about Ocarina of Time after nearly 30 years, and that’s because it really is that good. To this day, Ocarina of Time remains the highest-rated game of all-time on Metacritic, and rightly so. This is an epic, sprawling adventure that takes us through time itself in a classic tale of good vs evil.

Koji Kondo’s music is arguably the best it’s ever been, the dungeons are all memorable (though not all for the right reasons), and it has one of the greatest final boss battles in Zelda history, if not the greatest. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time‘s influence will be felt on video games for decades to come, and rightly so.

The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (1994, SNES)

It doesn’t get much better than this

For my money, A Link to the Past is as close to perfect as a video game can be. I’d argue this is the single greatest game of the 90s, and the best example of the “classic” Zelda formula, which is quite remarkable given this is where that formula actually began.

This is the game that introduced more complex dungeons and puzzles, a greater variety of items, the Master Sword, the concept of multiple worlds to explore, and even Link’s now iconic spin attack. 32 years later, this game still looks beautiful, plays like a dream, and is instantly accessible for gamers of all ages. Truly, this is the Paul Rudd of video games (ageless).

The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002, Nintendo GameCube)

Wind Waker? I barely know her!

There are two types of people. Those that will tell me I’m a monster for putting The Wind Waker at the top of this list, and those that are right. Am I really saying The Wind Waker is better than Ocarina of Time, the highest-rated video game ever made? Would I really be that bold? Well, yeah.

The Wind Waker couldn’t exist without Ocarina of Time, but Ocarina of Time couldn’t exist without the original Zelda, and you wouldn’t catch me putting that anywhere near the top of a best-of list in 2026. The Wind Waker boasts a better and more personal story that sees Link set off on a quest across the sea to rescue his sister. It has the best version of Ganondorf in any video game. It has genuinely interesting combat that encourages you to experiment with different items to see how they work together. It has a massive ocean littered with unique islands, all with their own secrets to uncover. It also remains one of the best-looking Zelda games ever made, with a gorgeous cel-shaded style that holds up to this day.

You may complain there aren’t enough dungeons, or that the game is too easy, or that the Triforce fetch quest is dull, or that sailing is a pain. I would simply tell you that you are weak, and that the best cure for that is to be quiet and go replay The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

Movie(s)

The Legend of Zelda (Live-Action)

Created by

Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka

Upcoming Films

The Legend of Zelda (Live-Action)

First Episode Air Date

September 8, 1989

Cast

Jonathan Potts, Cyndy Preston