ZELDA THEME SECTION

40 years of legend

On 21 February 1986 The Legend of Zelda came out in Japan. Forty years later: twenty adventures with the art from the official anniversary site, the official timeline with its three branches and what the anniversary brings.

This section belongs to The Legend of Zelda theme. Turn it on to see it with its music, the fairy and the hidden rupees.

1986 → 2026

Twenty adventures

In release order. Press a triangle to see its card.

1986

The Legend of Zelda

Platform
Famicom Disk System
On the timeline
The hero is defeated

The beginning: Hyrule from above, a sword in a cave and eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom.

Hyrule Historia

The official timeline

Nintendo published it in the Hyrule Historia book (2011) and has kept adding to it. Skyward Sword starts the story and, after Ocarina of Time, it splits into three branches depending on the hero’s fate. Echoes of Wisdom joined the fallen-hero branch in November 2024; Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom come long after, with no branch.

Before the split

  1. Skyward Sword2011
  2. The Minish Cap2004
  3. Four Swords2002

The splitOcarina of Time1998

The hero is defeated

  1. A Link to the Past1991
  2. Oracle of Seasons · Oracle of Ages2001
  3. Link’s Awakening1993
  4. A Link Between Worlds2013
  5. Tri Force Heroes2015
  6. Echoes of Wisdom2024
  7. The Legend of Zelda1986
  8. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link1987

The hero is victorious · Child era

  1. Majora’s Mask2000
  2. Twilight Princess2006
  3. Four Swords Adventures2004

The hero is victorious · Adult era

  1. The Wind Waker2002
  2. Phantom Hourglass2007
  3. Spirit Tracks2009

Long after everything

  1. Breath of the Wild2017
  2. Tears of the Kingdom2023

40th anniversary · 1986–2026

What the anniversary brings

  1. Nintendo Switch 2 · 40th Anniversary Edition

    A console with the Triforce design and green Joy-Con, with a matching Pro Controller and case.

  2. Ocarina of Time · Nintendo Switch 2

    The remake: rebuilt locations with a free camera, orchestral music, voiced cutscenes, a day and night cycle in towns and the ocarina played through the console microphone.

  3. 40th Anniversary concerts

    A tour with music from the whole series: Tokyo (January), Chicago (22 February), London (3 April) and Melbourne (13 May 2027).

  4. The Legend of Zelda · the film

    A live-action film by Nintendo, Arad Productions and Sony Pictures, in cinemas worldwide.