The Legend of Zelda series has been a huge part of my life, ever since I first started playing video games as a hobby and escape; the series has shaped much of how I think and operate today. 

With the title and release date of the new The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom finally being announced for May 13, I thought we could take a look back at the best games the series had to offer.

#5: The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

There are currently two versions of this game with the same title, but I would like to highlight the 1993 GameBoy release. One of my favorite aspects of the game is the long fetch quest in the middle that has you trading items to different people until you get a little rooster helper, which I thought was super fun. 

The biggest complaint I have would be the forest at the beginning of the game. You get trapped in this forest with a raccoon and an owl, and when I played this for the first time it took me forever to get out. 

This game would be significantly better if they gave you some sort of direction throughout. It puts a lot of weight on exploring the world, but does not give you any initiative to do so. 

#4: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

A Link to the Past was only the third game in the series, but, in my opinion, it is one of the best designed. It was released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991, and for the graphics that they had available at the time, it is beautiful. 

The colorful world you start in is extremely enticing and makes you want to explore. Going through the game and being able to travel to another darker world to complete tasks and continue your journey is a fun gimmick, and the designers pulled it off well. 

#3: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Released originally on the Nintendo 64 in 2000 then re-released on the 3DS in 2015, Majora’s Mask is one of the most popular games in the series. In tandem with Ocarina of Time, it really repopularized the series and returned it to the light that it has been in ever since. 

This entry is probably my favorite in terms of lore and story. Almost every person and thing in this game has some sort of new lore that they did not have in past or future games.

Many fans debate if this game is even a real entry into the series at all, or if it is just some sort of dream state made by the Majora’s mask. When I was little, this blew my mind, and it is no less intriguing to me now.

#2: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

This game, released on the Nintendo Switch in 2017, is regarded by most fans to be the best entry the series has ever made. Although it is not at the top of my list, I still hold it in very high regard – it is beautiful, super fun to explore and the controls are great. 

One of my favorite things about Breath of the Wild is the sheer content it holds.

I am one of those crazy people you hear about that has one-hundred percented the game, and every single second was worth it. Being able to truly explore the land of Hyrule to its fullest extent was what most people had been wanting since the original game, and with Breath of the Wild, we got it. 

#1: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

This game is a masterpiece! Coming out on the GameCube in 2002 and being rereleased in HD on the Wii U in 2013, The Wind Waker was a huge jump in graphics. Coming directly after Majora’s Mask, the blockiness was gone. 

It has a whimsical, cartoony feel that welcomes you into the game and encourages you to take a look around and explore. 

Sailing on the seas and finding new islands is such a fun feature that I loved when I first played the game. It also has entertaining minigames and lots of things to do if you do not feel like progressing the story just yet. 

Finally, my absolute favorite part of this game is the music. It is so cheery and cute, I could just listen to it all day. 

Overall, The Wind Waker is charming, fun, addicting and easily one of my top three games of all time, as well as my number one Legend of Zelda game.