Favorite/Least Favorite Zelda Games

[Laxyak Loves LoZ]

My favorite is Twilight Princess. I don't have a least favorite, they're all so good!

 

[Daku Rinku]

1. Orcarina of Time
2. A Link To A Past
3. Windwaker
4 Link’s Awakening
5. Breath of the Wind
6. The Oracle of Seasons
7. The Legend of Zelda (NES)
8. Four Swords
9. Majora’s Mask
10. Oracle of Ages

I have never played:

Twlight Princesss, Tears of the Kingdom, Skyward Sword, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, The Phantom Hourglass, Minish Cap, Hyrule Warriors, Triforce Heroes, and Spirit Tracks.

 

[Saint Ravenboo]

1. Orcarina of Time
2. A Link To A Past
3. Windwaker
4 Link’s Awakening
5. Breath of the Wind
6. The Oracle of Seasons
7. The Legend of Zelda (NES)
8. Four Swords
9. Majora’s Mask
10. Oracle of Ages

I have never played:

Twlight Princesss, Tears of the Kingdom, Skyward Sword, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, The Phantom Hourglass, Minish Cap, Hyrule Warriors, Triforce Heroes, and Spirit Tracks.

You forgot Four Swords Adventure...

 

[Daku Rinku]

You forgot Four Swords Adventure...

Ah, don’t recall that one.

 

[Saint Ravenboo]

It's a gamecube title, gets a lot of crap for being expensive to play multiplayer, but a lot of people I know doesn't realize you can play singleplayer with just the game itself.

 

[Saint Ravenboo]

My least favorite Zelda game, changed from Breath of the Wild, to Skyward Sword, favorite will always be Twilight Princess, but if you want more information about Skyward Sword being my least favorite, check out my most recent post in least favorite character. I don't know how to link other posts from the site to other posts like this one.

 

[Mima_sama]

I've played most of the games at this point (note: I've not finished a few of them), So I've got a pretty good idea of my favorites. (Having said that, I've only ever played a little bit of FSA at a friend's house, so I can't really pass any judgement on it-- from what I played, though, it was pretty fun. But if you see it omitted from the list, that's why). Numbers 1 and 2 are interchangeable. EDIT: I added spoilers to condense it because I'm incapable of being brief ;w;

Top Ten

Spoiler: top 10

1. Breath of the Wild:
I've spent the most time in this game, and I'm still finding new things to do and see. I like exploration, so that's a big part of why I love this game so much.
2. Wind Waker:
The game I have the most fondness for, as it was the very first Zelda I actually beat all the way through. Unlike most, I really enjoyed the sailing aspect, though I do appreciate the Swift Sail in the HD version (which I consider the definitive version of the game).
3. Minish Cap:
One of the two most finely crafted 2D Zeldas, in my opinion. I love the little nods to other entries in the series, the music, and the story. It would be number 4, but I have a very strong bias towards Vaati, who is my favorite character, so it's here at 3.
4. A Link Between Worlds:
The other of the two most finely crafted 2D Zeldas. The music and the gameplay are top-notch, but HOH BOY the story. The story is excellent-- the ending makes me tear up every time.
5. Ocarina of Time:
You can't go wrong with a classic, and this is indeed a classic! A very enjoyable game in every aspect. In my opinion, the 3DS version is the best version of the game, and should be in any 3DS owner's library.
6. Link's Awakening:
The first portable Zelda! It's also a classic, and the Switch remake is downright adorable. My only problem with it is that I wish there was more of it, but for a portable adventure, it's a good length.
7. Oracle of Seasons/Ages:
Even though these are two distinct games, I like to count them as one, as you can only get the true ending of either if you play a linked game. I prefer Seasons to Ages, as it was my very first Zelda game.
8. Twilight Princess:
Another game with a fantastic story. Midna is very memorable, and probably my favorite female character in the series because of her character arc. The overworld is nice and big, though it feels a little sparse at times.
9. Four Swords:
Honestly, the reason this is so high up is because of the fond memories I have of playing this with my friends back in middle school. We had a blast throwing each other into bottomless chasms and fiery pits of lava, and we did it all for rupees! The Anniversary Edition was nice, though I wish it hadn't been available for such a short time.
10. A Link to the Past:
THE Zelda game, ever. It's a good jumping point to get into the series-- not too hard, but not to easy, either. I feel it shows its age some, however. A remake would be a lovely surprise one of these days, Nintendo.

Bottom 6
(Please note, I don't find these games bad by any means, they just got beaten by the other games, with a few exceptions.)

Spoiler: bottom 6

11. Spirit Tracks:
The best of the DS games, with all the qualities of a good Zelda game. I feel it's held back by the touch controls, however.
12. The Legend of Zelda:
Some people don't like this one much, as it very much shows its age, but I like it. It's difficult, but fun-- I recommend playing it with a guide, though. It's the first Zelda, and it did a lot of cool things that laid the foundations for the series to come.
13. Phantom Hourglass:
A great game, and probably would be higher up if it weren't for two things-- mandatory touch controls, which are manageable, honestly, and... The Temple of the Ocean King. I've beaten this game once, but because of that temple, I don't particularly care to play it again, even though I really enjoyed the rest of the game.
14. Skyward Sword:
I've never beaten this one. I got near to the end of the game, put it down, and then... forgot about it? It's not bad, by any means, but the repetitive nature of the game wears on me pretty quickly. I haven't picked up the HD version because I'm not keen to do the Silent Realm trials again... The soundtrack is phenomenal, though!
15. Majora's Mask:
Hoo boy. Where do I begin? I've never managed to get further than the first temple. I just couldn't get into this one-- there's too many little things to remember to do in order to fully experience the game, and with my ADHD that's a nightmare. Add to that the time limit, and this is one game that I can't bring myself to finish. I appreciate what it tries to do, but it's just not my cup of tea. If you like it though, that's great!
16. The Adventure of Link:
This game. This game is the definition of cryptic NES title with unfair difficulty. It's nice that they tried to do something different, but I think it kinda failed in execution. I guess if you have the patience to keep chipping away at it, it can be fun, but it just doesn't do it for me.

The Game I hate so much I forgot it existed until just now

Spoiler: Tri-Force Heroes rant

17. Tri-Force Heroes: It's funny. I didn't start out hating this game. It was fun the first few times I played it, in fact! But it absolutely failed to capture the core multiplayer Zelda experience (working together but also backstabbing each other for rupees). It quickly became boring, and then the playerbase dried up, and the singleplayer just wasn't implemented well at all. How did they mess up this badly? What were they even thinking when they made this game? "Let's take Four Swords, remove one of the players, make it so that you can't backstab each other, and take out the four iconic areas to replace them with a ton of unmemorable levels! Quantity is better than quality, right?" Yeah, that was a great decision! ...the music is pretty good though.

... Wow, didn't know I was holding that in for so long. Uh, anyway, that's my list! I didn't include the spin-offs or the CDi games because I wanted to keep it brief, but if I had to rank the ones I've played, HW: AoC > HW Definitive Edition >>> The CDi fan remakes (they're actually kind of... fun? Because they fix most of the major glaring issues with the CDi games) >∞ The original CDi games

Updating this: Now that I've beaten TotK and finally beaten Skyward Sword, I'm changing my rankings a bit. I'll add new things where relevant, but most of all my previous opinions remain the same. Spoiler'd for brevity's sake.

Spoiler: The Revised List, August 2024 edition

1. Wind Waker:
The more that I've played the WW Randomizer, the more I realize how finely crafted the base game actually was. This gets my #1 spot, though like before, it's interchangeable with #2 depending on my mood.
2. Tears of the Kingdom:
It's Breath of the Wild, but more complete, in my opinion. I like that they added more enemy varieties, and also actual dungeons. Ultrahand is probably the best addition-- I don't even miss the Sheikah runes.
3. Minish Cap
4. Breath of the Wild:
Still a favorite, but TotK outshines it in nearly every way (imo). Looking back, BotW was great, but it was held back by the fact that it also had to run on the Wii U.
5. A Link Between Worlds
6. Ocarina of Time
7. Skyward Sword:
This one jumped up quite a bit! The silent realm trials weren't as grueling as I remember them being, and the motion controls on the Switch work way better than the Wii's. This has one of the best stories out of any Zelda game, and dangit, I even cried at the ending.
8. Link's Awakening
9. The Oracles Duology
10. Twilight Princess
11. Four Swords
12. A Link to the Past
13. Spirit Tracks
14. The Legend of Zelda
15. Phantom Hourglass
16. Majora's Mask
17. The Adventure of Link
18. Tri-Force Heroes

 

[Mikey the Gengar]

Updating this: Now that I've beaten TotK and finally beaten Skyward Sword, I'm changing my rankings a bit. I'll add new things where relevant, but most of all my previous opinions remain the same. Spoiler'd for brevity's sake.

Spoiler: The Revised List, August 2024 edition

1. Wind Waker:
The more that I've played the WW Randomizer, the more I realize how finely crafted the base game actually was. This gets my #1 spot, though like before, it's interchangeable with #2 depending on my mood.
2. Tears of the Kingdom:
It's Breath of the Wild, but more complete, in my opinion. I like that they added more enemy varieties, and also actual dungeons. Ultrahand is probably the best addition-- I don't even miss the Sheikah runes.
3. Minish Cap
4. Breath of the Wild:
Still a favorite, but TotK outshines it in nearly every way (imo). Looking back, BotW was great, but it was held back by the fact that it also had to run on the Wii U.
5. A Link Between Worlds
6. Ocarina of Time
7. Skyward Sword:
This one jumped up quite a bit! The silent realm trials weren't as grueling as I remember them being, and the motion controls on the Switch work way better than the Wii's. This has one of the best stories out of any Zelda game, and dangit, I even cried at the ending.
8. Link's Awakening
9. The Oracles Duology
10. Twilight Princess
11. Four Swords
12. A Link to the Past
13. Spirit Tracks
14. The Legend of Zelda
15. Phantom Hourglass
16. Majora's Mask
17. The Adventure of Link
18. Tri-Force Heroes

I really like seeing people appreciate skyward sword for what it does well
Fi's farewell also makes me tear up

 

[Vanessa28]

TotK and BotW have taken over my fav spots.

 

[thePlinko]

I haven’t updated my list here in a while.

My full ranking (excluding multiplayer games) is:

1. Majora’s Mask
2. Ocarina of Time
3. Link’s Awakening
4. Phantom Hourglass
5. The Legend of Zelda
6. Skyward Sword
7. A Link to the Past
8. Windwaker
9. Spirit Tracks
10. Adventure of Link
11. Minish Cap
12. A Link Between Worlds
13+14. The Oracles
15. Twilight Princess
16. Breath of the Wild
17. Tears of the Kingdom

 

[RickKTish]

Favorites:

1. Legend of Zelda (1986/87)
2. Adventure of Link
3. Breath of the Wild
4. Twilight Princess
5. Wind Waker
6. Link Between Worlds
7. Spirit Tracks
8. Link's Awakening
9. Link to the Past
10. Oracle of Ages

Least favorites:

1. Skyward Sword
2. Tears of the Kingdom
3. Ocarina of Time
4. Oracle of Seasons
5. Majora's Mask

 

[ZeldaFan80]

Favorites:

1. Legend of Zelda (1986/87)
2. Adventure of Link
3. Breath of the Wild
4. Twilight Princess
5. Wind Waker
6. Link Between Worlds
7. Spirit Tracks
8. Link's Awakening
9. Link to the Past
10. Oracle of Ages

Least favorites:

1. Skyward Sword
2. Tears of the Kingdom
3. Ocarina of Time
4. Oracle of Seasons
5. Majora's Mask

I agree with you on the least favorites.

 

[LongHairedFreakyGuy]

Admittedly, I haven't played that many Zelda games, but I'm trying to work on that by playing them on the NSO. So, out of the ones I've properly played, I'd say my 'temporary' list would probably be -

Favourites:
- Ocarina Of Time
- Twilight Princess
- Wind Waker (WW and TP constantly switch positions for me, both are as great in their own unique way)
- Links Awakening
- Breath Of The Wild

Least Favourites:
- Majoras Mask (I have bad anxiety and have always been nervy about playing this one, so it's no comment on the game, I've enjoyed what I've played of it)
- Tears Of The Kingdom (Currently shelved at like halfway through)
- Echoes Of Wisdom
- Skyward Sword HD (Think I'd have enjoyed this more if I'd played it originally, but was put off by the controls)


Hopefully will be able to add to this list soon enough.