One of Nintendo's biggest franchises is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, and The Legend of Zelda continues to inspire and entertain fans. Over the course of its history, The Legend of Zelda has spawned numerous official video games, various spin-off games, an animated television series, several manga adaptations, tons of merchandise, and more. Often regarded as one of the best video game series of all time, The Legend of Zelda has clearly made an impact on many players and gaming fans.
While the plot of each Zelda game may be unique, they generally follow similar core elements. A young courageous boy named Link gets roped into an adventure to save the magical Princess Zelda from the clutches of whatever villain the game focuses on. Except for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, games in The Legend of Zelda series also have a fairly succinct story that doesn't leave a lot of room for exploration in the game once it's complete. From the chronologically-first Skyward Sword to the engaging dream of Link's Awakening to the timeline-dividing Ocarina of Time, here is how long it takes to beat every game in The Legend of Zelda series.
Howlongtobeat.com was used as a reference.
Updated May 30, 2023 by Mark Sammut: The Legend of Zelda is synonymous with epic adventures, and the franchise has generally succeeded in maintaining a high standard of quality. Although hardly a stranger to lengthy campaigns, Link's journeys have been getting progressively more expansive in recent years, particularly since the arrival of the Nintendo Switch. 2023's Tears of the Kingdom is no exception, but is it the longest Zelda game?
How Long To Beat Every 2D And Top-Down Legend Of Zelda Game
Many Zelda conventions were established in Nintendo's kickstart of the series back in 1986, and these have influenced the majority of the games in the series in some way. The game has remained popular enough that a sealed copy of The Legend of Zelda sold for a record-breaking amount recently at an auction. Early games in the series, mainly The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link, have been ported to multiple Nintendo consoles and are currently available through Nintendo Switch Online. 1993's Link's Awakening is the only 2D game to receive an actual remake, although A Link Between Worlds is a spiritual successor to A Link to the Past.
While games such as Phantom Hourglass and the multiplayer-focused Tri Force Heroes aren't true 2D Zelda games, they are presented mainly in the top-down format that is standard with other 2D Zelda games. However, similar to the other 2D Zelda games, these can be completed in 20 hours or less. 2009's Spirit Tracks currently takes about 20 hours to get through the main story, making it the longest game in this group. Interestingly enough, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages take slightly different amounts of time to beat.
Since the 2019 Link's Awakening remake was developed by outside company Grezzo, some of its gameplay was slightly changed. Many wound up wondering whether how long it takes to beat Link's Awakening on the Nintendo Switch is different from its predecessors. Ultimately, the game is about the same length. Some players reported that it took about an hour less to complete the main story, but this could also just be a reflection of the player base.
|
Game |
Original Console |
Standard Playtime |
Completionist Playtime |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The Legend of Zelda (1986) |
NES |
8–9 Hours |
10–11 Hours |
|
Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link (1987) |
NES |
10–11 Hours |
11–12 Hours |
|
A Link to the Past (1991) |
SNES |
14–15 Hours |
16–17 Hours |
|
Link's Awakening (1993) | Link's Awakening DX (1998) | Link's Awakening (2019) |
|
14–15 Hours |
16–20 Hours |
|
Oracle of Seasons (2001) |
Game Boy Color |
15–16 Hours |
21–22 Hours |
|
Oracle of Ages (2001) |
Game Boy Color |
17–18 Hours |
24–25 Hours |
|
Four Swords (2002) | Four Swords Anniversary Edition (2011) |
|
3 Hours |
|
|
Four Swords Adventures (2004) |
GameCube |
15–16 Hours |
15–16 Hours |
|
The Minish Cap (2004) |
Game Boy Advance |
15–16 Hours |
26–27 Hours |
|
Phantom Hourglass (2007) |
Nintendo DS |
17–18 Hours |
32–33 Hours |
|
Spirit Tracks (2009) |
Nintendo DS |
20–21 Hours |
33–34 Hours |
|
A Link Between Worlds (2013) |
Nintendo 3DS |
16–17 Hours |
24–25 Hours |
|
Tri Force Heroes (2015) |
Nintendo 3DS |
14–15 Hours |
59–60 Hours |
Going by the above figures, if someone were to try completing the campaigns of every mainline 2D Zelda game, it would take them roughly 180 hours. Completionist playthroughs would combine for 285 hours, although that figure is inflated by Tri Force Heroes and Four Swords.
These averages only take into account the first version of each game, so no remasters or remakes.
How Long To Beat Every 3D Legend Of Zelda Game
Even though the 2D Legend of Zelda games are unique and entertaining in their own right, many fans will point to 3D titles for the quintessential Zelda experience. Aside from Breath of the Wild, every 3D Zelda game has now received an HD remaster to bring the game to new audiences. Additionally, unlike most 2D Zelda games, the 3D projects tend to take more than 20 hours to complete.
In what is surprising to almost no one, Breath of the Wild is currently the longest Legend of Zelda game to complete. Even though players can technically run straight to Calamity Ganon after the tutorial to fight him, a standard playthrough will take around 50 hours. Those that want to collect every heart piece, collect every Korok Seed, and complete every Shrine can expect to take upwards of 200 hours to do so. Breath of the Wild also received two DLCs, The Master Trials and The Champion's Ballad, to add several more hours' worth of content.
Tears of the Kingdom, Breath of the Wild's sequel, follows closely in its predecessor's footsteps, and that extends to its runtime. The campaign roughly takes the same amount of hours to complete, although the sequel does arguably emphasize its mainline quests more than BOTW. Even though Link can still make a beeline for the final antagonist, the story does try to push him to explore Hyrule thoroughly before making that journey. For instance, one of the main quests revolves around finding and investigating 12 geoglyphs spread across the map. In terms of size, TOTK takes place in largely the same version of Hyrule, albeit one that has changed quite a bit; along with the central map, Link can also explore Sky Islands and underground caverns.
For Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, the time it took to get through the main game in their 3D remakes didn't change too much for players. Curiously, it is only with the HD remasters for The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword that the playtimes are significantly different. The HD remasters are likely streamlining some aspects of the game, shaving off unnecessary time spent completing quests.
|
Game |
Original Console |
Standard Playtime |
Completionist Playtime |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ocarina of Time (1998) | Ocarina of Time 3D (2011) |
|
25–27 Hours |
37–39 Hours |
|
Majora's Mask (2000) | Majora's Mask 3D (2015) |
|
|
32–33 Hours |
|
The Wind Waker (2002) | The Wind Waker HD (2013) |
|
|
|
|
Twilight Princess (2006) | Twilight Princess HD (2016) |
|
|
|
|
Skyward Sword (2011) | Skyward Sword HD (2021) |
|
|
|
|
Breath of the Wild (2017) |
|
|
|
|
Tears of the Kingdom (2019) |
|
54–55 Hours |
188–189 Hours |
Completing the stories of all 3D Zelda games is quite an undertaking as it requires approximately 265 hours. However, this investment would barely scratch the surface of a completionist run, which would span around 640 hours.
These figures do not include remasters, but they do take DLC into account.
How Long To Beat Select Spin-off Legend Of Zelda Games
The Legend of Zelda has spawned multiple spin-off titles that have ranged in quality from great to not-so-great. Some of these selected spin-offs will be familiar to players, including infamous titles like The Wand of Gamelon. Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland stars Tingle, a recurring character in The Legend of Zelda, in a standalone RPG adventure. Link's Crossbow Training is set in the Twilight Princess universe and could be bought paired with a Wii Zapper. Cadence of Hyrule is an officially licensed crossover with Nintendo's iconic property and also received a couple of DLC stories.
The most well-known spin-offs for The Legend of Zelda are likely Koei Tecmo's Hyrule Warriors games. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is also considered something of a prequel to Breath of the Wild, and it was pretty well-received when it was released in 2020. The Hyrule Warriors games might not take too long to get through their respective main stories, but they are immensely replayable and have a lot of additional content. In the case of the first Hyrule Warriors, some players spent over 200 hours completing all the game had to offer.
|
Game |
Original Console |
Standard Playtime |
Completionist Playtime |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Link: The Faces of Evil (1993) |
CD-i |
2–3 Hours |
4–5 Hours |
|
Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon (1993) |
CD-i |
1–2 Hours |
3–4 Hours |
|
Zelda's Adventure (1994) |
CD-i |
5–6 Hours |
7–8 Hours |
|
BS Zelda no Densetsu (1995) |
Satellaview |
5–6 Hours |
5–6 Hours |
|
BS The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets (1997) |
Satellaview |
3–4 Hours |
4–5 Hours |
|
Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland (2006) |
Nintendo DS |
31–32 Hours |
32–33 Hours |
|
Link's Crossbow Training (2007) |
Wii |
1–2 Hours |
5–6 Hours |
|
Hyrule Warriors (2014) | Hyrule Warriors: Legends (2016) | Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (2018) |
|
|
|
|
Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda (2019) |
Nintendo Switch |
|
|
|
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (2020) |
Nintendo Switch |
|
|
To finish these chosen spin-off games' main campaigns, a player would need to dedicate roughly 100 hours of their time. If someone tried to complete everything, they are looking at more than 420 hours of gameplay. Most of this time would be taken up by the Hyrule Warriors games, and this number would become much higher if Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition was used as the base for the first entry in the series.
How Long Does It Take To Beat Every Zelda Game
All in all, any player who wants to experience the stories of every game in The Legend of Zelda series can expect to spend hundreds of hours trying. Even on the lower end, it could take over 450 hours to get through every mainline Zelda game, which does not even take the spin-offs into account. On the bright side, players looking for a Zelda fix can enjoy the plethora of entries that are available on the Nintendo Switch, be it Link's Awakening, Skyward Sword HD, Hyrule Warriors, Breath of the Wild, or Tears of the Kingdom.