by majormitch
Over the years, I have written a number of lists ranking the entries in various video game franchises I have played a lot of. With the addition of tier lists to Giant Bomb, I am going to slowly but surely redo those lists in tier form! This is for a few reasons. First, I always wanted these lists to be tier lists anyway: my rankings regularly have to split incredibly thin hairs, and the ability to group games that are essentially equal into the same tier feels more accurate. Second, it makes it easier to include more games from each series, including ones I haven't played in their own tier. Third, it gives me a chance to re-evaluate and update these lists, some of which are quite old. One last important note about these tier lists: since I can't comment on games individually in this format, I will simply make some notes on any games that need it here in the intro section.
Next up in my tier list revisions is The Legend of Zelda. I'm mainly including the "mainline" games, though what counts as mainline is debatable. Hopefully it's self-explanatory enough once looking at the list, and I'll make any additional comments in the notes below. I have played a lot of Zelda games, and consider it one of my favorite franchises. And these are my takes! As always, I will add new entries over time as needed, and this list is based on my personal, subjective preferences alone.
List Notes:
This list was last updated on April 15, 2026.
I'm excluding what I consider remasters or collections. So no Link's Awakening DX, the 3D versions of the Nintendo 64 games, the HD versions of the GameCube games, the collector's CD, etc. All of these that I've played would sit equal with their original versions anyway.
I am however including the full remake of Link's Awakening on Switch. That feels a bit more substantial to me, and I enjoyed it more than the original.
I am also including the bigger multiplayer spinoffs. For Four Swords, I am including the standalone 3DS version (which is single player), and not the one that came with the GBA version of A Link to the Past. I played the 3DS one (I did not like it!) and I don't think both need to be on the list.
Lists are always relative, and this is especially true for a consistently great series like Zelda. I like all the games in the B tier a lot; they only fall in comparison to the ones above them which I love even more. But the Bs are still excellent.
Excluding the "Not Played" tier, Zelda II is the only game on this list I have not beaten. I found it incredibly tedious when I first tried it, though I do want to give it another shot someday.
I've always had a hard time deciding my favorite Zelda game, and consider the three games in S tier equally my favorites. Depending on the day I may pick one over the others, but they are all incredible experiences in their own ways.
My least favorite era of Zelda was the motion control era, consisting of the two DS games and Skyward Sword. They all have good-to-great dungeon design, but controlling them was a pain, and the sections between the dungeons weren't that fun to explore. They were all letdowns for me.
