RELATED: The Legend Of Zelda: Most Disturbing Things That Happen In The Games
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, 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 February 23, 2022 by Mark Sammut: The Legend of Zelda is eternal; since its debut on the Nintendo Entertainment System, the franchise has produced some of the greatest 2D and 3D adventure games of all time, along with its share of spin-off titles that range from enjoyable side stories to notoriously baffling projects. As Switch owners wait for the inevitable release of Breath of the Wild 2, they have more than enough time to experience or revisit the series’ wealth of past games. This article has been structured so that its information is as digestible as possible.
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.
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 of the 2D Zelda games, the 3D games 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.
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.
RELATED: The Importance of Time Travel in The Zelda Franchise, Including Breath of the Wild 2
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 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 a canon prequel to Breath of the Wild, and 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.
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 350 hours to get through every mainline Zelda game. While nothing can be said yet about how long it would take to beat Breath of the Wild 2, it will likely have a similar or greater scope as Breath of the Wild. 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, or Hyrule Warriors.
MORE: Nintendo Franchises That Could See Game and Watch Units After Zelda
