10 Longest Mainline Zelda Games, Ranked By HowLongToBeat

Starting a new game can be a process, as players must determine whether the game suits them and whether they have time to commit to their next adventure. This is especially true in a series like The Legend of Zelda, whose games get bigger and grander with every installment. This is where a website like HowLongToBeat comes into play.

HowLongToBeat allows players to vote on a game's length with sub-categories such as "Completionist" and playstyles like "Rushed." This is a fantastic resource for players interested in learning how long a game's story can take based on their playing style. The main story portions of the various Zelda games vary quite a bit, but some of the best games in the series also rank among the longest.

Updated on January 10, 2025, by Lauren Younkin: With the release of Echoes of Wisdom, Nintendo has continued their trend of packing plenty of content into their recent Zelda games. Given the roster shake-up, this list has been updated to include additional Zelda titles as well as to comply with CBR's current standards of formatting.

15 A Link to the Past Debuted the Dark World

Main Story: 15 Hours, Completionist: 17.5 Hours

Image via Nintendo

As the third game to ever come out of the Zelda franchise, A Link to the Past is responsible for many of the series' mainstays that fans know today in terms of both story and gameplay. As would become a theme with many of the other Zelda games, A Link to the Past was split between two world maps that had contrasting themes, those being the Light World and the Dark World. This is a factor that in part accounts for the game's longer completion time.

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In 2002, a port of A Link to the Past combined with Four Swords was released for the Game Boy Advance. This version understandably takes longer to play through at 16 hours, as it essentially added an entirely new multiplayer mode. However, Four Swords would later go on to be released in 2011 for the DSi as part of Zelda's 25th anniversary celebration.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Like Follow Followed Action-Adventure OpenCritic Reviews Released April 13, 1992 ESRB E For Everyone Due To Mild Violence Developer(s) Nintendo EAD Publisher(s) Nintendo Franchise The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past takes players through an upward scrolling game with some of our all time favorite characters. As a prequel to the original Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, the timeline is linked to other plots that you’re probably familiar with. Link awakens from a telepathic message from Zelda, and he sets out on a mission: head to Hyrule castle for the rescue of Zelda. And then Link has to rescue descendants from seven other kingdoms in order to restore the Dark Kingdom and Hyrule to their normal order.

Platform(s) SNES, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, 3DS Genre(s) Action-Adventure Powered by

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14 Link's Awakening is Longer Than Its Switch Remake

Main Story: 15 Hours, Completionist: 19 Hours

Image via Nintendo

Though most modern fans of Zelda know Link's Awakening for its 2019 Switch remake, the original Link's Awakening released in 1993 for the Game Boy is one of the earliest parts of the Zelda franchise. It differed from the formula at the time (and still does) for being a game that is set somewhere other than Hyrule, taking place instead on Koholint Island.

The main story for the Link's Awakening remake is an hour shorter than the original, although its completionist run is longer at 21 hours overall. Still, both renditions are very similar in length, showing how the new version keeps the spirit of the original even with so much time between them. Each Zelda game is worth playing on their own merit, and completing both will allow fans to get a good sense of just how far the franchise has come.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Like Action-Adventure Released August 6, 1993 ESRB t Developer(s) Nintendo EAD Publisher(s) Nintendo Franchise The Legend of Zelda 6 Images Close Platform(s) Nintendo Game Boy, Nintendo Game Boy Color Genre(s) Action-Adventure Powered by

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13 The Minish Cap is a Rare Collaboration With Capcom

Main Story: 15.5 Hours, Completionist: 25.5 Hours

Image via Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is one of the best handheld Zelda games, which makes it all the more surprising that it had a developer outside of Nintendo. The Minish Cap was co-developed by Capcom for its 2004 Game Boy Advance release. The game stands as one of the earliest Zelda titles in the official Zelda timeline and is centered around Link getting his first cap, the wise-cracking Ezlo.

The main mechanic of The Minish Cap is the ability to shrink in size to interact with a tiny race known as the Minish, or Picori. The game's 15.5 hours of gameplay closely aligns with many other 2D top-down Zelda games, making it easy to play on the go whether using a Game Boy Advance or on Nintendo Switch Online.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

Like Action-Adventure Released November 4, 2004 ESRB E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence Developer(s) Capcom Publisher(s) Nintendo Engine fox Franchise The Legend of Zelda Platform(s) Nintendo Game Boy Advance Genre(s) Action-Adventure Powered by

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12 A Link Between Worlds Gives a Classic Take on Hyrule a New Spin

Main Story: 16 Hours, Completionist: 23.5 Hours

Image via Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds was the perfect homage to the classic A Link to the Past. A Link Between Worlds features the very same Hyrule in structure as A Link to the Past but with new twists, such as the ability to enter specific walls to obtain items or bypass obstacles.

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The biggest difference in A Link Between Worlds is the player's ability to choose the order they complete the Zelda game's dungeons. By having the means to explore the additional kingdom of Lorule, players receive double the content. Despite its average playtime of 16 hours, A Link Between Worlds features an immense level of freedom that keeps it fresh and engaging, so it never feels too short.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Like Action Adventure OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 90/100 Critics Rec: 90% Released November 22, 2013 ESRB E For Everyone due to Fantasy Violence Developer(s) Nintendo EAD Publisher(s) Nintendo Engine Havok Franchise The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is based on The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, which often goes head-to-head with Ocarina of Time in terms of deciding the best Zelda game of all-time. With A Link Between Worlds, however, it only goes so far as to use the overworld from A Link to the Past for its design, which, granted, is a pretty big deal.Seeing as A Link to the Past had a terrific overworld, however, this is far from a let-down, especially considering how much the remake does to give the overworld a modern aesthetic. Like A Link to the Past, which lets players travel back and forth between two separate iterations of Hyrule, A Link Between Worlds does exactly the same, though in a new context.

Platform(s) 3DS Genre(s) Action, Adventure OpenCritic Rating Mighty Powered by

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11 Oracle of Ages is the Longer of the GBC Pair

Main Story: 16.5, Completionist: 24 Hours

Image via Nintendo

A Link Between Worlds and The Minish Cap were far from the first handheld Zelda game. The earliest handheld Zelda games included The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons. Both Oracle games worked well as singular Zelda experiences and in conjunction with one another, as the player could unlock the true ending by linking both games.

Oracle of Ages is the longer of the two Oracle games​​​​​​, clocking in at 16.5 hours, putting it ahead of Oracle of Seasons' 15 hours. The discrepancy can be attributed to Oracle of Ages' puzzle-focused style as opposed to Oracle of Seasons' action-focused style, which is only fitting given that Nayru from Oracle of Ages represents the Triforce of Wisdom while Din from Oracle of Seasons represents the Triforce of Power.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages

Like Action-Adventure OpenCritic Reviews Released May 14, 2001 ESRB E For Everyone Due To Mild Violence Developer(s) Capcom, Nintendo Publisher(s) Nintendo Engine unity Franchise The Legend of Zelda 6 Images Close Platform(s) Nintendo Game Boy Color, 3DS Genre(s) Action-Adventure Powered by

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10 Phantom Hourglass Served as a Sequel to a GameCube Classic

Main Story: 17 Hours, Completionist: 32 Hours

During the Nintendo DS era, the Zelda series experimented with pure touch-based controls for its main titles. The first of these two games was the underrated Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, which serves as a direct sequel to Wind Waker following the same Link and Zelda (Tetra). Much of Phantom Hourglass' time is spent in a hub dungeon known as the Temple of the Ocean King.

After completing each main dungeon, the player must return to the beginning of this temple and slowly progress through it with the new item. It's almost like a roguelike game, except Link has a time limit to reach the level of the Temple of the Ocean King. This was the subject of much of Phantom Hourglass' criticism, as many players found the Temple of the Ocean King too repetitive to enjoy.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Like Action Adventure Released October 1, 2007 ESRB E For Everyone Due To Fantasy Violence Developer(s) Nintendo EAD Publisher(s) Nintendo Multiplayer Local Multiplayer Franchise The Legend of Zelda Platform(s) Nintendo DS, 3DS, Nintendo Wii U Genre(s) Action, Adventure Powered by

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9 Spirit Tracks Follows a Similar Gameplay Loop to Phantom Hourglass

Main Story: 20 Hours, Completionist: 33 Hours

Image via Nintendo

Two years after Phantom Hourglass, Nintendo released a follow-up titled The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. Spirit Tracks carries over Phantom Hourglass' art style and gameplay, but focuses more on land travel than its predecessors through a series of train tracks called "Spirit Tracks." Notably, this game included Zelda's character more in the actual gameplay than in any previous Zelda title before it.

Much like Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks has a hub dungeon in the Tower of Spirits. By reaching new levels in the Tower of Spirits, Link unlocks new tracks, which allow him to then unlock parts of the world map. The big difference compared to the Temple of the Ocean King is that the player can now skip already completed floors.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Like Action-Adventure Released December 7, 2009 ESRB e Developer(s) Nintendo EAD Publisher(s) Nintendo Multiplayer Local Multiplayer Franchise The Legend of Zelda 5 Images Close

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is a fantastic release in the Zelda series. With it being the 2nd Zelda release on the Nintendo DS — coming after The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass — all of the pitfalls and downsides of the previous title have been completely upended and improved.For fans of The Wind Waker (a previous Zelda title released on the Gamecube and subsequently re-released on the Wii U), the art style will immediately grab your attention. With the gorgeous and familiar cel-shaded art design, combat and cutscenes are fluid and seamless as you explore everything that the beautiful world of this game has to offer.Unlike many of the other Zelda titles where travel is predominantly done via horses, in Spirit Tracks, Link travels using a high-powered steam train that gets him to and from destinations with exceptional speed.

Platform(s) Nintendo DS Genre(s) Action-Adventure Powered by

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8 Echoes of Wisdom Taps Into Zelda's Top-Down Roots With a Twist

Main Story: 20.5 Hours, Completionist: 34 Hours

Image via Nintendo

The newest entry in the Zelda franchise, Echoes of Wisdom takes the visual and mechanical style utilized for the Link's Awakening remake and implements it in an original title to great success. This is the first game that features Zelda as the main playable character, something that many fans have been wanting for years. Fans of Link need not worry, however, as he still plays a role within the game.

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Echoes of Wisdom introduces the mechanic of echoes, which enables Zelda to copy items she comes across throughout the game and allows for endless creative possibilities. Along with this, players can explore both Hyrule and the Still World, both providing different forms of gameplay and experiences. Though not quite as long as other recent titles like Tears of the Kingdom, Echoes of Wisdom is still much longer than many of Zelda's previous top-down games.

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The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Like Follow Followed Adventure OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 85/100 Critics Rec: 93% Released September 26, 2024 ESRB E10+ For Everyone 10+ Developer(s) Nintendo, Grezzo Publisher(s) Nintendo Engine Havok Franchise The Legend of Zelda Platform(s) Nintendo Switch Genre(s) Adventure OpenCritic Rating Mighty Powered by

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7 Majora's Mask Follows Ocarina of Time With a Surreal Story

Main Story: 21 Hours, Completionist: 32.5 Hours

Image via Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is one of the most bizarre games in the Zelda series. Link must constantly relive a three-day cycle to stop the destruction of Clock Town at the hands of a menacing moon and a childish villain called Skull Kid. The game is a direct follow-up to Ocarina of Time and received critical acclaim despite its short production time of 15 months.

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Majora's Mask is a game of planning and experimentation. Link is unable to do everything necessary in a single three-day cycle, so the player has to plan out goals for each one: choosing side quests, pursuing the four main dungeons, or exploring. As a result, players can spend a lot of time trying to figure out the most efficient path forward.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Like Follow Followed Action Adventure Released October 26, 2000 ESRB E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes Developer(s) Nintendo EAD Publisher(s) Nintendo Engine Proprietary Engine Franchise The Legend of Zelda

Majora’s Mask’s core Groundhog Day-like conceit is a deep puzzle in and of itself. Time is always of the essence, and you have to tie up any loose ends you have before using the Song of Time to travel back to the start of the cycle. While certain items and knowledge carry over to the next playthrough, most interactions you have with characters and the world itself are reset with each revolution. However, there’s great satisfaction in moving the goal post a bit further every time you restart a cycle.

Platform(s) Nintendo 64, GameCube Genre(s) Action, Adventure Powered by

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6 Ocarina of Time Was a Massive Turning Point for the Series

Main Story: 27 Hours, Completionist: 38 Hours

Image via Nintendo

Clocking in at a few hours longer than Majora's Mask is 2022 World Video Game Hall of Fame inductee The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Ocarina of Time is frequently mentioned as one of the best video games of all time, and it's easy to see why given the impact it had on the landscape of gaming and the Zelda franchise as a whole.

Ocarina of Time provided a smooth transition into 3D for the Zelda series, as it carried over much of what made the Zelda series so special prior. The player has a vast world to explore in both the past and present, making it feel like a new experience each time. With 12 dungeons to tackle, it's easy to see why Ocarina of Time is among the longest Zelda games.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Like Follow Followed Action Adventure Released November 21, 1998 ESRB E10+ for Everyone 10+: Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes Developer(s) Nintendo Publisher(s) Nintendo Engine Zelda 64 Engine Franchise The Legend of Zelda 5 Images Close Platform(s) Nintendo 64, GameCube Genre(s) Action, Adventure Powered by

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