Nintendo’s development prowess is rarely questioned. The company is one of the most respected and beloved developers in the world, and it has a history of putting out medium and genre-defining games over a period of more than three decades and counting now. And of all the various games and acclaimed games and IPs Nintendo works on, arguably none exhibits the game maker’s incredible development chops better thanThe Legend of Zeldaseries.
TheZeldagames have evolved parallel alongside Nintendo’s consoles and software development. Ever since the groundbreaking NES original, there has been aZeldagame for pretty much every Nintendo system. The same is true of the Switch, which launched with aZeldagame, butNintendo went above and beyond with the hybrid system, making almost every game in the series playable on the Switch,thanks to a combination of re-releases, remasters, and retro catalog compatibility via subscriptions.
This list ranks every singleZeldagame that is available and playable on the Switch. This includes not only the original games that launched for the Switch, as well as the remastered and remade releases it got, but also the games playable via the Nintendo Switch Online service, and anyZeldaspin-offs available on the system.
14Zelda 2: The Adventure Of Link
This Early Experimental Title Aged Rather Poorly
One of the oldest games in the series is also the one that is the hardest to play today.Zelda 2: The Adventure of Linkwas arather bold and experimentalfollow-up to the original,opting to iterate on the original by explicitly leaning into becoming an action RPG. While it was a satisfying follow-up to the original back in the day, the years have not been as kind to it, and it’s a little rough to go back to today.
13The Legend Of Zelda
Zelda Revolutionized The Industry
The originalZeldagame pioneered the action adventure genre for consoles, and also delivered an experience unlike any the industry had seen before.Zelda’s legacy lives on in not just the series it spawned, but also multiple modern titlesthat pay homage to it to this day. That said, in a modern context, it’s hard to go back to, so pretty much any of the otherZeldagames on the system would be preferable to this one.
12The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
Deeply Flawed, Even After A Slate Of Improvements
Skyward Sword’s 2011 launch marked the moment in time that theZeldafranchise’s adherence to the template that 1998’s seminalThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timehad popularized. While theSwitch re-release ofSkyward Sword HDaddressed a lot of criticisms and complaints the original Wii title got, particularly regardingSkyward Sword’s motion controls, it remainsa deeply flawed game that represents one of the rare low points for the franchise.
11Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity
The Breath Of The Wild Prequel That Wasn’t
The second collaboration between theZeldaseries and Koei Tecmo’sDynasty Warriorsgames limited itself to the world and characters ofThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This led to a more narratively engaging experience, but does lead tolimited enemy and stage variety, which stands out compared to the incredible cross-franchise representation the originalHyrule Warriorsgame exhibited.
10The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom
Princess Zelda’s First Starring Adventure Is A Delight
TheZeldaseries has been ongoing for more than 35 years now, but the eponymousPrincess Zelda herself had never actually been the main character of a mainline entry in the series untilEchoes of Wisdom. A delightful spin on the 2DZeldaformula in the vein of the new open world 3D games,Echoes of Wisdomis an incredibly fun, cozy, and engaging titlerecommended for series fans and newcomers alike.
9Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition
The One Hyrule Warriors Game To Rule Them All
TheDefinitive Editionin this game’s name isn’t just for show -Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Editionis the oneHyrule Warriorstitle to check out.Unifying an absurd amount of content from across the original Wii U release, its DLC, and its 3DS re-release, while polishing up the performance and visuals, this celebration of theZeldafranchise is not just for fans, but also an excellent action game recommended to everyone in general.
8The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Ages & Oracle Of Seasons
Underrated Pair Of 2D Zelda Games
Oracle of AgesandOracle of Seasonsare two completelydifferent but interconnected 2DZeldatitlesthat focus on one aspect of the series each –Agesfocusing on puzzle solving andSeasonson combat and action. While many 2DZeldagames are playable on the Switch, these are among the best, andit remains incredible how much they were able to achieve on the original Game Boy Color’s limited hardwaremore than 20 years ago.
7The Legend Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
The First Handheld Zelda Game Remains A Series-Best
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakeningwasthe firstZeldagame to put an effort into building up its world, characters, and story, which gave it a distinct flavor and vibe. Combine that with delightfully inventive iterations on the series' then-codifying gameplay, andLink’s Awakeningwas a total slam dunk. The 2019Switch remake ofLink’s Awakeningis arguably the definitive way to play it, but if you prefer the Game Boy version, that is also playable on the Switch via the Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
6The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap
A Big Adventure For A Small System
The Minish Capis arguably 2DZeldain peak form – incredible dungeons, great mechanics, a fantastic set of bosses and in-game items, a charming and whimsical story populated with memorable characters, and loads of secrets and side content.It’s all here, and it looks beautiful too, with an art style explicitly evokingThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, which worked incredibly well with the game’s central gimmick of shrinking down and observing things at scale up close.
