The Legend of Zeldaseries is known for having a split, diverging timeline that used to feature all the games in the series. This meant that, despite all the differences between the games, namely artstyle and system used for them, every single game shared a universe, and the split happened depending on the Hero of Time during the events ofOcarina of Time.It was confusing enough as is, and the new version of theZeldatimeline doesn’t help things either with its changes and strange additions ofTOTKandBOTW.
Initially,theZeldatimeline diverged afterOcarina of Timeinto three separate sections: Fallen Hero, Child, and Adult era. The Fallen Hero timeline happens if Link fails in his quest at any point inOOT, thus leading to Ganondorf taking over the world. The Child timeline occurs when Link is sent back to his childhood and warns the world about Ganondorf, avoiding his rise to power. The Adult timeline happens when Link vanishes after returning to his childhood, leading to the gods flooding Ganon and Hyrule under a great ocean.However, the inclusion ofTOTKandBOTWcomplicates matters.
The New Zelda Timeline Is More Nuanced Than Reported
A Separate Section Does Not Mean A Different Universe
In thenewest version of theZeldatimeline, the three diverging paths still exist. In fact, the timeline still diverges because ofOcarina of Time,and the games beforeSkyward Swordstill all have the same places. The confusion comes whenBreath of the Wildand its sequel,Tears of the Kingdom, were added recentlysince neither of these games have a place in this timeline. Neither sit in any of the three diverging sections nor is there a place for them before the events ofOcarina of Time.
Complete Legend of Zelda Franchise Timeline Explained
New incarnations of Link and Ganon make Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda games seem unrelated to one another, but the series has a complex timeline.
These two Nintendo Switch titles sit in an entirely separate section, disconnected from every other game. This is a little confusing, considering how contrived the rest of the timeline seems to fit all theZeldagames in and thatBOTWandTOTKare one of the few duologies in the series. In theory, they should fit right in somewhere together, but instead, theysit on their own as if they are in their own universe separate to the entire franchise, but this is not actually the case.
Majora’s Maskis technically a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, with the game featuring the Hero of Time once again, although it only takes place in the Child era.
While it is true that theBOTWandTOTKare separate and their placement in the timeline is difficult to find,it doesn’t mean that these two titles exist separate from the rest of theZeldauniverse. In fact, the deliberate vagueness around their placement is due to Hidemaro Fujibayashi (Zelda’s director) wanting players to have the freedom to create their own lore and story for these two games. This means thatBOTWandTOTKdo exist inZeldacanon. Players just don’t know exactly where.
Where Could BOTWand TOTKSit In The Zelda Timeline?
It Is At Least After Ocarina Of Time
Fujibayashi revealed in aninterview withGame Rantback in 2017 thatBOTW “takes place in an age long, long after any of the titles released to date.“This does make sense,since Princess Zelda talks about previous incarnations of Link in a memory, including the Hero of Time, Twilight, and the Sky. The game is meant to be so far in the future that every other game that came beforeBOTWis put in the Era of Myth and is so far behind that no one is entirely clear about the events.
Elements of prior games can be seen inBOTW’s open world, such as the ruins ofOcarina of Time’s Castle Town on the Great Plateau.
SinceBOTWandTOTKlikely take place long after the rest of the titles, the question then becomes which of the three timelines the game is a part of. There was atimeline theory whenBOTWcame outthat the game actually unified the three eras somehow, but it is tough to justify. With the mention of the Hero of Twilight during one of the unlocked memories,BOTWandTOTKcould feasibly take place in the Child era, meaning thatFour Swords Adventurescould be the most recent title to take place beforeBOTW.
Legend Of Zelda Timeline: How To Play All Games In Order
The Legend of Zelda has several timeline splits and it can be tricky to track down all of the necessary systems to play them in chronological order.
This does get a bit confusing with the introduction ofTOTKand time travel. This isn’t the trivial time travel seen inOcarina of Time,since Princess Zelda is sent to the era of Hyrule’s founding by the Zonai. In theory, this takes place afterSkyward Swordbut beforeTheMinish Cap,since this is when Hyrule’s Founding is meant to take place in the timeline, but this is before the diverging of the timeline, and it isn’t clear how soon afterSkyward Swordthis takes place.
It Is Up To The Player To Decide Where BOTW & TOTK Are On The Timeline
There Is Evidence For Several Theories
IfBOTWdid unify the timeline and the events of other eras are canon,then the Hyrule seen inTOTKcould be the new Hyruleseen in the Adult era. This Hyrule has trains, as seen inSpirit Tracks,and could have led to the Ancient Technology seen with the Guardians inBOTW.Again, this would require the timelines to be unified, since the Hero of Twilight is directly mentioned inBOTW,but if players decide that they want this to be the case, then it is.
Link inSpirit Trackshas the funny title of Hero of Trains.
Confusingly, it isn’t known if theGanondorf inTOTKis the same oneseen in multipleZeldagames. Even though he appears in a multitude of eras, artstyles, and platforms, and dies several times,the Ganondorf seen throughout otherZeldatitles is the same person. The shriveled prune of a man seen inTOTKcould be the one killed inTwilight Princesswho is revived, or could just be another reincarnation of Ganondorf that got sealed away. Ganon does reincarnate constantly, and there is a chance that he comes back as Ganondorf again beforeBOTW,where he gets sealed away.
Ultimately, the deliberate vagueness of whereBOTWandTOTKfit inThe Legend of Zeldatimeline makes it impossible to definitely find the right era for them, even though it is known that they occur long after any other game. The time traveling inTOTKand the questions around Ganondorf don’t help matters either, but that is where some of the fun comes from. Those who are more casualZeldafans won’t care anyway, and those who are in the know about the lore can spend time debating the placement of these two titles.
