Summary
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The Legend of Zelda franchiseis one of the most seminal works in the gaming sphere. From introducing the basic concept of open-map exploration with the NES original; to revolutionising the 3D action genre with Ocarina of Time; and then casually reinventing what a videogame can be with Breath of the Wild, it deserves its place atop the pantheon of greats.
Link’s adventures take in 18 mainline entries across four decades – and that’swithoutconsidering all the remasters and assorted spinoffs. The question, for the inquisitively-minded, becomes: how long would it take to play them all? If one were to embark on the gargantuan task of toppling Ganon 18 times, how many hours could one expect to sacrifice? Wonder no longer, O number crunchers of Hyrule: we’ve got the answer.
Some quick ground rules: in the interest of cohesion, we willonly be considering mainline, single-player adventures for this breakdown. This meansno multiplayer titles, like Four Sword Adventures and Triforce Heroes;and no spinoffslike Link’s Crossbow Training or (gulp) Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland.
Each game’s canonicity isdetermined by its place in the Hyrule Historia, an official Nintendo document charting the timeline of the Zeldaverse. Whilethe Four Sword duology is technically canon, it’s sufficiently different from the main games (and has so much of a multiplayer slant) that we won’t be including it. Sorry, Vaati!
Updated June 15, 2025 by Bobby Mills:Nintendo send Zelda fans worldwide into a stupor when they casually announced Echoes Of Wisdom earlier this year. Not only was this a brand-spanking new top-down 2D Zelda (in a market where you could be forgiven for thinking that format had been left behind), but it actually stars the titular princess herself. For the first time. Not counting Wand Of Gamelon, obvs. It’s canon, so into our breakdown it goes!
The Legend Of Zelda
5-10 Hours
We’ll kick off withthe 1986 NES classic that started it all: The Legend of Zelda. Appropriately enough, this one is a bit of a wildcard. Your mileage in terms of playtimewill vary heavily depending on how tuned-in you are to the game’s cryptic hintsand, at times, dated design. Have fun figuring out what to feed the Moblin guard, for instance.
The original Zelda is pretty muchthe epitome of a ‘guide game.‘What was once intended to be an experience you chipped away at over a period of weeks or months, taking notes and swapping hints with friends on the playground, can feel frustratingly hands-off in the modern age.
Even if you’re using a walkthrough, you still must contend with its unrelenting difficulty –so expect to spend six or seven hours, and maybe a couple more if you’re going for all the Heart Containers.
Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link
10-15 Hours
The brutal sequel, The Adventure of Link, follows in much the same fashion as its predecessor when it comes to tedium. Keen to not rest on their laurels,Nintendo completely tossed out the top-down exploration of the original and shifted Zelda II to a sidescrolling platformer, with a few dashes of RPG-lite elements like EXP and MP.
We won’t mince words.Zelda II isunimaginablydifficult. Many of your hours spent here will be on retreading your steps alone, from all the deaths you can expect poor Link to suffer over the course of the campaign. Death Mountain is a nightmare, as are a good portion of the palaces. Obtuse puzzle solutions further bloat the runtime –so you’re likely to clock in around ten or 12 hours, and up to 15 if you are going for full completion.
Take our advice:use a guide, and the Switch Online version’s rewind feature. It simply isn’t worth it, blowing a blood vessel. These welcome assists can halve your time spent on Zelda II.
The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past
15-20 Hours
Perhaps realising the folly of uprooting what made the first game so beloved,Nintendo returned to the old-school top-down perspective for the SNES prequel A Link to the Past. A wise choice: this is regarded as one of the finest in the Zelda lineup, and an excellent starting point for newcomers unwilling to face the relentless cruelty of the NES entries.
A more relaxed, exploratory affair, Link to the Past is perfectly content to let you take your time and wander Hyrule at your own pace. Whether you’re hopping between both the regular and dark versions of the kingdom,tackling the exquisite dungeons in whatever order you fancy, or burning time chatting up the lively NPCs, every playthrough will beslightly different.
On average, however, you can expect this one to take you around 15 hours for basic completion, and up to 20 if you opt to hoover up all the Heart Pieces. One of these pieces is entirely RNG-based, from the digging game; so if you’re unlucky,this could bolt a couple extra hours onto your 100 percent run.
The Legend Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
The fourth entry in the series, and the first to launch exclusively for a handheld system, Link’s Awakening feels (perhaps inevitably) a bit more lightweight than its cousins. It’sa brief, breezy talethat sees Link wash up on the enigmatic Koholint Island, where most of his days are spent away getting to know the twee civilians rather than roughing up Octoroks. Itdoesmake that plot twist sting all the more.
It’s also not particularly hard. Even first-timers should face no difficultyrolling the credits in around ten hours, perhaps even less.Those who choose to rinse Koholint of all its secrets, including those pesky seashells, will be around a bit longer, but still no more than 15 hours. The Switch remake comes especially recommended!
The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
25-35 Hours
What is there left to say about Ocarina of Time that hasn’t already been said a thousand times over?It’s a masterwork, and a defining, formative text in the action-adventure genrethat countless games continue to imitate to this day. Sure, it’s beginning to show its age in its clunky controls and awkward lock-on system; but that puzzle design, soundtrack, and narrative pacing will never be matched.
Ocarina marks the first 3D Zelda outing, and also the point at which the series began to railroad its players a bit more explicitly down its intended path. Freeform exploration is lessened, you have a detailed map, and there’s a designated order to most of the dungeons.
Frustrations borne of the Water Temple notwithstanding,you’ll conquer Ocarina in around 20 to 30 hours, but will push 35 if you go on the (ill-advised) Golden Skulltula hunt.
The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
20-30 Hours
Majora’s Mask is aunique member of the Zelda familyfor a number of reasons. For one, it’sunreservedly dark and depressing, with the central goal of the game being toprevent a gigantic, angry moon from obliterating the people of Termina(most of whom have made gloomy peace with their fate.) Additionally, many mainstay characters, like Impa and even Zelda herself, are AWOL.
It’s also another casewhere each individual playthrough can differ drastically in terms of length. If you know what you’re doing,you can bumrush each of the four mandatory dungeons, rather than taking several in-game time-loops to figure out the unlock requirements (as the devs intended).
In this way, you could easily take down Skull Kid within ten hours – but more realistically, on a first playthrough, you’ll be here for 20+.If you choose to attend to all of Termina’s side troubles, you canslap an extra ten hours onto that, too.
The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Seasons/Oracle Of Ages
15-20 Hours Apiece
In the late 90s and early 2000s, there was one business model you wanted to replicate if you were on the handheld gaming scene: Pokémon. Blatantly mimicking that series’ dual release pattern (which presumably increased profits by 100 percent) wereOracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, a pair of GameBoy Color adventures that were launched simultaneously.
The two games are very, very similar, withthe differences being largely in difficulty, map layout, and the characters you’ll meet.Ages has a more puzzle-oriented focus than Seasons, as well. The actual engine, gameplay, and progression are pretty much identical – thoughyou do get a neat bonus final boss against Ganon if you connect the two games togethervia a password.
All told, if you only plump for one of the two,you’re looking at 15 to 20 hours;but if you choose to play them back-to-back,you’ll need to commitsomewhere in the region of 40 hours.
The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker
25-30 Hours
As the series continued its gradual descent into maudlin, dour themes (and with its audience rapidly growing up), it seemedthe Zelda franchise was primed to take a step into more mature waters than it had yet charted. Such a bold move seemed to be imminent whenan E3 tech demoshowed off a rugged, hyperrealistic Link doing battle with Ganondorf.
Enter Wind Waker.Its candy-coloured pastel hues and cel-shaded character models were not at all what had been promised, and many gamers felt gypped. Once the shock had worn off, though,Wind Waker’s virtues were allowed to shine through – and it’s now considered a classic. Toon Link is adorable, the ocean sailing is as whimsical as it gets, and the artstyle has aged phenomenally.
Alas,though the loading-screen-free open ocean was an impressive technical feat back on the GameCube, it does have a nasty habit of inflating the runtime. Hours will be blown (heh) onchanging the wind direction to sail to your next destination,and then actually navigating there. On a first playthrough,expect to be out on the waves for 20-25 hours, and up to 30if you want to visit every possible island for their Heart Pieces.
If you may, we recommend youexperience this classic via its ground-up Wii U remaster. Not only do the colours truly pop in crisp HD, but it featuresnumerous extra bells and whistles that enhance the QoL.
Chief among these isthe Swift Sail, an optional attachment for your boat that doubles your speed and ensures the wind is always at your back! This alone will shave at least five hours off your time.
The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap
10-20 Hours
Fans who had been hoping Toon Link would be a one-and-done deal were in for a nasty shock.The very next mainline title, Minish Cap on the GBA, proved he was here to stay, and did so with panache. It’s an endlessly inventive adventure that sees Link gain the ability to shrink to the size of a pin at will – andeven explains why every Link wears a green hatin the process!
Minish Cap’s runtime istough to quantify. If you stick strictly to the main story,you’ll be out the door in less than ten hours.Hyrule is not super-expansive, and there are only a handful of dungeons. However, woe betide all those who decide to go for 100 percent.The last Heart Piece is sealed behind a gacha figurine machinewhich you must grind an ingame currency to operate.
You requireall 136 figurinesbefore the shopkeeper hands it over, and it’s often cited as being the toughest Heart Piece to obtain in the entire franchise.Expect your playtime to soar over 20 hours should you take the plunge.
The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess
40-50 Hours
Unable to ignore the demands of the market any longer, Nintendo at last delivereda Zelda game practically dripping in grit, Twilight Princess. Its washed-out colours and drab, sepia-toned environments make its goals transparent.
Make no mistake, though: Twilight Princess’ darknessis only skin-deep, for the purposes of the trailers and cover art. Otherwise, this is a bog-standard family-friendly Zelda, complete with wacky side characters, a quirky core gimmick (this time turning into a wolf), and a simple tale of earnest heroism.It’s a true epic, too – Nintendo went out of their way to ensure fans would have a lot of content to gnaw at.
Merely reaching the credits will last you around 40 hours,as the game is chock-full of padding and backtracking.Going for all the collectibles, which include the usual Heart Pieces and now both a bug and fish collection,will take you upwards of 50.
