Where should someone new to the Legend of Zelda franchise start?

I've never really paid much attention to the LoZ games beforehand, but after seeing the absolutely incredible new trailer for Breath of the Wild, I realized that I really wanted to dive into it. I know very little about the franchise, so I was wondering, which order should I play the games in? Is there any continuity between games? Would I be okay playing BotW without playing any of the others first? Which game is your favorite? Pretty much tell me anything I need to know about the games, please!

The only thing is that the only console I own is a Wii (lame, I know) but I also have a Gamecube memory card. I do have a second Wii that I plan to sell so I can buy the Nintendo Switch (which looks AMAZING btw!) However, I am also willing to install emulators on my PC to play (any advice about emulators would be helpful as well).

Thanks very much in advance!

I could be wrong, but in my experience, Zelda games are like Mario games: You don't need to have played previous games to understand what is going on. The story is "timeless" and tends to repeat itself.

Most if not all Legend of Zelda games can be played on their own. There are 2 Zelda games on the Wii. Twilight Princess (also on gamecube) which I liked very much and Skyward Sword which I never finished but is divided among the fanbase. Give them both a try. If you can have an original Wii and can play gamecube games, Wind Waker is on gamecube.

What I really suggest is getting a 3DS if you want to play a large chunk of Zelda games. Along with the 3 handheld game for DS and 3DS, they also have Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask remasters which are considered gems. You can skip Tri Force Heroes and Hyrule Warriors though.

This would be a great question to ask on the Nintendo Fan club Forum if you don't get many replies.

If you've got a Wii, you might be able to pick up a secondhand copy of the Zelda collection on the Gamecube.

It was a promotional disc that included Gamecube ports of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. They're old, but they're absolutely worth playing.

As for the more modern games on the Wii...Windwaker is fantastic, but some people hated the sailing. Twilight Princess is also fantastic, but the intro is sloooow. And Skyward Sword is fantastic, but it has a few annoying filler bits.

You can't go wrong with any of them - but it's worth noting that they all have their unique srengths and weaknesses.

If you look at any professional list of greatest games of all time, you will almost always see Ocarina of Time listed in the top 5 greatest games of all time. It's a game that everybody should play in their lifetime and I think it makes for a great introduction to the Zelda franchise.

There are three ways that you can get it on the Wii. Given that your Wii is backwards compatible with Gamecube, you can pick up either the Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition Promotional Disc that includes Ocarina of Time as well as three other Zelda games, or the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time/Master Quest Bonus Disc that includes Ocarina of Time and a slightly different and harder version of Ocarina of Time called Master Quest, or you can buy Ocarina of Time from the virtual console which would probably be the cheapest option.

All of them are independent more or less, but it's a hell of a complicated question. Ocarina of time and Majora's Mask are the best classics, and considered in the top of gaming history.

If you care about today's standards those might feel a bit old and slow pacing, the one I loved the most and played till the end more than twice is Windwaker (5 times already, and not yet the HD version xD), and it's also considered one of the best for a lot of people.

P.D. The original first NES LoZ game is free and fully playable in your browser, and easy to find.

Pretty much reiterating what everyone else is saying. My vote is either ocarina of time or majoras mask. Wind waker is great as well and is on the wii u as a remaster. Pretty much if you google LoZ timeline it will give you an answer, however, because you are so new it's simply going to confuse you. Like I said, Start with ocarina of time and majoras mask, they connect together well and the fan theories surrounding Majoras mask are absolutely insane. They are older games and may be too dated for you, me personally playing ocarina of time is a nostalgia trip like no other. The 3DS has both ocarina of time and majoras mask remasters which are fun. As for breath of the wild motivating you to get into Loz lore, it will help but from my understanding, Breath of the wild is going to be a lot different and isn't going to follow the old formula of LoZ games that we're used to. But definitely check out the older games.

Honestly, I'd start with the new one. I love Zelda, but there isn't a huge amount of variety between the console games. Each one is great on its own, but you do get a bit of overlap in creatures and places. Starting with the new one will keep EVERYTHING fresh and brand new for you. Then go back and hit previous Zeldas.

A Link to the Past. Or Ocarina of Time 3D. Both are really good for starting the series.

Start with the first one, and work your way up.

There is no continuity. Play Link yo the Past, Ocarina of Time, Majora is good, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess.

I recommend starting with A Link to the Past. And continuing from there.

Play Twilight Princes first. It has a slow start, but by this point in the series the gameplay had gotten very polished, and it does a better job of explaining mechanics than previous entries. That, and it's just a very quintessential Zelda game.

Sorry we all keep giving different answers, but in trying to look at it from the perspective of someone who has never played one of these games before, I really think Twilight Princess is the way to go.

I'd have to disagree with this recommendation due to what you said in your second sentence. Twilight Princess does indeed have a slow start and if this is someone's first Zelda game, you don't want their first impression to be "this is boring" which is what even many hardcore Zelda fans felt about the beginning of Twilight Princess. If someone is brand new to the franchise, the slow start in Twilight Princess could turn them away from the franchise before they get to the good stuff.

It depends. Do you want to stick your toe in, or dive in deep?

For sticking your toe in, you really can't go wrong with Ocarina of Time. Great story, timeless game, and you really get a lot of the central lore without any prior education needed.

For diving in deep... Go with the original Zelda and binge.

You may be right. I just think part of the reason it starts slow is it introduces gameplay concepts more gradually than previous games, and gives more in depth tutorials on them. Hardcore fans were bored relearning stuff they already knew, but I thought a newcomer might appreciate it.

If you had a 3DS, I'd say A Link Between Worlds. Since you've got a Wii, got with Twilight Princess. People will (as they've had right here) tell you to go with Ocarina of Time, but you should probably wait until having the hardware and the money to play the 3DS version; a lot of things were fixed and the framerate alone makes all the difference.

Also, while Ocarina of Time has been the blueprint for all 3D Zeldas, Twilight Princess is way more polished. You won't regret starting there; just try to be patient during the first couple of hours.

You should probably start with Ocarina of Time, since it's considered the best one. Since you have a Wii, you can buy it on Virtual Console.

It doesn't really matter, they are stand-alone games with minor connections among them. I would say certainly play:

-The original on NES

-A Link to the Past on SNES

-Link's Awakening on Gameboy

-Wind waker on GameCube

- Majora's Mask on N64

-Twilight Princess on Wii/GC

Several of these are available one way or another on 3DS

i would avoid ocarina as your first zelda game. it was absolutely revolutionary at the time and you should play it at some stage. its a big part of gaming history. but dont start with it. it's quite dated now. same with majoras mask.

since you have a wii (dont diss the wii, awesome console) twilight princess is a fine place to start. it got a bit of flack at its release because the hype for it was completely immense and it didnt single handedly redefine the gaming insudstry. and the wolf sections are meh (but short). and its slow to get going. but its a dam fine game.

windwaker is also excellent. very different style to twilight princess but a very good game. the only reason i dont recommend it over TP is because its not available natively on the wii. you will need the gamecube version and gamecube controller/memory card to playt it on your wii. i think you can get zelda: a link to the past on the wii store too. despite its age that one holds up very well (a link between worlds on the 3DS is also top notch).

really the only ones i would outright avoid are

zelda 2: pants

phantom hourglass: you need to keep going back to a central dungeon which is such a pain.

spirit tracks: using the trail and getting around was awful. people complain about windwaker....well at least it wasnt frickin trains with one hit kill nonsense.

the multiplayer zelda games.

you dont need to play them in any order. also dont expect them to be like breath of the wild. zelda games have an overall structure but within that structure an awful lot changes from game to game.

@nightsongx: Go for legend of zelda the faces of evil. Its widely regarded as the best game in the series.

The first is still my favorite and probably always will be. A link to the Past is the only other one I really like. 3D Zelda has never done it for me.

You are a horrible person :)

You can play the Zelda games in any order it does not matter. I am not a huge Zelda fan but have played and enjoyed many of them so I am not a biased fanboy telling slanted advice. Most of the games have hooks so the question is what do you think you would like. Some of the games totally turn me off and I have no interest in trying them. For example: Majora's Mask has a time restriction built into the entire mechanic of the game. That sounds totally stressful to me and I do not want to play like that. The visual style of Windwaker totally turns me off though I find it acceptable for the handheld titles. However, many regard Windwaker as an AMAZING game. I started but did not like Skyward Sword on Wii and quickly stopped playing. If you don't want motion controls stay away from this one. The 2 games on DS, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, are totally controlled with the stylus, you do not press buttons ever. I was unaware of this when I picked up Spirit Tracks and was immediately concerned it would be a terrible experience but it totally worked and was a fun game.

My favorite game is Ocarina of Time but I think the best starting point into the franchise would be A Link Between Worlds. It is easy to understand and gives you a great deal of freedom to do what you want.

I would suggest getting a 3DS (the 2DS is really cheap option). With a 3DS/2DS you can play A Link Between Worlds, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Spirit Tracks, and Phantom Hourglass. 5 Zelda games with the purchase of only one (cheap) console

It's important to state that the order does not matter here. Even though the Zelda universe has a timeline you will not see many references to other games besides the recurring characters.

At least play the following:

• Legend of Zelda (Original NES)
• A Link to the Past
• Ocarina of Time

If you can get through those three and want more:

• A Link Between Worlds
• Wind Waker
• Minish Cap
• Twilight Princess
• Majora's Mask
• Oracle of Ages/Seasons

Wow thank you so much for all of your help everyone! I've been doing some research and asking around elsewhere, and I decided to start with Ocarina of Time. I've already started playing it and I'm really enjoying it so far! It's very fun and I especially love the combat gameplay. Once I finish it I think I'll do Majora's Mask and then from then on I'll play whatever game I can get my hands on next! Probably Twilight Princess or Skyward Sword since they're for the Wii. But thanks again everyone! I'm glad I finally got into Zelda, because I was really missing out!

@nightsongx: I played the Legend of Zelda series for the first time ever back in 2015 going into 2016. I would recommend the SNES Legend of Zelda first. You might be able to get it on Wii or Wii U (for sure on Wii U) or emulation. The game does a brilliant job of giving you free roam to explore and check out dungeons at your own pace while having a tangible reason for getting items from each dungeon outside of environmental traversal.

It is also the ground work for the upcoming Breath of the Wild. So going from that to the new title would give you a deeper appreciation of how the game has evolved/maintained it's core roots.

Start with one of these: Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Minish Cap, Skyward Sword.

Rest are tied to one of these games one way or the other.

Also, don't start with Four Swords Adventures like I did. Not that it's possible to find a copy these days anyway.