The Legend of Zelda: Every Game And How Long They Take To Beat

The beauty of gaming is that there’s something for everyone. And there’s something for everyone in The Legend of Zelda series. Whether players are avid puzzle solvers, combat cravers, or just interested in stories, there's so much to do, even when finishing the main story.

For those interested in completing their first 100% playthrough, or those that just want to pick up a Zelda game to finish the main story without committing hours of their life, here’s how long each game will take, according to HowLongToBeat. The games will be ranked by their Main Story time.

Updated on March 31, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: The Legend of Zelda is one of the most beloved franchises in gaming history. The games have constantly innovated in the action-adventure genre, with Nintendo making sure that each mainline Zelda game boasts an amazing level of quality and polish. While the spinoffs may not receive the same treatment, there's something to be said about Link and Zelda's enduring presence across these games that make each and every game in The Legend of Zelda series a blast to play through, regardless of how long these adventures are.

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All Zelda Game Lengths, At A Glance

26 *Link: The Faces Of Evil

Main Story: 2 Hours | Completionist: 5.5 Hours

The CD-i Zelda games are pure art in their own way. Featuring horrible gameplay and cutscenes that have become infamous in their own right, it's easy to see why games like The Faces of Evil have attained the so-bad-it's-good reputation that a lot of poor games have come to enjoy.

Most people would play through this game just to experience the horrid cutscenes firsthand. However, the gameplay is so janky and frustrating that players may find themselves rage-quitting halfway through this torrid experience.

25 Link's Crossbow Training

Main Story: 2 Hours | Completionist: 6 Hours

Link's Crossbow Training was released in 2007 and came bundled with the Wii Zapper, a gun shell peripheral that, together with the Wii Remote and Nunchuck, formed the shape of a gun.

Link's Crossbow Training was the first game to be designed specifically for the Zapper. Although the game certainly isn't Ocarina of Time or Breath of the Wild, it's an enjoyable little game that serves its purpose of highlighting the Wii Zapper's strengths.

24 Zelda: The Wand Of Gamelon

Main Story: 2 Hours | Completionist: 6 Hours

For those planning on starting their Legend of Zelda adventure, this 1993 action-adventure game is the quickest to complete. Which, given its poor reviews, might be a blessing in disguise. Nintendo has even abandoned it and its ‘sequel’ Link: The Faces of Evil, refusing to recognize them as canon to The Legend of Zelda series. HowLongToBeat doesn’t even have data for The Faces of Evil, which speaks volumes.

Players can expect a side-scrolling adventure where they actually control Princess Zelda instead of Link. There are the usual mechanics, such as basic sword thrusts and shield usage, along with a player's life being represented by hearts. However, there are new items to use, like oil and ropes, which players will need if they wish to traverse certain areas of the map.

23 The Legend Of Zelda: Four Swords

Main Story: 3 Hours | Completionist: 13 Hours

One of the first co-op games ever made in The Legend of Zelda series, Four Swords is a fun experience that came bundled with a port of A Link to the Past on the Game Boy Advance. While this game was pretty fun in its own right, it was clear that this was Nintendo experimenting with a concept, with its flaws being minor yet evident.

An updated standalone version of this co-op adventure called The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition was released for the Nintendo DS, letting players experience the magic of this unique adventure game if they hadn't already. It serves as a bedrock for the other co-op Zelda games that are pretty engaging in their own right.

22 The Legend Of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

Main Story: 4 Hours | Completionist: 16 Hours

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures was the first multiplayer Zelda game. Between one and four players can galavant around Hyrule on a quest involving similar gameplay to many of the older LoZ games.

The perspective is top-down, which not only gives the game a classic feel but also allows up to four players to fit on a screen comfortably without things getting obscure and difficult to see.

21 Zelda's Adventure

Main Story: 6 Hours | Completionist: 7.5 Hours

There's a reason why most people don't want to talk about Zelda's Adventure, another infamous CD-i that can't even be called entertaining. The gameplay is frustrating, janky, and downright horrible to digest for even the most passionate Zelda fan around.

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The game is infamous for having such a lean budget that corners needed to be cut for its FMV sequences. The in-house staff played most of the roles, with the most notable mention being Zelda, who was played by the studio’s office receptionist.

20 Cadence Of Hyrule: Crypt Of The NecroDancer Featuring The Legend Of Zelda

Main Story: 6 Hours | Completionist: 11 Hours

Crypt of the NecroDancer was one of the freshest indie games that fans absolutely loved. A charming combination of a dungeon crawler and a rhythm game, the title was a smash hit and compelled Nintendo to sign on the developers to create a spinoff with The Legend of Zelda characters.

The end result is Cadence of Hyrule, a fun rhythm-action game featuring memorable tunes and characters from the Zelda series. It's a great title for fans to sink their teeth into if they want to have some fun with beloved characters in a title that is loaded with clever fan service.

19 The Legend Of Zelda

Main Story: 8.5 Hours | Completionist: 10.5 Hours

The first game in The Legend of Zelda franchise is the shortest official main series entrance. It may not be long, but this game was revolutionary. Released in 1986, it was the first home console game to include an internal battery for saving data and is widely considered one of the best games ever created.

As Link's first adventure, this game set the bar for all following titles. Players take control of the Hyrule warrior from a top-down perspective, giving them a view of an entire screen, allowing gamers to plan their attacks and clear out or avoid enemies. With plenty of weapons and items, there are untold ways to play this incredible game, as well as tons of secrets to find and foes to slay. Although the original is only available on consoles that are no longer sold, there have been many re-releases (in mostly digital-only formats) for this legendary title, so gamers from all generations can enjoy it.

18 Zelda 2: The Adventure Of Link

Main Story: 11 Hours | Completionist: 12 Hours

This action RPG is the second installment in The Legend of Zelda series. It was released in 1987, less than a year after the original game in Japan. The main story is 4 hours longer than its predecessor, so if players enjoyed the first Zelda game, this is a must-try.

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Many gamers gripe about the change of perspective, as this is a 2D side-scroller. However, this is a baseless complaint; at the time, nothing held the series to the top-down perspective of the first game. There were no rules for the franchise to follow, thereby making the different viewpoints a valid design choice. However, a genuine issue stemmed from the game's difficulty. There are plenty of pitfalls and overly tough foes that can bar one's path, and since the only way to progress is to the right, many have given up trying to finish this particular adventure in favor of less brutal LoZ games.

17 Hyrule Warriors

Main Story: 13 Hours | Completionist: 215 Hours

Completionists can't complain about not getting their money's worth with Hyrule Legends. The game features a whopping completionist time of 215 hours, according to HowLongToBeat.

Hyrule Legends was released in 2014, turning heads with its hack-and-slash combat that was based on the Dynasty Warriors series. The Legend of Zelda franchise doesn't release many spin-offs, especially for a series of its size, so many were eager to see what the game would be like. Hyrule Warriors isn't a classic, but it's an enjoyable hack-and-slash game that is easy to recommend to fans of both the genre and The Legend of Zelda series.