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The Legend of Zelda — All Versions in Chronological Order

The Legend of Zelda — All Versions in Chronological Order

The Legend of Zelda — All Versions in Chronological Order
The Legend of Zelda title screen
Zelda no Densetsu
The Legend of Zelda physical media
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda physical media
The Legend of Zelda 1
© CheatCC
Animal Crossing
© CheatCC
The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition
© CheatCC
Classic NES Series: The Legend of Zelda
© CheatCC
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda gameplay screenshot
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Vault
© CheatCC
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda gameplay screenshot
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda gameplay screenshot
NES Classic Edition
NES Classic Edition promotional art
Game and Watch: The Legend of Zelda
Legend of Zelda Game and Watch handheld
The Legend of Zelda — All Versions in Chronological Order
Zelda no Densetsu
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda 1
Animal Crossing
The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition
Classic NES Series: The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Vault
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda
NES Classic Edition
Game and Watch: The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda — All Versions in Chronological Order

Throughout the history of the medium, there are a small handful of video games that are each legitimate contenders for being the "best" game ever made. Super Mario Bros. 3, Half-Life, Super Metroid, Tetris, and, of course, The Legend of Zelda. Originally released in 1986 on the Famicom Disk System, The Legend of Zelda was one of several now-iconic and all-important games released that year responsible for a massive paradigm shift within the industry. Realizing that the home console market would need new kinds of software other than arcade ports to differentiate itself from competitors and justify its existence, Nintendo set to work on an adventure that could only be possible on its hardware. Critical acclaim and fan response to The Legend of Zelda were both universal and immediate, cementing the title as a must-have game, something that holds true across all 13 versions of The Legend of Zelda.

From its beginnings on the Japan-exclusive Famicom Disk System to its eventual port to the NES and beyond, The Legend of Zelda is a staple of Nintendo's catalog and a, well, legendary title. With only a few exceptions, the original Zelda has found its way onto just about every Nintendo platform, whether through an official port or re-release, as a Virtual Console title, or even as a hidden bonus within other first-party Nintendo games. That a game more than 35 years old continues to feel as relevant today as it did upon release is a testament to its brilliance, and players are in for one of gaming's best regardless of which version they play. In chronological order of their release, these are all versions of The Legend of Zelda.

Updated June 9, 2025:

Since originally publishing this piece, we've gone back and added sales data for each of the different versions of The Legend of Zelda where available. Note that all the original versions of The Legend of Zelda between the Famicom Disk System and NES releases share the same sales figures. Additionally, sales data for the Nintendo Virtual Console service remains unreleased and is only known internally by Nintendo.

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