Starting a new game can be a process. First, players must determine whether the game suits them and whether they have time to commit to their next adventure. Some games are made to be played in short bursts, while others require a larger commitment. This is especially true in a series like The Legend of Zelda, which can easily engross players through its timeless adventures.

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This is where a website like HowLongToBeat comes into play. HowLongToBeat allows players to vote on a game's length with sub-categories such as "Completionist" and playstyles like "Rushed." This is a fantastic resource for players interested in learning how long a game's story is based on their playing style. The main story portions of the various Zelda games vary quite a bit, but some of the best games in the series also rank among the longest.

Updated on May 20, 2023, by Michael Colwander: A new Zelda game has officially been released! How long is Tears of the Kingdom compared to other Zelda games?

12 The Minish Cap (15.5 Hours)

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is one of the best handheld Zelda games, which makes it all the more surprising that it had a developer outside of Nintendo. The Minish Cap was co-developed by Capcom for its 2004 Game Boy Advance release.

The Minish Cap is one of the earliest Zelda games in the official Zelda timeline and is centered around Link getting his first cap, the wise-cracking Ezlo. The Minish Cap also features the ability to shrink in size to interact with a tiny race known as the Minish or Picori. The Minish Cap's 15.5 hours of gameplay closely aligns with many 2D top-down Zelda games, making it easy to play on the go whether playing on the GBA or on Nintendo Switch Online.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds was the perfect homage to the classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. A Link Between Worlds features the very same Hyrule in structure as A Link to the Past, but with new twists like the ability to enter specific walls to obtain items or bypass obstacles.

The biggest difference in A Link Between Worlds is the player's ability to choose the order they complete the game's dungeons. Despite its average playtime of 16 hours, A Link Between Worlds features an immense level of freedom that keeps it fresh and engaging, so it never feels too short.

10 Oracle Of Ages (17 Hours)

A Link Between Worlds and The Minish Cap were far from the first handheld Zelda game. The earliest handheld Zelda games included The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons. Both Oracle games worked well as singular Zelda games and in conjunction with one another, as the player could unlock the true ending by playing and linking both games.

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Oracle of Ages is the longer of the two Oracle games, clocking in at 17 hours, ahead of Oracle of Seasons' 15.5 hours. The discrepancy can be attributed to Oracle of Ages' puzzle-focused style as opposed to Oracle of Seasons' action-focused style.

9 Phantom Hourglass (17 Hours)

During the Nintendo DS era, the Zelda series experimented with pure touch-based controls for its main Zelda games. The first of these two games was The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, which serves as a direct sequel to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

Much of Phantom Hourglass' time is spent in a hub dungeon known as the Temple of the Ocean King. After completing each main dungeon, the player must return to the beginning of this Temple of the Ocean King and slowly progress through with the new item. It's almost like a roguelike game, except Link has a time limit to reach the level of the Temple of the Ocean King. This was the subject of much of Phantom Hourglass' criticism, as many players found the Temple of the Ocean King too repetitive to enjoy.

8 Spirit Tracks (20 Hours)

Two years after Phantom Hourglass, Nintendo released a follow-up with The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. Spirit Tracks carries over Phantom Hourglass' art style and gameplay, but focuses more on land travel through a series of train tracks called "Spirit Tracks."

Much like Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks has a hub dungeon, the Tower of Spirits. By reaching new levels in the Tower of Spirits, Link unlocks new tracks, which allow him to unlock parts of the world map. The big difference compared to the Temple of the Ocean King is that the player can now skip already completed floors.

7 Majora's Mask (20.5 Hours)

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is one of the most bizarre games in the Zelda series. Link must constantly relive a three-day stretch to stop the destruction of Clock Town at the hands of a menacing moon and a childish villain called Skull Kid.

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Majora's Mask is a game of planning and experimentation. Link is unable to do everything necessary in a single three-day cycle, so the player has to plan out goals for each cycle: choosing side quests, pursuing the four main dungeons, or exploring. As a result, players can spend a lot of time trying to figure out the most efficient path forward.

6 Ocarina Of Time (26.5 Hours)

Clocking in at a few hours longer than Majora's Mask is 2022 World Video Game Hall of Fame inductee The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Ocarina of Time is frequently mentioned as one of the best video games of all time, and it's easy to see why.

Ocarina of Time provided a smooth transition into 3D for the Zelda series, as it carried over much of what made the Zelda series so special prior. The player has a vast world to explore in both the past and present. With 12 dungeons to tackle, it's easy to see why Ocarina of Time is among the longest Zelda games.

5 The Wind Waker (29 Hours)

After Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, players had high expectations for the Nintendo GameCube's first Zelda game. Instead of pushing the visual envelope toward realism, Nintendo introduced a new cartoony art style with Wind Waker.

Most players who have played Wind Waker already know what made it so long. The infamous Tri-Force quest involves the player traversing the world and acquiring the many pieces of the Tri-Force. With Wind Waker's infamously slow sailing, the time spent on the Tri-Force quest adds up. The HD remaster of Wind Waker helped alleviate some of those issues, which resulted in that version clocking in at 25.5 hours.

4 Twilight Princess (37.5 Hours)

Zelda fans who wanted a darker, more mature art style did not have to wait long. Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess during the transition between the GameCube and Nintendo Wii to enormous success.

Twilight Princess is a meaty game, taking what players loved about Ocarina of Time and expanding it into a bigger world with more complex dungeons and more secrets to find. Unfortunately, Twilight Princess has an infamously long tutorial that takes hours to finish. Getting past this tutorial section is still worth it for the adventure ahead.

3 Skyward Sword (38 Hours)

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is one of the most divisive games in the entire Zelda series. Whether it's the motion controls or the linear structure, not every Zelda fan loved Skyward Sword.

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One point of contention fans had with Skyward Sword was its backtracking. Players were required to revisit past dungeons, which were updated to reflect the player's progress. Add in the frustrating Spirit Realm sections where the player was required to grab 15 Spirit Tears without being captured by patrolling enemies, and it feels like there's a lot of filler could've been trimmed to make the game more comfortable and less exhausting.

2 Breath Of The Wild (50 Hours)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was a game-changer for the Zelda series, literally and figuratively. Breath of the Wild overhauled the Zelda formula by creating a purely open-world experience with an updated combat and dungeon system.

In Breath of the Wild, the player arrives will minimal knowledge or direction and must explore and expand Link's arsenal to overcome Calamity Ganon. How long is Breath of the Wild? However long the player needs it to be. Breath of the Wild is designed so players can fight Calamity Ganon as soon as possible if they choose, which is popular with speed-runners. However, most players love taking their time, drinking in the vast world of Breath of the Wild. There are plenty of things to do in Breath of the Wild, even after beating the game.

1 Tears Of The Kingdom (50.5 Hours)

After the success of Breath of the Wild, Nintendo took on the monumental task of one-upping it. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom reviews from critics, and players agree that Tears of the Kingdom achieved just that. Much of Tears of the Kingdom is familiar to those who played Breath of the Wild. The open-world format and gameplay mostly remain the same. Link has new abilities, including the ability to craft, which players will surely waste plenty of hours with.

The entire map of Breath of the Wild returns, but thanks to new places to explore, such as the Sky Islands, Tears of the Kingdom's overall map is at least double what Breath of the Wild has to offer. Given the scope of Tears of the Kingdom, it's easy to see why it's the longest Zelda game.

NEXT: The 15 Hardest Dungeons In The Zelda Franchise, Ranked