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The 18 Best Zelda Games for the Nintendo Switch, Ranked

 & Jordan Minor Principal Writer, Software

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The Nintendo Switch may not have been a runaway success if it hadn't launched with the unassailable masterpiece that is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The game radically reworked Nintendo’s beloved, action-RPG series into a spectacular new form that honors the franchise's original spirit. Its sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, provides an even grander open-world Hyrule to explore on land and in the sky.

However, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are far from the only Zelda games you can play on the Switch. Zelda is one of Nintendo’s oldest, most acclaimed, and most influential franchises. So, naturally, many games inspired by Zelda have found their way to the handheld/console hybrid. With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom finally arriving (and, hopefully, Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD coming in the near future), you might be inspired to play more Zelda and Zelda-adjacent games on your Switch.

Now, no Zelda game is truly "bad," so no shade to Oceanhorn coming in last place. Instead, think of this list as going in order from "pretty good" to "greatest game of all time."


18. Oceanhorn

Oceanhorn (Switch)

Oceanhorn was the closest that mobile gamers got to a Zelda experience, specifically Wind Waker’s nautical adventures. Still, Oceanhorn holds up, even on a system with actual Zelda games on it. The sequel ages things up for a very Breath of the Wild-style adventure, albeit a more linear one.

17. Yono and the Celestial Elephants

Yono and the Celestial Elephants (Switch)

Yono is a kinder, gentler Zelda game where you play as a baby elephant on a big adventure. If you want Zelda-like action with adorable creatures, this is the game to get.

16. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (for Nintendo Switch)

3.5 Good

The first Hyrule Warriors celebrated the Zelda franchise as a whole, but Age of Calamity focuses on Breath of the Wild's world and characters. From the cel-shaded art style to the focus on gathering, weapons, and recipes, this game brings you right back to the first time you set foot in this new Hyrule. Granted, battling monster hordes isn’t quite as cerebral as BotW's open-ended exploration, but the spirit is there.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (for Nintendo Switch) review

15. Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition

The Dynasty Warriors games are ho-hum affairs, as they feature repetitive, hack-and-slash action vs. idiotic enemy hordes. Slapping a Zelda face on it makes the experience better, though, in Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, a Nintendo Switch-enhanced port of the original Wii U game.

14. Darksiders: Genesis

Darksiders: Genesis

Darksiders is The Legend of Zelda…but in Hell! This hack-and-slash adventure sees you play as War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, in a political struggle between the angel, demon, and human worlds.

13. Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy (Switch)

Re-releasing this Gamecube-era, Zelda rip-off on Switch always struck us as kind of odd. But between the nifty Egyptian setting and clever environmental puzzles, we’re glad this wasn’t lost to the sands of time.

12. Hob

Hob (Switch)

After conquering Diablo with Torchlight, developer Runic Games took on Zelda with Hob, an effectively wordless, action-adventure title that lets you do a whole lot with your big, robot hand.

11. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (for Nintendo Switch)

3.5 Good

Skyward Sword originally disappointed some fans with its motion controls and linear design, but it's still a well-crafted Zelda adventure with some excellent dungeon designs. The Switch version gives the game a gorgeous HD facelift at 60 frames per second, speeds up the pacing, and provides alternate control options.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (for Nintendo Switch) review

10. Immortals Fenyx Rising

Immortals Fenyx Rising (PC)

4.0 Excellent

Breath of the Wild takes more than a few ideas from Ubisoft-style open-world games, so the company returns the favor by mashing up Breath of the Wild with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey to create Immortals Fenyx Rising. Challenging puzzles, flexible RPG combat, and an ancient Greek world make this adventure soar. Switch owners can bring their save over to PC, if they want to trade portability for better graphics.

Immortals Fenyx Rising (PC) review

9. Blossom Tales

Blossom Tales (Switch)

Blossom Tales is a love letter to A Link to the Past, arguably the pinnacle of the 2D Zelda series. It’s almost like A Link Between Worlds in its reverence to the source material.

8. Minit

Minit (Switch)

If you’re exhausted by a traditional Zelda game's epic scope, try Minit, a quirky Zelda-like game that forces you to play in one-minute chunks before dying and restarting.

7. Tunic

Tunic (for Nintendo Switch)

If the fox's sword, shield, and green outfit weren't a big enough clue, Tunic is an indie adventure heavily inspired by old-school Zelda games. That also includes an old-school level of difficulty, but you can reduce it if all you want are the adorable vibes.

6. Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer

Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer (for Nintendo Switch)

4.0 Excellent

Letting an indie team take a crack at Zelda resulted in one of the franchise’s best spin-offs, and polished Crypt of the NecroDancer's rough, rhythm-roguelike formula. Take notes, Binding of Isaac.

Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer (for Nintendo Switch) review

5. Okami

Okami (Switch)

Okami tasks you with restoring ancient-fairy-tale Japan via a godly paintbrush. It was already one of the best Zelda games not called Zelda, so the divine wolf feels right at home on Switch.  

4. Nintendo Switch Online

Nintendo Switch Online

4.0 Excellent

Nintendo's online subscription services comes with an expanding library of retro games to enjoy, including all the classic Zelda games you could ask for. Play the NES original, A Link to the Past on SNES, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask on N64, and even The Minish Cap on Game Boy Advance.

Nintendo Switch Online review

3. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Forget A Link to the Past. The original Game Boy's gem, Link’s Awakening, is the best 2D Zelda. On Switch, it gets a faithful remake that features improved controls, customizable dungeons, and an absolutely gorgeous, handmade art style. 2D and 3D Zelda games can coexist in peace.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (for Nintendo Switch)

4.5 Outstanding

This Switch launch title is still the best game on the system, and one of the best video games of all time. If you haven’t played this masterful, open-world adventure then what are you even doing?

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (for Nintendo Switch) review

1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch (OLED Model), Nintendo Switch Lite

5.0 Exemplary

One of the most exciting aspects of Breath of the Wild was that, for as amazing as it was, you could see all the ways Nintendo could make it even better. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is just that. It layers on so many abilities, quests, and entirely new maps that we can't imagine a grander adventure—or another Zelda game better than this one.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch (OLED Model), Nintendo Switch Lite review

About Our Expert

Jordan Minor

Jordan Minor

Principal Writer, Software

My PCMag career began in 2013 as an intern. Now, I'm a senior writer, using the skills I acquired at Northwestern University to write about dating apps, meal kits, programming software, website builders, video streaming services, and video games. I was previously a senior editor at Geek.com and have written for The A.V. Club, Kotaku, and Paste Magazine. I'm the author of the gaming history book Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977, and the reason everything you know about Street Sharks is a lie.

The Technology I Use

I use the newest Android and iOS smartphones for testing, but I currently use an iPhone 14 as my personal phone. I just hate that we gave up headphone jacks.

I've always favored gaming laptops over desktops. On that note, I have a 16-inch HP Envy with an Intel Core i9-13900H CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. No matter what machine I’m working on, an alarming amount of my personal and professional life revolves around cloud-synced Google Drive files.

For food subscriptions, my household sticks with CookUnity and HelloFresh for meals. Video streaming is a bit more complicated. While there are too many services to list, we're subscribed to most of the major ones. These days, I find myself drawn to HBO Max's movies and shows, as well as Peacock's reality trash.

I've been a lifelong Nintendo fan, and I sincerely believe the Nintendo Switch will go down as one of the best gaming consoles of all time. It has an unbelievable library of new and old games from Nintendo and third-party companies. The handheld/console hybrid approach makes playing games so much more flexible, a legacy that continues with the Nintendo Switch 2 and Valve’s Steam Deck.

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