The 10 Best Zelda Games

Nintendo tore up the Zelda formula and handed players an open world to climb, glide and cook their way across. Gemini had it as its #1, and so did Claude. Freedom has never felt this good.

The 3D blueprint that taught a generation how to lock on, ride Epona and travel through time. ChatGPT crowned it its #1, and its dungeons and sense of wonder still hold up.

The 16-bit classic that locked in the series' DNA: a Light and Dark World, tight dungeons, the Master Sword. Every Zelda since is in conversation with it, and it never slipped out of the top three.

The sequel that gave Breath of the Wild's Hyrule a sky and an underworld, plus building tools that turned players into mad inventors. Bigger, weirder and endlessly creative, it landed right at the top table.

Three days, a falling moon and a town full of people whose lives you can rewrite. Dark, strange and deeply melancholy, it's the series' great experiment, and its devotees defend it fiercely.

Sailing a flooded Hyrule in a cel-shaded storybook world full of expressive characters and charm. Once divisive for its look, it has aged beautifully, and its art style still looks fresh.

A darker, grown-up Zelda with a wolf transformation, the shadowy Twili and some of the series' best dungeons. It's epic in scale and moody in tone, a big-budget GameCube-era send-off.

A dreamlike Game Boy adventure on Koholint Island, with quirky characters and a bittersweet twist. Small in scale but huge in heart, it later returned in a charming remake.

A sequel to A Link to the Past that lets you merge into walls and rent items in any order. It's a smart, breezy reinvention that makes the 2D formula feel new again.

The one that started it all: an open, secretive NES quest with no hand-holding and a golden cartridge. Claude kept it on its list every time, and its place in history is unmatched.