If you're a fan of Zelda, watch this video.

I've always been confused about the order of the Zelda games, but I think this timeline seems correct. Plus, it's pretty fun to watch. :D

Comments?

One word: Wrong.

Look at the life of Ganon in those games. In some he dies at the end, but is alive at the beginning of the others with no reason behind it at all.
And the release of Twilight Princess completely disproved it anyway.

However I actually made a timeline of the games myself, and so far have seen no mistakes in it. (It actually took me forever to come up with it, and I had to get some help from a gamefaqs walkthrough, a wikipedia article, a couple of YT vids [including this one] and a bunch of random websites, and google. Though if you asked me to find anything I used, it would take a while. >_<)

(Link to my timeline =P)

Actually, you're right, I studied a bit and that timeline I posted IS wrong (thanks to TP... D:). But I'm still gonna do a lil' switching around. ;D

Key:

-----
underlined =games
<name> = Link featured in that game
normal text = notable event
~Text~ approximate year(s) the event took place
H.R. = Hylian Reckoning (I believe this abbreviation was used by Zelda Legends; it's not mine)
-----


The Zelda Timeline (my theory, of course, its probably 100% wrong anyway)

~unknown year~ Three godesses Nayru, Farore, and Din create Hyrule. The Triforce is created.
~0 H.R.~ The earliest point in history still reckoned by Hylians. People settle in different places in Hyrule and civilization is established.
~17 H.R.~ Multiple towns and cities, including Hyrule Castle Town, are built. King Gustaf is born around this time.
~30 H.R.-40 H.R.~ War and havoc ensues in Hyrule.
~40 H.R.~ Gustaf, a young man at the time, is presented with a sword from the Minish and brings peace to Hyrule. Celebrated for his deeds, Gustaf is made the first king of Hyrule and his family becomes the Royal Family of Hyrule, starting an ongoing dynasty.
~78 H.R.~ King Gustaf is unexpectedly murdered by his butler. (I think that's what was said in MC... I need some backup for this one)
~490 H.R.~ King Daltus in born into the Royal Family years after the events of King Gustaf.
~528-535 H.R.~ King Daltus becomes king of Hyrule. Just before this, a young boy by the name of Link is born. A bit later, Daltus has a daughter whom he names Zelda. As the two grow older, they befriend eachother. A little later, King Daltus also has a son.
~540 H.R.~Minish Cap <first Link>
~543 H.R.~ Four Swords <MC Link>
~around 550-560 H.R.~ The prince of Hyrule is told of a magical force by a wizard that he wishes to have for himself. Being informed that it is kept by his own sister, the wizard sends her into a long slumber. When the wizard dies in the process, the prince feels horrible for what he has done and sets the first Princess Zelda to a resting place. Feeling heavy with guilt, the prince announces that every princess from then on will be named Zelda in his sister's honor. The first Link dies of forgotten causes.
~about 1000 H.R.~ Other races in Hyrule begin to blossom and flourish, forming their own towns and homes. The Gorons move up to live on Death Mountain Trail and form Goron City. The Zoras also form their own territory, claiming a spot up the river they call Zora's Domain, and naming the river in their honor. The Minish slowly fade into legend, and they go into hiding. The only evidence they leave behind to show that they exist are the rupees and items they hide under grass and stones. Once the Minish have been forgotten, the Picori Woods' name is slowly changed to Kokiri Woods, since people no longer knew what 'Picori' referred to. Instead, the Kokiri children inhabit the forest. The Deku Tree blessed the children with the power to stay youthful forever, and gave them each a fairy companion. The Gerudo Tribe also formed in the desert.
~1510 H.R.~ Ganondorf is born in the Gerudo Tribe and the king of Hyrule present in OOT is born.
~1540 H.R.~ Link, the future Hero of Time is born to a Hylian woman who leaves him in the forest to be looked after by the Deku Tree and Kokiri. Zelda is born around this time, too.
~1550-1557 H.R.~ Ocarina of Time <hero of time>


--SPLIT--

Hyrule A:
~1550-1551 H.R.~ Link is brought back to his childhood and goes to tell Zelda of what he saw in the future, though the king does not believe the children. After several months of relaxation, Link leaves on a quest to find Navi.
~1551 H.R.~ Majora's Mask <hero of time>
~1551-1650 H.R.~ The Hero of Time returns to Hyrule, and later proves Ganondorf's treachery. The King executes the evil king, though this later proves to be only temporary. Between this time, the Hero of Time and the OOT Zelda pass away of forgotten causes. Because of his heroism, Link II (Hero of Time) becomes the most famous hero in the timeline, and the tale of OoT is passed down as a legend.
~2100 H.R.~ The Gerudo and the Kokiri tribes around Hyrule's original territory eventually break up and cease to exist, while a few locations of Hyrule evolve and upgrade. Another Princess Zelda is born, and a bit later, a boy named Link is born in Ordon Village.
~2117 H.R.~ Twilight Princess <new hero>
~2300 H.R.~Hyrule expands its reach to the north, bringing new territory to the land, most of which is yet to be settled. Around this time, a new Link is born in new Hyrule, along with a new Zelda.
~2314 H.R.~ The Legend of Zelda <new hero>
~2316 H.R.~ Link relaxes for quite a while until it is known that the original Princess Zelda from years before is in a magical slumber.
~2316 H.R.~ Adventure of Link <LoZ hero>
~2400 H.R.~ A descendant of the "original" Link is born, with a close connection to Zelda and the Royal Family. He grows up as a friend of Zelda's.
~2413 H.R.~Four Swords Adventures <new Link>
~2414 H.R.~ Oracle of Seasons/Ages <LttP hero>
~2414 H.R.~ Oracle of Ages/Seasons <LttP hero>
~2500 H.R.~ A new Link and Zelda are born. More of Hyrule's landmarks have changed.
~2515 H.R.~ A Link to the Past <new Link>
~2516 H.R.~ Link's Awakening <LttP hero>


Hyrule B:
~anywhere between 1560-1600 H.R.~ Ganon breaks out of the seal, and Hyrule turns to the Hero of Time to save them, but no hero appears. Thrusting their fate into the hands of the gods, Hyrule is flooded so Ganon cannot get his hands on the kingdom. Many people perish, but quite a few survive by finding refuge on Hyrule's mountaintops, soon to be islands.
~1600s~ The islands are named and domesticated, and people call the sea they live on the Great Sea. The Hero of Time's story fades into legend.
~2105 H.R.~ A young girl in born into a group of pirates and is known as Tetra and a boy, Link, is born on Outset Island.
~2108 H.R.~ Link's younger sister Aryll is born. Sometime afterwards, Link and Aryll's parents die of an unknown cause.
~2117 H.R.~ Wind Waker <Hero of the Winds>
~2117-2118 H.R.~ Phantom Hourglass <Hero of the Winds>
~? H.R.~ Spirit Tracks <Hero of the Winds?>

Why the games are ordered the way they are:
MC: The Minish Cap seems to be the first adventure where the hero does not (traditionally) wear a cap. At the end of the game, Ezlo gives Link a green hat to wear in commemoration of their travels together. He says that "it suits you, little hero", therefore hinting that Ezlo might have been the first to start the tradition of wearing a cap with green tunics. This can also be backed up by the fact that the hero presented in the legend in the beginning of MC is wearing a green tunic but no hat. Arguments might include that the story in the beginning of MC was a slightly-tweaked retelling of the events of OoT, with the Picori Sword actually being the Master Sword. Miyamoto himself even said in 1998 that OoT is "first in the timeline". This was nearly six years before the release of The Minish Cap in Europe and Japan. It is also speculated that the capless, green-clad hero shown in the opening of MC is, in fact, the deceased King Gustaf.
FS: There isn't much background in this game. Zelda gets kidnapped by Vaati, who wants her to be his bride, and Link is chosen to save her, implying that the Link in this game is already familiar with Vaati's antics. However, the placement of this game is subject to change, since the storyline is not very detailed.
OoT: Due to the different names of landmarks in Hyrule, it can be assumed that OoT can be placed generations after MC, when the heroics of Link I have been forgotten. However, the fact that the Kokiri still wear green tunics- and caps- hint that the Minish hero's quests have not completely faded into legend. By now the location of the Four Sword is unknown, and the Master Sword has been forged after the disasters caused by Vaati, so evil may never again prevail in Hyrule. This seems to be the first appearance of Ganondorf, since the king is not aware of his evil intentions.
Hyrule A Placement:
MM: ...Nothing really needs to be explained here, does it? The game even mentions that it takes place chronologically after Ocarina.
TP: Twilight Princess, apparently, occurs at the same time chronologically as Wind Waker, which is going on in Hyrule B, which compelled me to put it last in the timeline because of the large amount of time that had passed between OoT and WW. But I've now decided to put it after OoT because of the similarities in geography and the story about the sages executing Ganon. If this story were true, and was supposed to be the last recorded defeat of Ganon, then TP would have to follow OoT since Link supposedly convinced the king to banish Ganondorf once and for all at some point after MM. Of course, we still have the stories of the LoZ Link, but since his adventures took place in a considerably less populated section of Hyrule, perhaps his journeys flew under the radar, and the OoT Link continues to be the hero whose acts became most famous.
LoZ: In the original NES game (or was it SNES?), there is a lack of towns or cities on the map, which is a drastic change from the very-populated Hyrule we saw at the end of Ocarina. The only explanation I have for this is that after OoT, the kingdom of Hyrule gained a lot more land than before, setting up the gigantic overworld map in the game's sequel, and explaining why there aren't any buildings in the first game. I no longer believe that this game's Link is the same Link from OoT, but I do think it takes place chronologically after OoT because in its sequel, The Adventure of Link, the towns are named after the Seven Sages, signaling some close connection between the two games. It also fixes the gaping hole that would otherwise be between these two games.
AoL: Again, not much has to be explained, since it is a direct sequel to LoZ... However, its backstory provides a link between this game and FSA.
FSA: Wherever AoL goes, it's sensible for this game to follow. It obviously takes place ages after MC and FS, while remaining in the same overworld as ALttP.
OoA/S: I've finally decided to agree with King Elemento on this one: the games do occur chronologically after another. This can be shown by connecting the GameBoys as well, I believe.
ALttP: We have reason to believe that A Link to the Past may go in Timeline B because of the tale told at the beginning with the seven sages, but since the legend of OoT was passed down in both timelines, along with the instance in TP with Ganon's execution, I have finally decided to put it in Timeline A once and for all. It also must follow after FSA no matter where it is placed because that is when Ganon gains the Trident of Power. Though the manual for ALttP states that it is a prequel to LoZ and AoL, much like what we have done with The Minish Cap, it can be assumed that this claim has been disproven over the years, due to the releases of so many new games.
LA: If both Oracles are going to go in the same timeline, then this one must follow immediately, since there is a cutscene showing Link departing on a sailboat... however, I can no longer find the evidence for this cutscene, as I don't own the Oracles myself, so this game can also go directly after ALttP, too.


Hyrule B Placement:
WW: This is obviously features the last, and only, Link in the Hyrule B timeline. It takes place almost a thousand years after the events of Ocarina, with a flooded Hyrule. Eiji Aonuma did say that Wind Waker took place only a hundred years after OoT, not about seven hundred. Of course, this would be hard to comprehend, since a hundred years is a short while for a kingdom to be flooded and forgotten. One can assume that Aonuma meant hundreds of years when he said this.
PH: Again, not much must be explained... PH occurs several months after WW, according to the game.
ST: A new addition to the series for DS announced earlier this week (3/25/09), Spirit Tracks appears to be a train-themed sequel to Phantom Hourglass. It seems as if Tetra and Link have finally founded the "new" Hyrule, as Link's newest quest takes place over land. Unfortunately, this also opens up new possibilities for other games to follow in Timeline B, but we may have to wait until we see the geography and name of this mysterious new world.


I dunno. KE, is there anything wrong with this one? I haven't played every Zelda game, so I probably can't settle on a good one that well. DDD:

EDIT- Added MUCH more detail into the timeline. I tried to put only relatively major stuff in there; tell me if I missed anything. BTW, I left out FS because we still haven't figured put its place.
3/16/08 EDIT- Studied more, and settled on LA being in timeline B. Most changes made had to do with the Oracles and placement of FSA.
3/23/08 EDIT- I added a little (okay, gigantic) essay thing at the end to further back up, and explain, why games are placed where they are on the timeline.
8/17/08 EDIT- Finally settled on both Oracles following each other, making WW and PH the only games left in Hyrule B. Plus, I switched the location of the Oracles/LA and the FSA/LttP duo. Any of those four games can go before one or the other, but if what KE said about Ganon being alive after LttP was true, then I had to do a little switching. I also changed my timeline drastically by putting TP after MM.
3/28/09 EDIT- A new Zelda game for the DS has been announced, which seems to be a direct sequel to PH. Therefore, that's where it lies on the grand timeline-- for now.

Oh, and by the way, might I add: there's no need to take the exact dates on my timeline seriously. They are only there to represent the predicted amount of time passed between games and events. I do not know the true dates of all of the Zelda games, obviously, so I just made them up to further express the timeline. They are not true in any way.

Okay, it would work, I have to admit. But there are a couple of things wrong...

a) LttP -> OoS, it won't work because Ganon is alive at the end of LttP, but dead at the beginning of OoS.

b) WW-> OoA, OoA can't go after WW and PH, in fact, nothing can unless the lands there are flooded as much as they are in WW. OoA has a pretty much solid country, and the idea OoS and OoA end each timeline is in my mind just... messy.

It's not really wrong, it's just not really right either.

'Kay, fixed it, but what if OoS/A took place in the new Hyrule WW Link discovered? D'you think that'd work?

It's possible, but it's unlikely, since it takes place across two kingdoms (countries, whatever) that are exactly the same in two dimensions, one comnpletely flooded, the other not.

And TP can't go directly after LttP either, because Ganon is alive in light Hyrule at the end of LttP, but sealed at the beginning of TP.

Ganon actually died in LttP, he was just revived by Link because of his wish, which probably went something like:
"I wish for all of the people that lost their lives during Ganon's recent reign to be alive once more." This includes Ganon, because Link never specified who to revive, and who not to revive. Ganon went into hiding so he wasn't killed, until Link left, which in my timeline is Link's awakening. You can guess what happened from there using my timeline. =P

Just gonna add; there are 2 games in the Four Swords group, Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures, they only had FSA.

But wasn't that only a multiplayer game? Personally, I don't consider that one canon. :P

EDIT- And again, I fixed it, KE. D: I really need to finish more Zelda games.

Ganon was trapped in the beginning of TP, so I'm fairly certain that TP falls under Hyrule B, they also mention him breaking free of a spell or such several times, although I haven't played that much Zelda so I can't say for sure.

Unfortunately, Eiji A. (I always mispell his name, so I'll just leave it at that) said himself that TP takes place after the ending with Link as a child, aka Hyrule A, which kinda sucks because then the timelines would be a little more evenly sorted on account of the games. :\ There really aren't too many games in Timeline B.

What, seriously? How the hell does that work? <.<;

I really don't know, but he said TP took place over a hundred years after OOT... see, Eiji ruined all of the timeline we built by saying that! D: Darn you, Eiji A-something-or-another...!

Taking place over a hundred years after OOT can still be either storyline. Still, if it's Hyrule A then he's totally thrown everyone off.

It still has a storyline in which Vaati captures Zelda so she can become his bride. It's supposed to come directly prior to Four Swords Adventures according to Wikipedia.

EDIT: Lookie here.

:\\\


EDIT- OK, rearranged the timeline... AGAIN. Oh, well... we'll figure it out sometime. :\ But do you think it's sensible to say that the same Link from The Minish Cap is the hero in FS and FSA? Would that make sense? After all, MS Link and Zelda were also "childhood friends", I believe.

The more I think about it, the more confused about FSA's position I become.
Once again, looking at Ganon, he created Shadow Link with the Trident of power he obtained sometime prior to the game. I think this is just an explanation into the backstory of Ganon/dorf's life, and that it doesn't actually belong directly after FS.

And the fact there was no mention of him in either FS or MC, which follows the statement from wikipedia I just found:

Shows that FSA can't go before OoT.

Then perhaps FS should stay in its current postition, then FSA should go back to its original place in Hyrule A?

Yeah, that was more or less what I was suggesting.

So right now, you're is...

[copypastalol]
Minish Cap <first ever link!>
Four Swords <MC Link?>
Ocarina of Time <hero of time>

--SPLIT--

Hyrule A:
Majora's Mask <hero of time>
Link's Awakening <hero of time>
Zelda 1 <hero of time>
Zelda 2 <hero of time>
Four Swords Adventures <hero of time>
Twilight Princess (maybe? I may have to switch ALttP with TP, or TP with OoS/A though) <new Link>
A Link to the Past <new Link>
Oracle of Seasons (or Ages, it really doesn't matter) <yet another new Link, or maybe the one from LttP... of course, I haven't played wither game, soooo...>


Hyrule B:
Oracle of Ages (or vice versa) <new Link>
Wind Waker (some thousand years after the events of Oot) <hero of the winds>
Phantom Hourglass (duh) <hero of the winds again>
[/copypasta]

Your theory is not complete seing as Zelda never directly implies that Ganon is the reborn form of Ganondorf, it could be any demon.

Perhaps I'm not making sense.

I dunno, that would just leave another empty space for us to fill in. :\ I think that KE is right, it is Ganon<dorf> she is referring to.

The only other demon it could be is Vaati, which is impossible since he and Ganon were present at the same time for part of the game (I think, 'cause I never actually played it >_<)

Hasn't Vaati himself been reborn multiple times?

True, but they were all in the same game, so there would be no need to refer to it. And this is Ganon, not Vaati.

I actually think the Zeldas in FSA and FS/MC are the same, despite my thoughts on the huge gap. However this is all the more reason to put FSA straight after AoL, and have the FS Zelda have been put asleep and that be the Zelda in the North Temple Altar, or whatever it's name is.

That is a really good observation! But what is the OOT Zelda we've come to know and love doing during this? Are there two princesses reigning over Hyrule? Or did the beloved OOT Zelda die or something? :\ Plus, do you think it's still the Hero of Time who is in FSA? *confused*

No, not the same Link as OoT. It can't be.
The Links in LttP, LA, LoZ, AoL, and FSA are all the same as far as I'm concerned.
That's the order those games are on my timeline.

*shrug* I'm gonna stick with the video I posted for this one. :\ I think that the FSA Link is the same because

-he seemed to have aquired hero status before the beginning of the game (Zelda turns to him for help)
-they met as children (I think that was said in the beginning... but then it would make sense; in OOT they were anywhere from 8-12 years old-still children)

*shrugs again* ...Buuut, I still haven't finished it. :\ If there's any proof you've got to back up your theory, I'm all ears. :)

The threat of Vaati seemed to stop for loads of games, that, and it seems to take place WAY after OoT for some reason... That would make it kinda impossible for them to be the same.

Anywho, back to Vaati, the MC Zelda is probably the only one who knows about Vaati in the current generation, so she spread word of a possible new threat, but that Ganon caught word of it, and sent Shadow Link to the Four Sword in it's pedestal whilst Link, Zelda, and whoever the heck else tagged along came there, and the story goes on from there.

Then again, I don't even own the game, so I can't really tell any other way, it's just a theory after all...

That's true... doesn't Hyrule look different?

And maybe since the Hyrule in FSA seems to be more similar to the land in LttP, perhaps I'll put FSA after LttP.

Or maybe before... but in the beginning to LttP, Link hasn't met Zelda yet, right? :\

Only one real answer:


...



Nope.

Sooo... Link hasn't met Zelda? :\ I only read the comic to that game and played the very beginning on SNES- I forgot. ^^;

What the Hell am I doing here? :D

I really don't know D:

Anyhow, I thought of this a bit ago- could FS, instead of being counted as a playable game, be counted as the legend that is told in the game? (where the hero defeated Vaati and saved the maidens) Or maybe the legend told is a rough translation over the years of the events in MC. After all, after hundreds of years, stories can't be told perfectly.

Man is this FS/FSA stuff confusing... @.@ But in the meantime, since I'm bored, I'm going to add more details to the timeline (years and whatnot).

King lemento's Timeline Looks alright to me. The Only Thing I noticed was that either Majoras mask or Link to the Past Coulve came First.

Well Gannon Was never Introduced in MM But Yes In OOT

I have recently gone through Four Swords Adventures and decided the geography of Hyrule in that game is too similar to A Link to the Past, The Minish Cap, and Ocarina of Time to be after Legend of Zelda, so I've moved it right before A Link to the Past.
The only problem I can find with this move is that Zelda claims he's an "ancient demon reborn", which I've decided isn't on about Ganon at all (I've also decided she's the same Zelda from OoT, along with the same Link as well), but is in fact on about the Moblin creature shown to be a part of the war of Hyrule in stain-glass style at the beginning of The Minish Cap. This is the most logical idea, since this Zelda hasn't met the beast Ganon, just Ganondorf.

Even though this game, along with the rest of the Four Sword saga don't affect the timeline much, since it only has Ganon sealed at the beginning of FSA, but also at the end. I think it just has to be laid out like it is because it introduces the original Zelda in The Minish Cap, but that's just my theory.

Also: Good Lord, I posted in a thread not posted in since December '07? O_o

Well, its a very trivial subject for Zelda fanatics (such as I), so its only natural that it would be added on to often. @@;

:x