Zelda Timeline Last verified: 2026-11-10
Zelda timeline changes, 2011 to 2026
The chart people mean by “the Zelda timeline” has been edited. This log keeps the older book and the current web page side by side instead of merging them.
Key art © Nintendo, used with a link to the product page. Chart art on this site is original.
Changes I am willing to date
| When | What changed | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2011-12-21 | Hyrule Historia publishes the first full chart in Japan, with three branches after Ocarina of Time. | Book · 2 sources |
| 2013-01-29 | English Historia from Dark Horse. Nintendo called the chart information believed true at the time. | Book |
| 2017–2018 | Encyclopedia expands the chart and places Link's Awakening before the Oracle games. Historia's order is not erased. | Book · disagreement kept |
| 2018 | Creating a Champion leaves Breath of the Wild's placement open. Aonuma said the team avoided clarifications. | Book · 1 source for the quote |
| 2024-11-26 | IGN reports Nintendo has placed Echoes of Wisdom on the official timeline, before the 1986 game. | IGN + current Nintendo page |
| 2025-06-05 | Switch 2 editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Same stories, not new nodes. | Store dates |
| 2025-11-06 | Age of Imprisonment releases. It is still absent from the official chart. IGN calls the story canon to Tears of the Kingdom. | Disputed · see game page |
| 2026-11-05 | Ocarina of Time releases on Switch 2. Same timeline node. | Store + chart |
| Observed 2026-11-10; exact edit date unknown | Nintendo’s US and JP pages contain two founding statements: one in the Era of Prosperity and another by Rauru and Sonia. GameRant’s 6 Nov article is a separately dated report, not proof of the day Nintendo edited the chart. | Nintendo primary pages; interpretation attributed to 1 news report |
What I refuse to collapse
Historia and Encyclopedia do not put Link's Awakening and the Oracle games in the same order. I leave both orders in the books section. The English and Japanese web pages agree that there are two founding statements; I do not invent a speech where Nintendo explains why. GameRant's 6 Nov 2026 article is one newsroom reading of that page, so the “change” label stays attributed to GameRant. The review retry could not retrieve that article; the two current Nintendo statements are independently visible, while the exact edit date remains unknown.
Questions
Did the 2026 Ocarina remake add a new branch?
No. The store page is a new release of the 1998 story. Nintendo's chart still shows one Ocarina of Time entry.
Sources
- Nintendo US — Zelda timeline · checked 2026-11-10
- Nintendo Japan — Zelda chronicle · checked 2026-11-10
- Wikipedia — List of The Legend of Zelda media · checked 2026-11-10
- IGN — Echoes of Wisdom placed on the timeline · checked 2026-11-10
- GameRant — two-foundings report (research capture; unavailable on review retry) · checked 2026-11-10