TL;DR

• The Legend of Zelda timeline splits into three parallel branches after Ocarina of Time.

• These branches are:
  1. The Decline Timeline (Link fails)
  2. The Child Timeline (Zelda sends Link back)
  3. The Adult Timeline (Link defeats Ganon and leaves)

• Nintendo officially confirmed this division in Hyrule Historia (2011).

• The timeline is intentionally flexible, and developers treat lore as a mythic cycle rather than strict chronology.

• The Master Sword appears as the recurring “Spirit Blade” tied to the soul of the hero and Hylia.

• You only need a few anchor points to understand the big picture.

Why the Legend of Zelda Timeline Confuses Everyone

I start with a simple truth: The Legend of Zelda timeline confused fans for decades, and Nintendo didn’t fully clarify it until 2011. Even now, in 2025, people still Google:

• “What is the Zelda timeline order?”

• “How many timelines are there in Zelda?”

• “Does Tears of the Kingdom break the timeline?”

And honestly, these are fair questions. Zelda lore behaves more like epic mythology than a strict linear history. Shigeru Miyamoto has even said in interviews (Nintendo Dream, 1999) that the team prioritizes fun and fantasy over rigidity. Yet Nintendo simultaneously built a surprisingly consistent cosmic structure, especially around:

• the Master Sword,

• the Triforce,

• the goddess Hylia, and

• the eternal reincarnation cycle of Link, Zelda, and Ganon.

So let’s break down the timeline in a way that respects the lore.

What Is the Official Zelda Timeline?

According to Hyrule Historia (2011), Nintendo divides the canon into three parallel timelines that branch from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998).

This division results from the time travel paradox created when:

• Link defeats Ganon as an adult

• Zelda sends him back to his childhood

• Hyrule now splits into three potential outcomes

Let’s explore them one by one.

1. The Decline Timeline (Link Fails)

What If Link Lost?

In this branch, the Hero of Time fails against Ganon during Ocarina of Time. Yes, Nintendo officially built a timeline where the hero loses. This gives rise to an era of ruin, sealed by the sages without the hero.

Games in This Timeline

• A Link to the Past

• Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons

• Link’s Awakening

• A Link Between Worlds

• Tri Force Heroes

• The Legend of Zelda (NES)

• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Common Themes

This timeline delivers:

• fallen kingdoms

• distant descendants

• cyclical Ganon revivals

• a world where the gods seem silent

It’s the darkest branch, but it also creates some of the most iconic top-down games.

2. The Child Timeline (Link Returns to Childhood)

What If Zelda Sends Link Back and He Warns the King?

When Zelda sends Link back to seven years earlier, he keeps his memories. He warns Princess Zelda and the Hylian royal family about Ganondorf’s betrayal.

This creates a reality where:

• Ganondorf never takes over

• Link’s future self no longer exists

• the hero grows up in peace

But it also brings consequences later…

Games in This Timeline

• Majora’s Mask

• Twilight Princess

• Four Swords Adventures

Common Themes

This branch focuses on:

• alternate worlds (Termina)

• twilight corruption

• legacy of young Link’s choices

The Hero’s Shade, appearing in Twilight Princess, is actually the adult Link from Ocarina, bitter that his future was erased – confirmed in Hyrule Historia. This offers one of the most emotional lore payoffs in the entire series.

3. The Adult Timeline (Link Defeats Ganon and Leaves)

What If Hyrule Exists Without the Hero?

In this timeline, the Hero of Time defeats Ganondorf as an adult, but when Zelda sends him back, the adult world loses its hero. Ganondorf eventually breaks free again… and there’s no Link to stop him.

Games in This Timeline

• The Wind Waker

• Phantom Hourglass

• Spirit Tracks

Common Themes

This branch explores:

• the gods flooding Hyrule (Wind Waker)

• the rebirth of kingdoms (Spirit Tracks)

• a world shaping itself without its original hero

This timeline gives us the most charming and adventurous tone thanks to Toon Link.

Where Do Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom Fit?

Nintendo states in Creating a Champion (2018) and multiple developer interviews that Breath of the Wild was designed to sit “at the far end of the unified timeline,” after all three branches converge through mythological drift.

In other words:

BOTW and TOTK occur after so much time passes that the timelines blur back into one.

This is why:

• Rito (Wind Waker-branch race) exist

• Zora (usually incompatible with Rito timelines) also exist

• Sheikah tech appears

• Zonai emerge as forgotten gods

The world becomes a fusion of all histories.
That is intentional, not an oversight.

Why Does the Timeline Split in Zelda?

People ask variations of this constantly.

Short answer:
Because Ocarina of Time involves time travel, and Zelda’s act of sending Link back produces two forward timelines. The third (“Decline Timeline”) represents a canonical failure state introduced by Nintendo to preserve older games.

That’s it – clear, simple, and accurate.

How Do Link and Zelda Reincarnations Work?

Lore reveals that Link and Zelda represent an eternal cycle created by Demise’s Curse in Skyward Sword. Demise swears that his hatred will “reincarnate forever” to pursue the hero and the goddess.

Sources:

• Skyward Sword (2011)

• Hyrule Historia timeline notes

• Eiji Aonuma interviews (Nintendo, 2011–2017)

Meaning:

Link is not the same person every time.
Zelda is not literally the same princess.
Ganon is not always the same physical being.

But the roles repeat across eras.

Why the Master Sword Matters Across All Timelines

The Master Sword is the most stable anchor in the entire mythos. It exists as:

• the Blade of Evil’s Bane

• the sealing sword connecting mortals to Hylia

• the test of herohood across eras

In Skyward Sword, the blade begins as the Goddess Sword, crafted by Hylia herself and forged into the Master Sword by Link with sacred flames (see: Skyward Sword, Hyrule Historia p. 74–89). Because the sword is tied to Hylia’s blessing, it consistently recognizes each new incarnation of the hero, even across timelines.

the Master Sword is the metaphysical “constant” that makes all timelines believable, because it binds the reincarnated hero back to the goddess’s will.

This is why every timeline, even the Decline Timeline, features remnants or legends of the Master Sword. Tears of the Kingdom reinforces this by showing that the sword can literally endure the destruction of Hyrule, shatter, travel through time, and reform.

Does Nintendo Want the Timeline to Be Strict?

Not really.

Shigeru Miyamoto (Nintendo Dream, 1999):

“We want the games to feel like legends passed down, not strict history.”

Eiji Aonuma (GameInformer, 2017):

“The timeline exists, but we prefer players to experience the story as myth.”

The developers treat the series as myth-making, not rigid canon. This explains cultural inconsistencies, shifting geography, and recurring archetypes.

Putting It All Together

If you want to understand Zelda lore without memorizing 30 years of games:

1. Skyward Sword reveals the origin of the Master Sword, Hylia, Demise, and the hero cycle.

2. Ocarina of Time splits the world into three parallel outcomes.

3. Older 2D games fit the Decline Timeline.

4. Twilight Princess and Majora’s Mask fit the Child Timeline.

5. Wind Waker sits in the Adult Timeline.

6. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom happen after so much time that all histories blur.

That’s the entire macro-lore in one simple structure.

Conclusion: The Zelda Timeline Makes Sense, Once You See It as Myth, Not Math

The beauty of The Legend of Zelda is that it blends cosmic destiny with campfire storytelling. Nintendo intentionally leaves gaps for players to interpret. But thanks to Hyrule Historia, official encyclopedias, and modern interviews, the macro structure is more stable than people assume.

You now have the clearest, most practical guide to the timeline – and you can enjoy the myth for what it is:
an endless cycle of courage, wisdom, and power shaped by a single sword and a single choice at the moment of time’s turning.