8 free Zelda games you can play on Switch right now

If you’re a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber, your choice of retro games gets better and better each month with many amazing titles available to play. Of course, amongst the catalogue you have some true Nintendo gems which, aside from Mario appearances, don’t get much bigger than The Legend of Zelda. In fact, as a subscriber, you have access to eight mainline, full-length Zelda games across the platforms, starting on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) right through to the N64.

Not only can you chart the rise of the fantasy adventure but you can watch it evolve from 2D to 3D and play what many consider to be gaming masterpieces. But where should you start? Which of them are good, great, or phenomenal? You might be asking, “Is this a list of all the Zelda games on Nintendo Switch Online ranked in order from worst to best?” and the answer is yes.

The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Nintendo

While there is always some argument as to which Zelda games are the best, it usually comes down to how nostalgia effects you. However, we can pretty much all agree that the second game, The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, is bad. It’s mostly because the game is very difficult in places, but it’s also very obtuse and doesn’t really help the player that much. Playing it today is a chore and because of that, it’s not much fun. It does have its fans though, but when held up to the other games in the series, this pales in comparison.

The Legend of Zelda

Nintendo

Where you fall on this one will come down to what you prefer - do you like your hand to be held? Or prefer to be thrown out into the wild? If you fall into the latter camp, you’re going to enjoy this retro classic. The first Zelda game doesn’t guide you along, it’s more about feeling and seeing where you end up. You might end up scribbling a lot of notes, but, to quote Grandpa Simpson, that was the style at the time. The fighting and exploring have their charms and unlike its follow-up, doesn’t feel like a slog.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

Nintendo

For The Minish Cap Nintendo took a bit of a step back and handed the reins over to Capcom to produce this handheld Zelda adventure. Things got a bit more experimental. And, given that the handheld Zelda games always felt like more surreal offshoots for the series, it suited the game. Plus, any time you take characters and shrink them down physically, you bring in options for great puzzles and superb environmental storytelling. So, here we had Link, shrunken into a Minish and into a more unfamiliar world where things feel more unexpected. It also pushed Ganon to the side to bring in Vaati again, who deserves the limelight for their evil ways. The biggest downside, if you can call it that, is the length. It’s one of the shorter Zelda games.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

Nintendo

Right, this is my list, so I’m putting my favourite near the top, or so I thought - upon writing it, I rethought the ranking many times. Link’s Awakening was my first Zelda game (I didn’t own a NES or SNES) and, honestly, the fairy tale aesthetics here are just sublime. Why isn’t it at the top? Well, we’ll get to that. Does it belong near the top? I’d say if you’re looking for Zelda distilled into a tight adventure with plenty of dungeons and secrets, then yes.

Much like A Link to the Past, which is coming up, it’s the Zelda formula done very well, but it doesn’t really set the world alight when it comes to imagination. Essentially, this is Zelda being thrown onto the Game Boy and seeing if it sticks. It’s a great game, it does a lot of things very well, and it’s old-school Zelda through and through, but some could say it was stuck in the shadow of the SNES classic.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages

Nintendo

These are underrated gems that deserve far more love than they get. I think part of the reason they’re rarely brought up in conversation is because they’re not really ‘Nintendo games’. Sure, they feature the same characters and gameplay elements, but this is a Capcom game and they brought their own flair. This pair of games feels incredibly unique, with new takes on puzzles and more ‘RPG’ elements seen in other franchises. Plus you’ve got the impact of seasons and time on the world, and with the intertwining stories, it felt like something truly special. And that Capcom style, which is a riff on the Link’s Awakening art, has a lush cartoon appeal that sings.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Nintendo

Now we’re really getting into the meat of this list and entering the area where, really, any of the next four games could take a number one spot, depending on mood. However, this is my list, argue with me elsewhere. Majora’s Mask is a great game. It’s damn brilliant. However, it’s a more flawed game when compared to its N64 sibling. Yes, it’s darker in tone and that’s wonderful, plus it’s more esoteric and weird, but it can be very stressful to play what with the timers and the moon baring down on you. As I said, this comes down to mood. If you’re brooding and want more depth in your interactions, then Majora is the one to play. It’s incredibly immersive, but that can feel a little overwhelming at times

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Nintendo

Where Majora’s Mask is dark and brooding, Ocarina of Time is bright and breezy. It’s not quite ‘feel good’ but its colourful world and traditional take on Zelda themes make for a damn fine adventure. I hate to sound pretentious (not really) but there’s something majestic about this entry in the series. It revolutionised the RPG adventure genre and brought in aspects that absolutely floored me back in the day.

Like starting as child Link and then the time jump? That gorgeous world suddenly evolving? And the way Link moved around in a 3D space, being able to explore puzzles and action in new and dynamic ways. It’s fast-paced, it never hangs around, and the scope of the adventure only grows as each hour passes. It’s exciting at every turn, each character feels like a fully-realised little person (or creature) and the world-building is monumental.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Nintendo

I hate to use the word, but here it comes - Perfection. A Link to the Past is the perfect video game. It has everything you could need from a traditional good versus evil tale to endearing characters and delightful puzzles. The pixel sprites haven’t aged, at all, every NPC is wonderful to talk to with their charms and eccentricities. The overworld map is iconic and meticulously designed to feel fresh with every screen swipe.

I came to this one a bit later than I would have liked. I only got to play bits and pieces on a friend’s SNES, but when I finally got to it, it blew my mind. Everything felt curious. It was the first gaming example, for me anyway, of “Oh, what’s that?” and “What’s over there?” A game where I scribbled as many notes as I could and sought out every corner of the map because I just wanted it to last a bit longer. And that soundtrack? Rapturous. The danger of combat and trying new items? Genius. Maybe nowadays it can’t live up to some RPG adventures, but it doesn’t have to, A Link to the Past damn near invented most of the mechanics and features anyway. As I said, perfection.