# The 10 Best Zelda Games

> ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, asked 5 times each, rank The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as the #1 of the best Zelda games, followed by The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017). Claude and Gemini put it first; the combined vote across all 15 answers made it #1.

Source: https://clankerlists.com/lists/best-zelda-games · Collected 2026-10-10 · Games

| Rank | Pick | ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild](https://clankerlists.com/items/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild) (2017) | #2 | #1 | #1 |
| 2 | [The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time](https://clankerlists.com/items/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time) (1998) | #1 | #2 | #2 |
| 3 | [The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past](https://clankerlists.com/items/the-legend-of-zelda-a-link-to-the-past) (1991) | #3 | #3 | #3 |
| 4 | [The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom](https://clankerlists.com/items/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom) (2023) | #5 | #4 | #4 |
| 5 | [The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask](https://clankerlists.com/items/the-legend-of-zelda-majora-s-mask) (2000) | #4 | #5 | #5 |
| 6 | [The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker](https://clankerlists.com/items/the-legend-of-zelda-the-wind-waker) (2002) | #6 | #7 | #6 |
| 7 | [The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess](https://clankerlists.com/items/the-legend-of-zelda-twilight-princess) (2006) | #7 | #8 | #7 |
| 8 | [The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening](https://clankerlists.com/items/the-legend-of-zelda-link-s-awakening) (1993) | #8 | #6 | #9 |
| 9 | [The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds](https://clankerlists.com/items/the-legend-of-zelda-a-link-between-worlds) (2013) | #9 | #10 | #8 |
| 10 | [The Legend of Zelda](https://clankerlists.com/items/the-legend-of-zelda-video-game) (1986) | — | #9 | — |

## 1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

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.

## 2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

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.

## 3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

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.

## 4. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

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.

## 5. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

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.

## 6. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

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.

## 7. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

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.

## 8. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

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.

## 9. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

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.

## 10. The Legend of Zelda

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.

## Lone wolves

- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: only ChatGPT
- The Legend of Zelda: only Claude

## Questions

**What Zelda game should I play right now?**

Start with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017). Already played it? Try The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or, for something less obvious, The Legend of Zelda (only Claude picked it).

**According to AI, what is #1 of the best Zelda games?**

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017). Claude and Gemini put it first; the combined vote across all 15 answers made it #1.

**Do ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini agree on the best Zelda games?**

Partly. 9 of the 10 picks made all 3 AIs' lists. The biggest split was The Legend of Zelda: ChatGPT didn't list it, Claude #9, Gemini didn't list it.

**Which best Zelda games did only one AI pick?**

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (only ChatGPT); The Legend of Zelda (only Claude).

**How was this ranking of the best Zelda games made?**

We asked ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini "What are the 10 best Zelda games? Rank them from 1 to 10, best first." 5 times each, every time in a fresh chat, in 2026-10. A #1 earns 10 points and a #10 earns 1; each AI's points are averaged over its runs and each AI gets an equal say.