Platform guide
All Zelda Switch games in order
By Lenn Hodes · founder — every cartridge tested by hand
The Switch opened with a Zelda and has carried the series ever since: two open-air adventures, a remake of the Game Boy classic, a remaster of the Wii one, the first game with Zelda herself as the lead, and three spin-offs on cartridge. Every one of them is a Switch game card, and every card plays on a Switch 2.
The short answer
The five Zelda adventures on Nintendo Switch, in order, are: Breath of the Wild (2017), Link’s Awakening (2019), Skyward Sword HD (2021), Tears of the Kingdom (2023) and Echoes of Wisdom (2024). Add Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, Cadence of Hyrule and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and there are 8 Zelda games you can put in a Switch, Switch Lite, OLED or Switch 2. Start with Breath of the Wild.
Tested Zelda Switch games in stock
Every card booted on a real Switch and played into the game, the box and inlay checked when the listing says complete. All of them play on a Switch 2 as well.
Every Zelda adventure on Switch, in release order
| Game | Year (EU) | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Breath of the Wild | 2017 | Open-air adventure — launch title |
| Link’s Awakening | 2019 | Top-down adventure — remake |
| Skyward Sword HD | 2021 | 3D adventure — Wii remaster |
| Tears of the Kingdom | 2023 | Open-air adventure — sequel |
| Echoes of Wisdom | 2024 | Top-down adventure — Zelda as the lead |
Game by game — the buying notes
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
€30.95Personally tested Good condition
Launched with the console on 3 March 2017 and still the reason many people bought one. The Expansion Pass (The Master Trials, The Champions’ Ballad) was download-only, so a second-hand cartridge never includes it. The previous owner leaves nothing behind either: a Switch save lives on the console, not on the card, so the game starts fresh for you.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (2019)
The 1993 Game Boy game rebuilt in a toy-box art style, released 20 September 2019. Roughly fifteen hours and forgiving enough for a first Zelda. Two special versions exist and both carry the same cartridge: the Dreamer Edition with an art book, and a Europe-only Limited Edition in a Game Boy-themed SteelBook with a 120-page art book — the one collectors pay for.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (2021)
The 2011 Wii game at 60 frames per second, out 16 July 2021. The change that matters for buyers: it added button controls, so the swordplay no longer needs motion and the game is fully playable on a Switch Lite or in handheld mode. The Zelda & Loftwing amiibo adds fast travel between sky and surface — optional, and sold separately.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
€170.95Factory sealed
The direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, released 12 May 2023, with the sky islands, the Depths and the build-anything Ultrahand ability. The Collector’s Edition packs the cartridge with a SteelBook, art book, poster and pin set; the game inside is identical to the standard release. The biggest file on this list and a 100-hour game — the cartridge holds all of it, no download required.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (2024)
Released 26 September 2024: the first mainline game where you play Princess Zelda, copying “echoes” of objects and monsters instead of swinging a sword. Same engine and look as the Link’s Awakening remake, so the two sit well together. Launched alongside a Hyrule Edition Switch Lite; the game itself is a normal cartridge that plays on every Switch.
Wondering whether to play the remake or the original Game Boy cartridge of Link’s Awakening? Both are on our list of all Zelda Game Boy games, and the whole series in order shows where each Switch game sits in the timeline of releases.
Switch, Switch Lite, OLED or Switch 2 — what plays where
Every game on this page is a Switch cartridge, and a Switch cartridge plays on every model Nintendo has sold since 2017: the original Switch, the Switch Lite, the OLED model and the Switch 2. Two things changed with the Switch 2: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom got Nintendo Switch 2 Editions on 5 June 2025, sold as their own cards next to the originals, and the first Zelda title that runs only on the new console followed in November 2025 with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment — which is why it is not on this list.
The practical consequence for a buyer: a second-hand Zelda cartridge is not a step back. The save lives on the console rather than on the card, so a used game starts clean and nothing of yours can be lost by selling it on. What we check is the card itself — that it reads, boots and plays on a real Switch — and whether the box, inlay and, on the special editions, the SteelBook and art book are there when the listing says so.
Every Zelda spin-off on cartridge, in release order
Three spin-offs came out on a Switch cartridge, which with the five adventures makes 8 Zelda games you can buy for a Switch. The classics you may be looking for — Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, A Link to the Past — are on the Switch only inside the Nintendo Switch Online library, and are not on this list for exactly that reason: there is no cartridge to buy.
| Game | Year (EU) | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition | 2018 | Musou action — Switch port |
| Cadence of Hyrule | 2020 | Rhythm action — physical edition |
| Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity | 2020 | Musou action — Breath of the Wild prequel |
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (2018)
The Wii U and 3DS hack-and-slash in one package, out in May 2018, with every character and map from both earlier versions on the cartridge — nothing left as a separate download. The widest Zelda roster ever playable, from Impa and Midna to Linkle, and local two-player on one console.
Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda (2020)
Brace Yourself Games’ rhythm-dungeon crawler set in Hyrule. Download-only at first (13 June 2019); the cartridge followed on 23 October 2020 and includes all of the DLC — the Symphony of the Mask story, the character pack and Octavo’s Ode — which makes the physical version the complete one. Short, replayable and the only Zelda game you play to the beat.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
€36.95Personally tested Good condition
Released 20 November 2020 and set a hundred years before Breath of the Wild, with that game’s cast and look. The Expansion Pass (two waves in 2021) was download-only, so a used cartridge carries the base game. The performance was never smooth on the original Switch; it runs better on a Switch 2, which plays the same cartridge.
Or buy one that has already been checked
Every Switch cartridge we sell has been play-tested on a real Switch, and the listing says whether the box and inlay are there. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 4.8★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries.
Browse tested Zelda gamesQuestions we get asked
How many Zelda games are there on the Nintendo Switch?
Eight on cartridge. Five are adventures: Breath of the Wild (2017), Link’s Awakening (2019), Skyward Sword HD (2021), Tears of the Kingdom (2023) and Echoes of Wisdom (2024). Three are spin-offs: Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (2018), Cadence of Hyrule (physical edition 2020) and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (2020). The classic Zeldas — Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, A Link to the Past and the NES and Game Boy games — are on the Switch only through the Nintendo Switch Online library, so there is no cartridge to buy. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment (November 2025) is a Switch 2 game and does not run on an original Switch.
Do Zelda Switch games work on the Switch 2?
Yes. Every cartridge on this page plays on a Nintendo Switch 2. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom also exist as Nintendo Switch 2 Editions, released on 5 June 2025 with the new console: either buy that edition outright, or play your original cartridge on the Switch 2 — the enhanced version of those two is a separate upgrade. The one Zelda title that needs a Switch 2 is Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, which is not on this list.
Which Zelda Switch game should I buy first?
Breath of the Wild if you have never played a Zelda — it is the one the whole console was built around. Tears of the Kingdom if you have finished Breath of the Wild and want more of that world. Link’s Awakening or Echoes of Wisdom for a child or for a shorter, top-down game. Skyward Sword HD if you prefer the classic dungeon-by-dungeon structure.
Are Switch games region-locked?
No. The Switch is region-free, so a European card starts on a Japanese or American console and the other way round. Every European Zelda cartridge carries English plus the main European languages on the card itself. Everything we sell is the European version unless the product page says otherwise.
Does a used Switch cartridge come with someone else’s save?
No. A Switch stores save data on the console, not on the game card, so a second-hand cartridge always starts fresh — and your own 100-hour Tears of the Kingdom save cannot be lost by lending or selling the game. That is a real difference from the Game Boy and DS Zeldas, where the save travels with the cartridge and, on the oldest ones, depends on a battery.
Does Skyward Sword HD need motion controls? Can I play it on a Switch Lite?
It does not need them. The 2021 remaster added full button controls next to the Joy-Con motion option, so it plays on a Switch Lite and in handheld mode on any model. The Wii original required motion; this version does not.
Is Ocarina of Time on the Switch?
Not as a cartridge. Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask are in the Nintendo 64 library of Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, a subscription, and the older games sit in the NES, SNES and Game Boy libraries of the same service. If you want to own them, the original cartridges are the way — our N64, 3DS and Game Boy Zelda lists cover those.
Do you ship Zelda Switch games across the EU?
Yes — tracked shipping from the Netherlands to all 27 EU countries, no customs charges inside the EU, and 30 days to return an order. The exact rate for your country appears at checkout before you pay.
One console back: all Zelda Wii U games, the handhelds: all Zelda 3DS games — or see the whole series in order. Same console, different series: all Pokémon Switch games and all Mario Switch games.
Dutch reader? Zelda-games — alle Zelda-games in het Nederlands.
