The Legend of Zeldahas been around for over 30 years and has been released on every Nintendo gaming platform. The canon timeline itself is debated by many, and the addition of new titles has certainly muddied the waters when it comes to the hero and his antics in Hyrule's story.
Related:The best puzzles from The Legend Of Zelda series
However, if there's one thing we know for sure, it's the number of games in the base series. And now we know how big they are. Sizes vary from series to series, but no matter what, all adventures are worth it. Do you want the exact file size? You have it.
Updated May 18, 2023 by Casey Foot: With launchTears of the KingdomSince the file is surprisingly large, we thought about updating this list so you can see where it lands compared to all the other entries in the series. To complete the list, "Adventures with the Four Swords" has also been added.
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19 The Legend of Zelda: NES (1986)
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was Nintendo's American reimagining of the Famicom and managed to impress with as little performance as possible. This was the system that introduced the top-down adventure game The Legend of Zelda, and it began a long-lasting legacy.
The Legend of Zelda cartridge weighed approxFile size 128 KB. It seems almost impossible if you compare it with today's file sizes.
18 Zelda 2: Link's Adventure: NES (1987)
With a noticeable leap in quality over its predecessor despite being released on the same home console, Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link for the NES broke through256kB Kassettenplatz,That's double what The Legend of Zelda released just a year earlier.
Link is twice as tall and his sword works like a sword. The changes significantly affected the gameplay and graphics, but Zelda 2 remained true to the basic form of the newly developed series.
17 Link to the Past: Super Nintendo (1991)
Most long-time Zelda players remember the mysterious Pink-Haired Link on the SNES and its odd proportions, but how is game size measured? With a leap in computing power and a larger map to cover, A Link to the Past launchesalmost 1 MB of storage space.
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A Link to the Past might have been smaller than most modern indie games, but it made great strides in building the world and story of the rest of the Zelda series.
16 Link's Awakening: Game Boy (1993)
The Game Boy made Nintendo's popular collection of figures pocketable, but how small were they inside?Link's AwakeningAccording to Nintendo of Japan, the Switch has 5.8 GB, huge update fromGame Boy is limited to 8MBit to cartridges iapprox. 300 kB of the original SNES versiongames lasted.
The Game Boy version differs significantly from the cute, animated style of the upcoming remake. Even without color and backlight, it still feels at home in the basic series.
15 Ocarina of Time: Nintendo 64 (1998)
Two years after the Nintendo 64 brought us 64-bit power and 3D video games,ocarina of timewent into the canon of The Legend of Zelda, abeautiful horseand an ocarina that you can play with the buttons on the N64 controller.
This game was originally intended to be only 16MB, but the size was double what it was when it was released32 MB Scene of the TimeNintendo's biggest and most ambitious game at the time. The larger size has definitely paid off as the game has garnered high praise from fans and critics alike.
14 Main mask: Nintendo 64 (2000)
Still considered the darkest and scariest installment in the Zelda series, Majora's Mask takes you into the heart of an apocalyptic worldOnly 72 hours to stop the lunar fallto the surface. No pressure right?
Related:The most memorable characters wearing Majora's mask
It's probably the same thing Nintendo had in mind when fitting the overall gameonly 25,5 MB.TheThe 3D remake is 661 MB in sizeit seems gigantic in comparison. Due to its short development cycle, Majora's Mask used many of Ocarina of Time's resources, but still managed to carve out an identity of its own.
13 Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons: Game Boy Color (2001)
Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons are nearly identical in terms of ratings, story, gameplay, and player satisfaction, and you can even combine the games (pun intended) if you have both. But what about size? It turns out that they are the same in this regard considering both gamesas many of their 8MB posts as possible.
These miniature entries for the base Legend of Zelda series showcased pretty much everything the Game Boy Color was capable of and got the console a lot more exposure.
12 Waking Wind: GameCube (2002)
Upon release, The Wind Waker shook the world with its watercolor-style cartoon graphics, which are quite different from games like Ocarina of Time. The1,3 GB Original-GameCube-Discwas actually enoughthe remake will only be 1.13 GBdespite updated graphics.
A different and controversial direction in animation resulted in a very clever move in terms of disk space and file size. This wouldn't be the last time Nintendo uses the same art style for core games or spin-off titles.
11 Link to the Past and the Four Swords: Game Boy Advance (2003)
A Link to the Past returned for the Game Boy Advance in 2003, bringing with it Four Swords, which brought Zelda gamesNew mechanics - multiplayer mode. TenThe combination cassette was estimated at around 3.5 MBAn easy task for the GBA in terms of size.
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Unsurprisingly, these two still have their own remakes and spin-offs. Four Swords itself has gone through almost every handheld platform Nintendo has made. Unfortunately, the Anniversary Edition was only available for download on the DSi and 3DS for a limited time. So if you didn't know about them, you would lose the opportunity to own them.
10 The Adventures of the Four Swords: GameCube (2004)
Four Swords Adventures was introduced for the GameCube in 2004 and focuses on multiplayer adventures. You can team up with up to three other players to solve puzzles and battle bosses in Hyrule, or take control of all four links yourself.
It comes in 1.3GBwas much larger than its Game Boy Advance counterpart, Four Swords, since it was on a home console rather than a handheld. Surprisingly, it's the same file size as The Wind Waker, despite offering a completely different experience.
9 Minish Cap: Game Boy Advance (2004)
Two words: bird hat. The Minish Hat for the Game Boy Advance is a reinterpretation of the cartoon fantasy everyone loved from The Wind Waker and added a few extra campy touches.
Little seems to be known about the inner workings of GBA cartridges, but The Minish Cap doesis estimated at just over 7 MB. A nice balanced size for such a cute and fun play with lots of love and hours of adventure. Even though the world of Minish is small, there is a lot to explore in The Minish Cap and you will spend hours melting Kinstones alone.
8 Twilight Princess: GameCube (2006)
One of the most popular parts of the Zelda series, dark and gloomyTwilight PrincessA number of brand new mechanics were introduced on the GameCube and later on the Wii, including one where you can transform into a wolf and make your wildest dreams come true.
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As long as your dream is to be a wolf in a princess rescue video game. Twilight Princess is surprisingly humbleFile size 1.19GBfor everything presented in the game. At release it had one of the largest maps of any Zelda game to date, so there's plenty of adventure packed into that 1.19GB.
7 Phantom Klepsydra: Nintendo DS (2007)
Nintendo DS owners had to wait three years after release to see another handheldthe quintessential Zelda game for their handheld devicesbut finally the day has come with the phantom hourglass.
Already35 MB, it's certainly not the biggest Zelda game on the list, but it's a good reminder of the DS itself. Of course, the limitations of the Nintendo DS system meant it would never be as grand an adventure as Twilight Princess, but it used the console for its gameplay and puzzles.
6 Ghost Tracks: Nintendo DS (2009)
Next comes Spirit Tracks, a fun adventure for the DS with lots of touchscreen mechanics and lots of animated spells. Although the game is great, it has exceeded the limits of internal storage51.7 MB train fun- Significant size increase compared to the previous title Phantom Hourglass.
However, since it occupies most of your system, it's worth having fun in a well-animated universe starring our favorite characters. Link and Zelda definitely look great in this art style.
5 Skyward Sword: Wii (2011)
Heavenly Swordbecause the Wii is an underrated game, aFile size 3.93GBIt definitely shows that the team put a lot of work into this adventure beyond the clouds. While the use of motion controls varies, many people enjoy it because of the narration and portrayal of Link and Zelda.
Related:The best moments in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
TheRemake Nintendo Switch HD to 7.5GB, giving the game more than twice as much room for graphical and mechanical overhauls. It could be slimmer and have a better pace, but it definitely takes up a lot of space.
4 Connecting Worlds: 3DS (2013)
.jpg "The file size of each Legend of Zelda base game (16)")
Link Between Worlds filled in the missing part of Hyrule's timeline and took place in the same Hyrule as Link to the Past, but how much did it fill the 3DS?A modest 685 MB, making it one of the most powerful games on the 3DS.
It definitely paid off for Nintendo to have an easier platform for performing simple animation transitions, such as the 2D Link transition between worlds as a mural. It shows the creativity that goes into creating playable and visually appealing games.
3 Tri Force Heroes: 3DS (2015)
Multiplayer is back in the Zelda canon with Tri Force Heroes, a 3DS title you and your friends can still enjoy. Unlike its multiplayer predecessors, there are three players instead of four, hence the nameTriheroes of power.
However, it takes time1 GB from the supplied 2 GB memory cardSo if you plan on playing this game multiple times, make sure you have some extra memory ready. This is one of the more quirky Zelda games with a lot of "unique" costumes for Link.
2 Breath of the Wild: WiiU/Switch (2017)
It's hard to believeThe Breath of the Wildonly released in 2017. With a new open-world formula, hundreds of hours of gameplay, and players still discovering new secrets years after its release, it's no wonder it was the greatest Zelda game of its time and Hyrule like nothing offered what we had ever seen.
Related:Tears of the Kingdom vs Breath Of The Wild: Which Zelda Game is Better?
It occupies over 40 percent of the internal storage capacity of the switch13.4 GB game file.It's probably the 900 Korok seeds. Or maybe a giant map of Hyrule. this too.
1 Tears of the Kingdom: Change (2023)
Given Breath of the Wild's whopping 13.4GB, it's no surprise that Tears of the Kingdom outperforms its predecessor in terms of weightput 16.2 GB. Tears of the Kingdomtakes Hyrule Breath of the Wild and expands it extensively, adding areas to explore both in the sky and underground.
In fact, Tears of the Kingdom is one of the biggest premium games on the Nintendo Switch, putting it on par with massive RPGs likeXenoblade Chronicles 3. Just like Breath of the Wild, there's no shortage of locations to explore.
NEXT:The Legend of Zelda: Unforgettable Quotes from the Series