Zelda timeline split

6:02 The Zelda timeline splits at the ending of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Nintendo's official chronology runs as one line up to that game, then branches into three parallel histories. In the Adult timeline Hyrule goes on after Ganondorf's defeat without its hero; in the Child timeline Link, sent back seven years, warns Princess Zelda and Ganondorf is stopped before he ever reaches the Triforce; and in a third branch the Hero of Time loses the final battle. "Ocarina of Time marks the end of the linear Zelda Timeline," as Zeltik puts it in "The Zelda Timeline Explained in 15 Minutes" (Nov 25, 2023); "what follows from here is three separate alternate histories." Nintendo first published the split in Hyrule Historia, released in Japan on Dec 21, 2011 and in English by Dark Horse on Jan 29, 2013.

Quick facts

Why the timeline splits here

4:41 The split comes from Ocarina of Time's time travel. In the game's Story, Link draws the Master Sword, is sealed away for seven years while Ganondorf takes the Triforce of Power, wakes as an adult, awakens the Sages and defeats Ganon. Then Princess Zelda uses the Ocarina of Time to send him back to his childhood. From that moment there are two Hyrules: the future Link has just saved, which goes on without him, and the past he returns to, where he knows what Ganondorf will do. Hyrule Historia adds a third possibility that the game never shows, the history in which Link fails.

The Adult timeline

7:13 The Adult timeline is the future Link leaves behind. Ganondorf is sealed in the Sacred Realm, but when he breaks free there is no hero to face him, because Link has gone back in time; in Zeltik's summary the goddesses flood Hyrule, and the kingdom lies forgotten at the bottom of a new sea. Centuries later The Wind Waker begins in that ocean world, where the Hero of Time is a legend and Ganondorf, the same man from Ocarina of Time, returns. Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks follow, the second set a century later in a new Hyrule.

The Child timeline

8:35 The Child timeline is the history Link returns to. He warns Zelda, and Ganondorf is stopped before he reaches the Sacred Realm, which also erases Link's deeds as a hero; Navi leaves him at the end of Ocarina of Time. Link sets out to find her and ends up in Termina, the setting of Majora's Mask, the direct sequel released two years after Ocarina of Time. In Hyrule, Ganondorf is sentenced to death, survives when the Triforce of Power awakens in him, and is banished to the Twilight Realm, which sets up Twilight Princess, whose hero is guided by the spirit of the Hero of Time. Four Swords Adventures ends the branch.

The branch where Link loses

10:40 The third branch begins with the Hero of Time falling in the final battle against Ganondorf. Ganondorf becomes Ganon and is sealed in the Sacred Realm by the Sages, but he takes the whole Triforce with him, and the Sacred Realm becomes the Dark World of A Link to the Past. That game is followed by Link's Awakening, the two Oracle games, A Link Between Worlds and Tri Force Heroes, and, after a long decline, the original The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. Fans call this branch the Downfall timeline; Zelda Wiki notes that Nintendo leaves it unnamed and lists it as the Fallen Hero Timeline. Zelda Wiki also places Echoes of Wisdom in it, after Tri Force Heroes, as on the timeline Nintendo displayed at Nintendo Live 2024 in Sydney in Aug 2024.

Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom

12:04 Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom sit at the far end of the chronology, so long after the other games that it does not matter which of Ocarina of Time's three branches leads to them. Zelda Wiki records that the connection is deliberately vague: asked in 2018 which timeline Breath of the Wild ends, series producer Eiji Aonuma told Famitsu, "Well of course it's at the very end," and director Hidemaro Fujibayashi said the branch is "up to the player's imagination." Aonuma added that "the decided history has been tweaked many times."

The ending that makes the split

48:33 The split is written into Ocarina of Time's last scene. Beyond Hyrule's full story video of Oct 8, 2026 walks through it: the future Link saved continues without him, with Zelda and the Sages in it, which "becomes what we now call the adult timeline"; the child Link, armed with what he knows, can warn Zelda and the royal family, which creates the child timeline; and Nintendo's chronology adds "one more possibility, a history in which the Hero of Time loses his battle against Ganondorf." The game itself never says any of this; the branches are Nintendo's later reading of it.

Where the remake fits

0:46 The Nintendo Switch 2 remake retells the same events, so it sits at the same point in the chronology: the last game before the split. Eiji Aonuma calls Ocarina of Time "a defining moment for the series" and the remake "a faithful interpretation using modern technologies" in Nintendo's demonstration of Sep 8, 2026. The game launches on Nov 5, 2026. As of Oct 31, 2026, we found no Nintendo statement changing the story or the ending, or saying anything about the timeline in connection with the remake, and the ending cannot be checked until players have it. Nintendo also keeps the right to rearrange the timeline for new games: Zelda Wiki records that the official chronology has changed several times since 2011.

Two additions in the remake could be mistaken for timeline news, and neither is. Threads of Time, despite the name, is a progress feature: it tracks events that have occurred and the path ahead and fills in a tapestry as you play. The new side quests shown in previews are small errands, such as catching a bug for the Castle Town potion seller, not new story branches.

Hyrule Historia and the official books

Hyrule Historia was published in Japan on Dec 21, 2011 for the series' 25th anniversary and in English by Dark Horse on Jan 29, 2013. It was the first time Nintendo set out a chronology covering the whole series, and it placed Skyward Sword first, then The Minish Cap, Four Swords and Ocarina of Time before the split. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, released in Japan in 2017, printed an updated version. Zelda Wiki's current timeline names the pre-split era "Hylia & the Hero of Time." Nintendo leaves room to rearrange it, and the in-universe explanation is that the games are legends passed down through generations.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Zelda timeline split? The Zelda timeline split is the point at the end of Ocarina of Time where Nintendo's official chronology divides into three parallel histories: the Child timeline, the Adult timeline and a branch in which Link loses to Ganondorf.

What comes after Ocarina of Time? After Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask follows the child Link in the Child timeline, The Wind Waker follows the Adult timeline, and A Link to the Past opens the branch in which Link loses, according to Nintendo's Hyrule Historia.

What is the Downfall timeline? The Downfall timeline is the fan name for the branch of the Zelda timeline in which the Hero of Time is defeated by Ganondorf at the end of Ocarina of Time; it leads to A Link to the Past and eventually the original The Legend of Zelda.

Is Majora's Mask in the child timeline? Yes: Majora's Mask is the first game of the Child timeline, following the Link who was sent back to his childhood at the end of Ocarina of Time. Twilight Princess and Four Swords Adventures come after it.

Where is Breath of the Wild on the Zelda timeline? Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are at the very end of the Zelda timeline, so far after the other games that Nintendo leaves it open which of Ocarina of Time's three branches they follow.

When was Hyrule Historia released? Hyrule Historia was released in Japan on Dec 21, 2011 and in English, from Dark Horse, on Jan 29, 2013. It was the first book to publish Nintendo's official three-branch Zelda timeline.

Does the Ocarina of Time remake change the timeline? As of Oct 31, 2026, we found no Nintendo announcement of any change to Ocarina of Time's story or ending for the Nintendo Switch 2 remake, out Nov 5, which Eiji Aonuma calls "a faithful interpretation", so it is expected to sit at the same point where the timeline splits.

What is Threads of Time in the Ocarina of Time remake? Threads of Time is the remake's progress tracker, which records what has happened, points to the way forward and fills in a tapestry. Nothing Nintendo has said ties it to the Zelda timeline.

Is the Downfall timeline official? The branch is official, since Nintendo's Hyrule Historia includes it, but "Downfall" is a fan name: Zelda Wiki notes that Nintendo leaves the branch unnamed.

Sources

• Zelda Timeline, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• See the big Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake gameplay reveal, TheSixthAxis, Sep 8, 2026
• Zelda Ocarina of Time remake has new sidequests, harder minigames, and subtle dungeon tweaks, GamesRadar+ (Dustin Bailey), Oct 16, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Has Been Added To The Series' Official Timeline, Siliconera, Aug 5, 2018
• GDC 2004: The History of Zelda, IGN, Mar 26, 2004
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Mr. Aonuma Gameplay Demonstration, Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026 (video)
• The Zelda Timeline Explained in 15 Minutes, Zeltik, Nov 25, 2023 (video)
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Full Story Explained (Spoilers), Beyond Hyrule, Oct 8, 2026 (video)