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Ocarina of Time is the hinge of Nintendo’s Zelda chronology. The shared sequence runs Skyward Sword → The Minish Cap → Four Swords → Ocarina of Time. After Ocarina, Nintendo’s chart shows three outcomes: a defeated-hero history, a triumphant Child Era and a triumphant Adult Era. They are chronology branches, not three endings that players select from a menu. Nintendo later places Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom in a separate block without naming which Ocarina branch leads to them.
Where does Ocarina of Time fit in the Zelda timeline?
On Nintendo’s current history chart, Ocarina of Time is the fourth game in the shared pre-branch sequence. The order is:
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- The Minish Cap
- Four Swords
- Ocarina of Time
Nintendo also marks the Hyrulean Civil War before Ocarina of Time. The chart is the best reference for the sequence discussed here: Nintendo’s official Zelda history.
This placement makes Ocarina more than another adventure in the series. It is the point at which one earlier history becomes three later continuities. The split is explained by the hero’s fate and by the two eras connected through Ocarina’s time-travel story.
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How does time travel inside Ocarina of Time relate to the later branches?
The game’s time travel and the timeline split are related, but they are not the same thing. During the adventure, Link moves between childhood and adulthood. Nintendo’s original instruction manual says that Link ages seven years and can travel between those two periods; it describes the mechanic plainly: “This time travel is necessary for you to progress through your adventure.” You can read the manual at Nintendo’s archived instruction manual.
That is time travel within the game: Link uses the Temple of Time and the Master Sword to reach different points in his life. Nintendo’s later chronology chart then describes what follows the Ocarina story as three historical outcomes. A specialist explanation characterizes the two victorious continuities as the childhood to which Link returns and the future he leaves behind. That wording helps explain the chart, but it should not be mistaken for a label printed on every screen of the game.
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What are the three outcomes after Ocarina of Time?
| Branch | What Nintendo’s chart identifies | First later game | Immediate setting or event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hero defeated | The hero is defeated; the Imprisoning War follows | A Link to the Past | A later decline of Hyrule leads eventually to the original The Legend of Zelda |
| Hero triumphant, Child Era | The victorious child-era continuity | Majora’s Mask | Link returns to the childhood period |
| Hero triumphant, Adult Era | The victorious adult-era continuity | The Wind Waker | Hyrule is flooded after Link leaves that future |
The table summarizes the branch labels and first continuations shown by Nintendo. The individual sequences below explain what each line contains without treating the three outcomes as choices in the Nintendo 64 game.
Hero defeated: the line beginning with the Imprisoning War
Nintendo’s chart places the Imprisoning War immediately after the defeated-hero outcome. The game sequence on this branch is:
- A Link to the Past
- Link’s Awakening
- Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
- A Link Between Worlds
- Tri Force Heroes
- Echoes of Wisdom
- The decline of the Kingdom of Hyrule
- The Legend of Zelda
- The Adventure of Link
Nintendo groups Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons together on the chart rather than resolving an internal order between them. The same chart now places Echoes of Wisdom after Tri Force Heroes on this branch. It is therefore a post-Ocarina title in the defeated-hero chronology, not a story set before Ocarina.
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The final entries show a long decline of Hyrule before the first two games released in the series: The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link. “Defeated” describes the branch’s historical premise; it does not identify a fourth playable ending that must be selected after completing Ocarina.
Hero triumphant, Child Era: the line that starts with Majora’s Mask
The Child Era begins with Majora’s Mask. The sequence on Nintendo’s chart is:
- Majora’s Mask
- Twilight Princess
- Four Swords Adventures
The specialist explanation describes this continuity as the childhood to which Link returns after the Ocarina adventure. That explains why Majora’s Mask follows Ocarina’s child-era resolution rather than the adult future seen in the other victorious line.
A branch is a historical continuity, not a guarantee that every game uses exactly the same incarnation of Link. The chart connects these games by era and events; it does not require readers to treat all of their protagonists as one continuously living person.
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Hero triumphant, Adult Era: the flooded future
The Adult Era begins with the flooding of Hyrule. Its game sequence is:
- The Wind Waker
- Phantom Hourglass
- Spirit Tracks
The specialist account describes this as the future Link leaves behind. The flood is the defining transition shown before The Wind Waker, and the two later handheld adventures continue that adult-era line.
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What comes immediately after Ocarina of Time?
There is no single answer unless you specify which outcome you mean. Nintendo’s chart gives three different immediate continuations:
- Defeated hero: the Imprisoning War, then A Link to the Past.
- Triumphant Child Era: Majora’s Mask.
- Triumphant Adult Era: the flooding of Hyrule, then The Wind Waker.
This is why answers that name only Majora’s Mask or only The Wind Waker are incomplete. Each is correct for one victorious era, while A Link to the Past is the first game on the defeated-hero line.
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Where do Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom fit?
Nintendo displays Breath of the Wild followed by Tears of the Kingdom in a later block of the history chart. The displayed chart does not assign that block to the defeated, Child or Adult Ocarina branch.
That means the safest official answer is limited: the two games occur later than the branch material shown on the chart, but Nintendo does not name one originating Ocarina line for them there. Claims that they definitively merge all three branches, or that they belong to a specifically named fourth Ocarina outcome, go beyond what this chart states.
Why do Zelda timeline books sometimes show a different order?
Printed reference books are edition-specific snapshots, while Nintendo’s online chart can be updated as new games are added. The most important distinction for this article is the placement of Link’s Awakening: Nintendo’s current chart puts it before the Oracle games, while the specialist chronology says Hyrule Historia placed it after them.
| Reference | Publisher specification | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia | 276-page hardcover, Dark Horse Comics, January 29, 2013 | The physical book explicitly marketed as containing the official chronology |
| The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia | 328-page hardcover, Dark Horse Comics, June 19, 2018 | Expanded lore and timeline material; the publisher calls it “An expansion of information from The Legend of Zelda timeline” |
The publisher pages are Dark Horse’s Hyrule Historia listing and Dark Horse’s Encyclopedia listing. Neither 2013 nor 2018 edition can contain games released after its publication date. For current ordering, use Nintendo’s present online chart and treat older books as dated reference works.
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Is the original 1998 release date part of the in-universe timeline?
No. Nintendo dates the original Nintendo 64 release of Ocarina of Time to November 21, 1998. That is a publication date in the real world, not a date in Hyrule’s fictional history. The game’s seven-year jump is an in-story mechanic; the 1998 date tells you when players first received the game.
How should you read the official chart without overclaiming?
- Use the shared sequence through Ocarina of Time as the common starting point.
- Describe the three post-Ocarina lines as chronology outcomes, not selectable endings.
- Keep Nintendo’s branch labels separate from explanatory language supplied by specialist chronology accounts.
- Do not force an internal order on the two Oracle games when the chart groups them together.
- Place Echoes of Wisdom after Tri Force Heroes on the defeated-hero branch.
- Leave the origin branch of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom unspecified unless Nintendo’s chart identifies one.
- Remember that a connected branch does not prove every game features the same incarnation of Link.
Read this way, the timeline is useful without turning unanswered questions into official facts. Ocarina’s role is clear even where later placement remains deliberately unspecified: it is the hinge between the shared early history and the three named outcomes that follow.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Frequently asked questions
Is the defeated-hero timeline an ending I can play in Ocarina of Time?
No. Nintendo’s chart presents it as an official chronology outcome, but it does not establish that losing to an enemy or reaching a game-over screen creates that branch during normal play. It is a historical explanation for the later sequence beginning with the Imprisoning War.
Which timeline is Majora’s Mask in?
Majora’s Mask is the first game in Nintendo’s triumphant Child Era line. The specialist explanation connects that line with the childhood period to which Link returns after the Ocarina story.
Why is Link’s Awakening ordered differently in some timeline guides?
Nintendo’s current online chart places Link’s Awakening before Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. The specialist chronology reports that Hyrule Historia used the opposite order, so the discrepancy reflects different published timeline versions rather than a settled internal order on Nintendo’s current chart.
Are Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom part of all three timelines?
Nintendo displays them together in a later block but does not identify a single originating Ocarina branch on that chart. Saying they definitively merge or continue all three lines adds a conclusion Nintendo’s displayed placement does not make.
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Do all games in one branch star the same Link?
Not necessarily. A branch connects historical eras and events; it does not by itself establish that every protagonist is the same individual. Treat each game’s Link as its own character unless the story or an official source explicitly makes the connection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the defeated-hero timeline an ending I can play in Ocarina of Time?
No. Nintendo’s chart presents it as an official chronology outcome, but it does not establish that losing to an enemy or reaching a game-over screen creates that branch during normal play. It is a historical explanation for the later sequence beginning with the Imprisoning War.
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Majora’s Mask is the first game in Nintendo’s triumphant Child Era line. The specialist explanation connects that line with the childhood period to which Link returns after the Ocarina story.
Why is Link’s Awakening ordered differently in some timeline guides?
Nintendo’s current online chart places Link’s Awakening before Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. The specialist chronology reports that Hyrule Historia used the opposite order, so the discrepancy reflects different published timeline versions rather than a settled internal order on Nintendo’s current chart.
Are Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom part of all three timelines?
Nintendo displays them together in a later block but does not identify a single originating Ocarina branch on that chart. Saying they definitively merge or continue all three lines adds a conclusion Nintendo’s displayed placement does not make.
Do all games in one branch star the same Link?
Not necessarily. A branch connects historical eras and events; it does not by itself establish that every protagonist is the same individual. Treat each game’s Link as its own character unless the story or an official source explicitly makes the connection.
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