The Legend of Zelda

Nintendo has kept one promise since 1986: hand you a sword, drop you in Hyrule, and let curiosity carry you. The catalog runs from the original Legend of Zelda through A Link to the Past (the highest rated entry here at 9.6) to Breath of the Wild, which in 2017 tore out decades of accumulated structure and let Link walk anywhere from the first hour. Tears of the Kingdom held that standard in 2023 at 9.4. This series lives in games almost exclusively; Link's other appearances are guest slots in Smash Bros., Mario Kart and Nintendo Land.

Start with Breath of the Wild for the open-world era, A Link to the Past for the dense dungeon-driven formula, or Ocarina of Time for the 1998 template that 3D adventure games still copy. What stands out is the floor: aside from 1987's Zelda II at 6.5, nearly everything here rates 8 or better, a consistency almost no other series this long can claim.

The The Legend of Zelda franchise spans 30 games, 1 movies in the CrossBinge catalog.