Highlights

  • The release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom marks the end of an era for the Zelda series, and fans will remember this version of Hyrule for its contributions to the open-world genre.
  • Zelda's next entry may bring a new setting and gameplay, wiping clean the slate and potentially leaving behind the mechanics that made Tears of the Kingdom successful.
  • The Zelda timeline has become more important in recent games, with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom referencing past games and sparking discussions about their placement. Starting a new, distinct timeline may be the best way forward.

With the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Zelda's latest arc has come to a close. Beginning in 2017 with Breath of the Wild, fans ended up sticking with this iteration of Hyrule for the entire Nintendo Switch generation. Tears of the Kingdom was a triumphant send-off, giving players free rein over its mechanics via a set of extremely versatile powers, and bringing back Ganondorf for another epic showdown between good and evil. It's been a good run, and this era of Zelda will likely be remembered for its contributions to the open world genre for a long time.

However, all good things must come to an end, and according to Nintendo developers, Tears of the Kingdom will be the last game set in BotW's Hyrule. By the sound of it, Zelda's next entry may wipe the slate clean again, as even Tears of the Kingdom's successful harnessing of player chaos may not return as it was. It will be nice to see a new setting for a major Legend of Zelda game after so many years, but there are lingering questions about when this next game will be set which may hold distressing answers.

After Tears of the Kingdom, The Next Zelda Game Can Drop Another Story Tradition
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After Tears of the Kingdom, The Next Zelda Game Can Drop Another Story Tradition

To avoid growing stale after two similar games, the next open world Zelda should shake things up by dropping a recurring character.

The Legend of Zelda’s Timeline Explained

The Legend of Zelda's community has always been interested in the series’ timeline, and Nintendo revealed its own thoughts on the matter with the initial releases of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and the Hyrule Historia art and lore book in 2011. From that point on, it was established that the Zelda timeline started in Skyward Sword, and then split into three branches based on the events of Ocarina of Time. It wasn't quite airtight, with the “Hero Defeated” timeline feeling like a receptacle for miscellaneous classic Zelda games, but it was a worthy structure for the canon nonetheless.

Zelda's Timeline Has Become More Important In Recent Games

Breath of the Wild surprised fans by taking place at the end of every timeline, with all of them fitting together in an ambiguous Era of Myth. This was done in broad strokes, but Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom contain plenty of items, locations, characters, and even events referencing past games. Much discussion occurred when Tears of the Kingdom seemingly replaced Skyward Sword in its own backstory with the Zonai founding Hyrule, although there's still an interpretation of this taking place long after other versions of Hyrule rose and fell.

Options For The Next Zelda Entry's Timeline Placement Look Dire

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What must be asked now is when the next Zelda game falls in the timeline, which is much more complicated than it seems. Breath of the Wild, and then Tears of the Kingdom, are currently known as the last games in every possible Zelda timeline, but the next game taking place even further ahead would just be recycling the same concept. Going back to a former timeline would be confusing, and following Tears of the Kingdom's example of building its own ambiguously-connected timeline would make the efforts of Skyward Sword, the Hyrule Historia, and Breath of the Wild feel wasted.

Starting A Truly Distinct Zelda Timeline May Be All That's Left

There's no right answer, although simply allowing the next Zelda title to stand by itself, with a healthy number of references to past games like BotW and TotK, seems like the best course of action. It's difficult to fit any more games inside the early eras of the Zelda timeline chart, and Nintendo has stated its intent to move away from the setting and gameplay of Tears of the Kingdom. While this may lead to the once-significant Zelda timeline eventually becoming obsolete, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have proven that there's a lot to be gained from trying something brand-new.