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Play each Nintendo franchise in original release order unless Nintendo has published a specific story chronology. Release order preserves the way mechanics, characters and narrative ideas developed. Timeline order is an optional second pass, and it is most defensible for The Legend of Zelda, whose official history branches after Ocarina of Time. Treat mainline games as the core, and keep remakes, ports, sports titles, party games, crossovers and licensed releases in clearly marked side lists.
What the two playing orders actually mean
Release order
Release order follows the first commercial launch of each game, normally using the Japanese, North American or European date appropriate to your region. It shows how a series’ controls, level design, role-playing systems and storytelling changed over time. It also prevents a modern remake from concealing the design limitations and innovations of the original.
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For a first playthrough, release order is the safest default. You encounter recurring characters and mechanics when the original audience did, and you avoid spoilers created by later prequels or retrospective timeline explanations.
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Timeline order follows events inside a fictional universe rather than publication dates. It only works cleanly when the publisher has established a chronology. Nintendo explicitly presents The Legend of Zelda as a connected history of Hyrule and says that the events of Ocarina of Time split the chronology into Child and Adult branches. Nintendo’s current materials also show a Downfall branch. Those branches are not a single linear queue, so forcing them into one list creates misleading transitions.
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Most Nintendo series do not have one publisher-issued, complete timeline. A fan sequence can be useful for discussion, but label it as an interpretation and do not present it as canon.
Set your scope before making a list
Nintendo’s catalogue includes decades of games across home consoles, handhelds and current systems. A useful guide separates the core entries from related releases instead of placing every title in one enormous queue.
| Category | How to handle it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Mainline | Use the first commercial release date as the primary sequence. | Shows the intended evolution of the franchise. |
| Remake or remaster | Keep it beside the original as an optional modern version; do not silently replace the original. | Players can choose improved presentation without losing historical context. |
| Port or rerelease | Record it as an access option, not a new story entry. | The same adventure may appear on several systems. |
| Spin-off | Place it in a separate branch for sports, party, racing, puzzle or strategy experiments. | It may share characters without advancing the main plot. |
| Crossover or licensed game | List separately and mark its status clearly. | It can combine series without changing either series’ canon. |
For a multi-franchise challenge, finish one series at a time or build a year-by-year calendar. Mixing every Nintendo game released in the same year hides the design history of each individual series.
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A repeatable release-order method
- Choose one franchise. Decide whether “mainline” means numbered entries, the principal platform games, or the core role-playing games. Write that definition at the top of your list.
- Identify the first release territory. Nintendo’s dates can differ between Japan, North America and Europe. Record the territory you are using and keep regional differences in a note.
- Sort by the original launch. Use the earliest commercial release of the original game, not the date of a later port or remake.
- Add an optional-version note. Put a remake or remaster next to its source game, with its own platform and release date, instead of moving it into the main sequence.
- Separate side branches. Create headings for racing, sports, party, puzzle, role-playing, crossover and licensed releases. Include them only if you want to explore that branch.
- Mark completion. Track the system, edition, language and whether you finished the original or a remake. This prevents accidentally counting a port as a new entry.
This approach scales from a short weekend plan to a catalogue-spanning project while keeping the core route readable.
Recommended release routes by franchise
Super Mario
Start with Super Mario Bros., then continue through the numbered and three-dimensional platform games in their original release sequence. Keep Mario Kart, Mario Party, sports games and Mario role-playing branches in separate lists. Those branches reuse characters and settings but develop different rules, so inserting them between platform games does not clarify the main arc.
If you use a modern remake or collection, note the original game’s position first and treat the newer version as your play copy. A collection can be convenient, but its menu order is not automatically a historical order.
The Legend of Zelda
For a first pass, begin with the 1986 Japanese release of The Legend of Zelda; its North American NES release followed in 1987. Continue by original release date through the main adventures. Keep remakes and handheld reinterpretations beside the original entries, and put multiplayer, puzzle and crossover titles in a side list.
Zelda is also the best candidate for a second, timeline-based playthrough. Nintendo’s official history says each game contributes to Hyrule’s history and identifies Ocarina of Time as the point where the chronology splinters. Use the branch method described below rather than pretending that every game belongs in one uninterrupted line.
Metroid
Separate the two-dimensional entries from the Metroid Prime subseries when you plan your route. Release order is easiest for a first-time player because the Prime games’ internal placement is not the same as their publication sequence. Finish the 2D line in release order, then play the Prime titles in their own release order, or alternate them only if you deliberately want to compare how exploration systems evolved.
Pokémon
Use generation order for the core role-playing games. Add remakes and Legends titles as branch entries rather than merging every release into one sequence. The first Japanese Pokémon launch was in 1996; Nintendo’s historical material records that milestone, a useful anchor when labeling the generations.
Keep creature-collection games distinct from puzzle, fighting, dungeon, mobile and other licensed spin-offs. A remake can revisit the same region while changing mechanics, so record both the original generation and the remake’s publication date.
Kirby
Use release order for the principal platform adventures. Add experimental 2D, three-dimensional, puzzle and multiplayer games as optional branches. This lets you see how abilities, copy powers and cooperative systems changed without treating every cameo as a story chapter.
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Animal Crossing
Follow release order for the main life-simulation entries. Record the original territory and system because releases have historically arrived at different times in different markets. Mobile, party and crossover products belong in a separate appendix unless your goal is to experience every mechanic.
Pikmin
Play the numbered entries in release order so that changes to time management, camera design, squad controls and resource systems arrive progressively. Place ports and enhanced editions beside their originals. If you are interested in short-form experiments, list them after the numbered games rather than interrupting the core sequence.
Splatoon
Use release order for the main shooters and their substantial expansions. Keep amiibo applications, promotional events and crossover appearances outside the core list. The competitive systems and movement options build on one another even when the story is not a direct continuation.
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Fire Emblem
Treat each named or numbered entry as its own release-led chapter. Add only games that are explicitly connected when constructing a story appendix; many entries use recurring themes without sharing one continuous plot. This keeps a first playthrough from requiring an uncertain fan chronology.
Xenoblade Chronicles
Begin with the numbered or named releases in publication order. Afterward, add only the connections that the games or Nintendo’s own material make explicit. Similar terminology or thematic links are not enough to establish a mandatory timeline, so mark any interpretive sequence as optional.
How to play Zelda in official timeline order
Timeline play is an alternate route, not a replacement for the release sequence. Nintendo’s Zelda site describes a history of Hyrule and states that Ocarina of Time creates a split between Child and Adult timelines. Current official materials also identify a Downfall branch. Because placements and explanatory pages can be revised, check Nintendo’s latest timeline presentation for the exact position of each later-era game.
1. Establish the pre-split era
Place the earliest-era entries according to Nintendo’s current official timeline materials. Do not infer a position solely from visual style, recurring names or a game’s release date. If a title’s placement is not shown in the current material you are using, label it “placement not stated” instead of guessing.
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2. Play Ocarina of Time as the hinge
Ocarina of Time is the branching point in Nintendo’s description. Finish it before moving to a branch so that the split has narrative context.
3. Choose a branch, or play each branch separately
- Child branch: follow the titles Nintendo places after the child outcome.
- Adult branch: follow the titles Nintendo places after the adult outcome.
- Downfall branch: follow the titles Nintendo assigns to that outcome rather than inserting them into either of the other two.
A branch-by-branch plan is clearer than alternating between branches. If you want to compare them, finish one branch, note its unresolved questions, then restart from the split with the next branch.
4. Handle the later era cautiously
Include Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom only at the positions Nintendo currently publishes. Official explanations can be updated, and the evidence supplied here does not establish a permanent placement beyond that instruction. Record the date you checked the timeline so a future revision is easy to identify.
When no official timeline exists
For Mario, Metroid, Pokémon, Kirby, Animal Crossing, Pikmin, Splatoon, Fire Emblem and Xenoblade Chronicles, release order remains the authoritative editorial route in this guide. Some games share settings, descendants or thematic references, but that does not create one publisher-confirmed chronology.
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Compare the routes before you commit
| Decision factor | Release order | Timeline order |
|---|---|---|
| Canon confidence | High for publication dates and franchise scope. | High only where Nintendo publishes a chronology; otherwise variable. |
| Gameplay continuity | Shows mechanics developing in their original context. | Can jump between eras, systems and control schemes. |
| Current availability | Ports, remakes and subscriptions can replace older hardware. | May require games from several eras and systems in a specific branch. |
| Remake burden | Easy to keep the remake beside its source game. | A remake may represent the same story but a different mechanical era. |
| Spoiler risk | Lowest for first-time players. | Prequels and branch explanations can reveal later twists. |
| Branch tolerance | One clear list per franchise. | Requires separate Child, Adult and Downfall routes for Zelda. |
Choose release order when you are new to a series, sensitive to spoilers or using whatever versions are easiest to access. Choose timeline order after a first pass when you want to study the fictional history, and reserve it for franchises with a publisher-backed chronology.
Playing on current Nintendo hardware
Nintendo’s current US site identifies Nintendo Switch 2 as its current gaming system and promotes Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack for online play and classic games. Its catalogue includes current Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokémon, Fire Emblem, Kirby, Splatoon, Animal Crossing and other releases. Availability varies by title, edition and country, so check your regional Nintendo store before building a schedule.
Nintendo’s investor launch schedule lists releases including Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Super Mario Galaxy releases and Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave. The schedule warns that dates can differ by region and change. Treat every date as territory-specific, and verify whether you are looking at a new game, a remake, a bundle or a subscription listing.
- Confirm that your console supports the exact edition and language you want.
- Check whether an older game is sold separately, included in Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack or available only through a remake.
- Record the access method in your checklist so a catalogue change does not break your plan.
- Use the regional store for the final launch date; Nintendo explicitly advises readers that release dates may differ by region.
Build a practical personal schedule
First-time franchise route
- List only the mainline games.
- Choose the original release order for your territory.
- Pick one accessible version for each entry, preferring a remake only when you record what it replaces.
- Play until the mechanics stop feeling continuous; then take a break before starting a side branch.
History-focused route
- Play the mainline release sequence.
- Replay the franchise’s officially connected entries in timeline order, if one exists.
- Compare the original and remake of a key entry to see what changed.
- Add spin-offs only after the core route is complete.
Multi-franchise calendar
Assign one block of time to each series rather than switching after every release year. A year-by-year calendar is useful for research, but a series-by-series schedule is easier to finish and makes each franchise’s design evolution visible. Keep a column for platform, region, edition, completion status and optional branches.
Common mistakes and fixes
Putting every Mario or Pokémon game in one queue
Problem: sports, party, racing and licensed games interrupt the core arc. Fix: maintain a mainline list and separate branch lists.
Replacing an original with a remake without saying so
Problem: readers lose the historical reference point. Fix: show the original release first, then identify the remake as an optional modern version.
Calling a fan timeline canon
Problem: thematic links are mistaken for publisher confirmation. Fix: cite Nintendo’s official chronology where available and label every other sequence as an interpretation.
Ignoring regional launch dates
Problem: a date appears wrong when it belongs to another territory. Fix: write “Japan,” “North America” or “Europe” beside each date and consult the regional Nintendo site.
Assuming current access will remain unchanged
Problem: a subscription catalogue, store listing or remake edition changes. Fix: record the access method and recheck the regional store when you are ready to play.
Forcing Zelda’s branches into one list
Problem: Child, Adult and Downfall outcomes become indistinguishable. Fix: show them as separate headings or columns, beginning with Ocarina of Time as the split.
Useful historical anchors
Nintendo’s published history records the NES-era launches of Super Mario Bros., Metroid and The Legend of Zelda; Pokémon’s Japanese debut in 1996; Ocarina of Time in 1998; Metroid Prime and The Wind Waker in 2003; and Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire in 2003. The same history notes that more than 500,000 Nintendo 64 systems sold on Japan’s launch day and that one million Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver units sold during their European launch weekend. These figures are historical milestones, not recommendations about which version to play.
Bottom line
Use original release order as your default route, keep remakes and spin-offs visibly separate, and document the territory and hardware for every date. Add timeline order only when Nintendo provides a chronology; for Zelda, begin with the pre-Ocarina era, treat Ocarina of Time as the split, and follow the Child, Adult and Downfall branches separately. Recheck regional availability and current timeline materials before starting, because Nintendo’s dates, catalogues and explanations can change.
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