Games Like Zelda for More Adventure Across Every Era

The Zelda franchise has defined action-adventure for nearly 40 years. From the 2D overworlds of the original NES classic through the 3D revolution of Ocarina of Time through Breath of the Wild's physics-driven open world and Tears of the Kingdom's vehicle construction, Zelda has reinvented itself across generations while maintaining core DNA — a hero, a quest, dungeons full of puzzles, and a world that rewards exploration.

The question "games like Zelda" means different things depending on which Zelda hooked you. The 2D era is different from the 3D era, which is different from the modern open-world era. This guide covers games that capture specific Zelda appeals across all these traditions.

Games Like Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom

If what you loved was the physics-driven open world:

Elden Ring offers soulslike open world with comparable scope.

Genshin Impact is anime-styled open world clearly inspired by Breath of the Wild. Genshin coverage.

Wuthering Waves is Genshin's biggest competitor.

Horizon Forbidden West has beautiful post-apocalyptic exploration.

Horizon Zero Dawn is the prequel.

Tunic is isometric Zelda-like with cryptographic puzzle depth.

Death's Door is isometric action-adventure with Zelda DNA.

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is no-combat cozy exploration.

Sable is peaceful Moebius-inspired desert exploration.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits has Pixar-quality animation in atmospheric action-adventure.

Games Like Ocarina of Time / Twilight Princess / Wind Waker

If what you loved was the 3D Zelda adventure formula:

Okami (original PS2 and remasters) is brush-painting action-adventure in Japanese mythology. Often described as "Zelda with brush painting."

Ico is atmospheric puzzle-adventure from Team Ico.

Shadow of the Colossus is Team Ico's colossus-slaying adventure.

The Last Guardian is Team Ico's final piece.

Alundra (PS1 classic) is isometric action-adventure. Zelda influences clear.

Beyond Good & Evil is action-adventure with photography mechanics.

Darksiders 2 and Darksiders 3 have action-adventure with Zelda-inspired dungeon design.

Darksiders: Genesis is the isometric entry.

Starfox Adventures on Gamecube is Rare's Zelda-like. Featured in Gamecube coverage.

Games Like A Link to the Past / A Link Between Worlds

If the 2D top-down Zelda is your preference:

Secret of Mana is classic JRPG with action combat.

Trials of Mana is the SNES classic.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Switch remake) is essential.

Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas is direct Zelda-alike.

Hyper Light Drifter is gorgeous action-adventure with Zelda aesthetic.

Hyper Light Breaker is the sequel.

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King is A Link to the Past-alike indie.

Ittle Dew 2 is puzzle-focused Zelda-alike.

Anodyne 1 and 2 are Zelda-adjacent surreal adventure games.

Tunic (mentioned above) is the best modern Zelda-like.

Death's Door (mentioned above) has Zelda structure.

Chrono Trigger is classic JRPG but shares exploration and progression DNA with 2D Zelda.

Games Like The Legend of Zelda (Original NES)

If you love the openness of the original:

The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is the unusual sequel to the original.

Crystalis (NES) is the action-RPG often called "better than Zelda II."

Faxanadu (NES) is action RPG with Zelda elements.

Golden Axe Warrior (Sega Master System) is direct competitor to original Zelda.

StarTropics is Nintendo's tropical action-adventure.

The Metroidvanias

Zelda's influence extends into the metroidvania genre:

Hollow Knight is atmospheric metroidvania. Full Hollow Knight coverage.

Metroid Dread and Metroid Prime Remastered are Metroid's peak. Metroid Prime in Gamecube coverage.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night defined modern metroidvania.

Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps are gorgeous platformer-metroidvanias. Ori coverage.

Tunic (mentioned above).

Blasphemous and Blasphemous 2 are Spanish religious horror metroidvanias.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is modern 2D Prince of Persia metroidvania.

The Puzzle-Focused Games

Zelda's dungeons are puzzle experiences. Games with similar dungeon-puzzle design:

The Witness is first-person puzzle-exploration. Puzzle coverage.

Portal and Portal 2 are puzzle-adventure masterpieces. Portal coverage.

Baba Is You is mind-bending puzzle game.

The Talos Principle and Talos Principle 2 are philosophical puzzle games.

Stephen's Sausage Roll is brutal Sokoban.

Animal Well is compact metroidvania with enormous puzzle depth.

The Action RPGs

Final Fantasy XVI is action RPG. Final Fantasy coverage.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is massive open-world action RPG.

Monster Hunter Wilds is weapon-focused action RPG.

Kingdom Hearts III continues the Disney-Final Fantasy crossover.

Tales of Arise is modern Tales JRPG.

The Explorer-Adventure Games

Outer Wilds is space exploration with discovery-based progression. Outer Wilds coverage.

Subnautica is underwater exploration survival.

Return of the Obra Dinn is deduction puzzle mystery.

Dave the Diver is sushi restaurant management and diving exploration.

Eastshade is peaceful painting adventure.

The Zelda Franchise Timeline

For completeness, the Zelda games themselves:

The Legend of Zelda (1986) — 2D top-down Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987) — side-scrolling A Link to the Past (1991) — 2D top-down peak Link's Awakening (1993) — Game Boy 2D Ocarina of Time (1998) — 3D revolution Majora's Mask (2000) — darker, time-manipulation Wind Waker (2002) — cel-shaded Twilight Princess (2006) — darker Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks (DS) — touch controls Skyward Sword (2011) — motion controls A Link Between Worlds (2013) — 2D top-down return Breath of the Wild (2017) — open world revolution Tears of the Kingdom (2023) — vehicle construction Echoes of Wisdom (2024) — top-down Zelda as Zelda

The different Zelda eras have fans who specifically love specific style. Your "games like Zelda" preference depends on which Zelda hooked you.

Why Zelda Endures

Zelda succeeds because Nintendo keeps reinventing the formula while preserving its soul. The core loop — explore, solve dungeons, gain new abilities, continue quest — has remained consistent from 1986 to 2026 despite massively different visual presentations and mechanical innovations.

Each Zelda game takes creative risks. Wind Waker's cel-shaded art style divided fans at launch. Majora's Mask's time-manipulation mechanic was wildly experimental. Breath of the Wild reinvented open-world design. Tears of the Kingdom added vehicle construction. Echoes of Wisdom played as Zelda instead of Link.

The games that succeed as "Zelda-likes" generally focus on one specific era. Tunic captures 2D Zelda, Elden Ring captures open-world scope, Okami captures 3D action-adventure. No single game matches "all of Zelda" because Zelda covers so much mechanical ground.

Start with Tunic if you want modern Zelda experience. Elden Ring for open-world scope. Hollow Knight for metroidvania equivalent. Hyper Light Drifter for aesthetic indie Zelda. Okami for action-adventure. Shadow of the Colossus for atmospheric adventure. All capture pieces of Zelda's magic, and together they cover the genre Zelda helped define.