New Zelda Timeline Update Confirms Two Hyrules Theory

Official Zelda Timeline Gets Even More Confusing With Ocarina Of Time Remake Published Sep 12, 2026, 9:19 AM EDT James Lucas is an Executive Editor at TheGamer who has worked in professional journalism since 2018. A Newcastle University graduate with a degree in Journalism, Media, and Culture, they have written hundreds of guides, news stories, and original reports, with bylines in IGN, NME, GaymingMag, and VG247, sourcing interviews with studio heads, legendary industry figures, prominent actors, and more. An expert on FPS games, Soulslikes, RPGs, and survival horror, James has intimate knowledge of a wide variety of titles, providing in-depth coverage and exclusive profiles. Some of the games they have extensively covered include: Half-Life 3, Counter-Strike, Elden Ring, and Fallout. They pride themselves on their consistently thorough research, leveraging nearly a decade of industry experience. You can reach them at James.t@thegamer.com Trying to piece together Zelda continuity is like trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle with different sized pieces, no artwork, and a finished picture that doesn’t line up. You’re left staring at a jumbled mess with edges shoved into ill-fitting openings and a painting that kind of resembles a forest, but also looks vaguely like a volcano. That hasn’t stopped theorists from painstakingly working to make a cohesive timeline, though. Even if strict continuity isn’t important to Shigeru Miyamoto and the creatives behind the series, there is an official Zelda timeline that gets updated with each new game for these dedicated fans. And with the upcoming release of the Ocarina of Time remake, that timeline has been updated once again, offering even more evidence that there are in fact two Hyrules. The theory goes that Zelda witnessed a second Hyrule being founded in Tears of the Kingdom, not the original as many had assumed. Indeed, as noted by YouTube channel Zeltik, the Japanese timeline now lists the “Establishment of the Kingdom of Hyrule” twice, once right before Minish Cap, and once right before Breath of the Wild. The Zelda Timeline: A Quick Explanation So, let’s get into the weeds of what this means for the timeline. Ocarina of Time’s ending ultimately gives rise to three different branches: an ‘Adult’ timeline in which Link defeats Ganondorf and the Seven Sages seal him away, a ‘Child’ timeline in which Zelda sends Link back to his childhood with all the knowledge he has accrued so that he can warn her of Ganondorf’s plans, allowing him to be stopped before he can conquer Hyrule, and a ‘Fallen’ timeline in which Link is defeated, allowing Ganondorf to claim the full power of the Triforce. The ‘Adult’ timeline leads into The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks; the ‘Child’ timeline leads into Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess, and Four Swords Adventures, whereas the ‘Fallen’ timeline leads into A link to the Past, Oracle of Seasons/Ages, Link’s Awakening, A Link Between Worlds, Tri Force Heroes, The Legend of Zelda, and Zelda 2. Eventually, following all of these disparate games, we find ourselves in a future where Link and Zelda’s stories have become the stuff of legend—Breath of the Wild. That gives us a fairly clean timeline. At least, as clean as Zelda can get. Ocarina of Time splits into three continuities, allowing each game to have a shared origin. Breath of the Wild then jumps ahead and unifies all of these stories as myth, allowing you to decide which timeline the game follows. However, problems arose when Tears of the Kingdom showed Zelda witnessing the founding of Hyrule. Thankfully, the new timeline offers a solution by establishing that there were in fact two foundings, confirming the theories. And to cap it all off, the Ocarina of Time remake itself appears to be bridging that gap far more explicitly, with visual references to Breath of the Wild in the Kokiri kids having Queen Sonia-esque tattoos, and Sheikah patterns now being consistent with the Switch games. All in all, here is a simplified breakdown of events: The First Hyrule Din, Nayru, and Farore—the Golden Goddesses—arrive in the primordial world and bring order to its chaos by imprisoning Null, creating the earth. The Golden Goddesses create the Triforce to prevent Null's rifts from returning the world to chaos. Hylia is entrusted with the Triforce, but Demise, the Demon King, raises an army in an attempt to seize it. Thousands of years later, Hylia is reincarnated as Zelda. Her childhood friend Link draws the Goddess Sword, revealing himself as the chosen hero. Link reforges the Goddess Sword using the Sacred Flames, creating the Master Sword, and ultimately obtains the Triforce. Link defeats Demise, whose lingering hatred becomes the foundation for the cyclical conflict between the descendants of the goddess and the spirit of the hero. The Kingdom of Hyrule is eventually established. The Second Hyrule A long "period of destruction" follows the events of the earlier Hyrule. The relationship between this era and the histories of the three Ocarina of Time timelines is unclear, and much of the intervening history has apparently been lost, distorted, or transformed into legend. The Zonai descend from the heavens and become a mysterious, godlike presence to the peoples of the surface. Rauru, a Zonai, encounters Sonia, a Hylian with sacred powers. They marry and establish a new Kingdom of Hyrule. Systems Released November 5, 2026 ESRB Everyone 10+ / Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence Developer(s) Nintendo Publisher(s) Nintendo Franchise The Legend of Zelda Genre(s) RPG, Action, Adventure