At the Game Awards on Dec. 8, there were many awards granted to the games of 2022 as well as plenty of announcements about what's coming in 2023. One moment that combined both hindsight and a look ahead was the award the most anticipated video game of 2023. To no one's surprise, the winner was the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the sequel to Breath of the Wild.
The Legend of Zelda has been going strong since its 1986 debut, and has since then been an incredible franchise that's generated some of the best video games of all time. Throughout the years, major Zelda games have dominated and have been some of the best-selling games ever.
A Link Between Worlds - 4.42 Million
The 3DS was a fantastic era for Nintendo gamers and the only brand-new game to be released on the 3DS for the Zelda franchise was A Link Between Worlds which sold 4.42 million units. This game takes place in the same Hyrule as A Link to the Past with many of the same dungeons changed a bit.
However, it isn't a remake and takes place generations later. The game is incredibly fun and offers fantastic new features like Link's new ability to merge into walls. Many fans were in awe of Lorule, the mirrored world of Hyrule that featured a few iconic characters' parallel counterparts.
The Wind Waker - 4.43 Million
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was one of the best-selling GameCube games and was a huge sensation that continues to be a fan favorite. The game also received an HD Remaster for the Wii U that sold 2.36 Million units.
The Wind Waker featured a vibrant and colorful world where Link could traverse the open sea and dock at multiple islands. The game managed to hold onto old and familiar concepts from past games while simultaneously giving a completely new and unique experience for gaming in general.
A Link to the Past - 4.46 Million
A Link to the Past was an immediate favorite of gamers when the game was released, and it helped define many important aspects of the Zelda franchise like one of the best swords in video games, the Master Sword.
The game brought back a more familiar style of gameplay like the first Legend of Zelda and helped push forward the future of 2D Zelda gaming. This game is very similar to A Link Between Worlds but features a much different story and a different world that Link can travel to called the Dark World.
Phantom Hourglass - 4.76 Million
It's fairly surprising that the Phantom Hourglass managed to have more sales than Wind Waker with a total of 4.76 million. However, this is likely due to the game being a sequel of Wind Waker and being released on the Nintendo DS, which remains Nintendo's best-selling video game console ever.
The game feels far more dull and simple when compared to Wind Waker and not many recurring Zelda fans were enthusiastic about the game. This negative reception also may have been why Spirit Tracks did not sell nearly as well even though it was also on the DS.
Link's Awakening Remake - 6.08 Million
The original Link's Awakening sold well in the past with its first release selling over 3 million units, and its second one making just over 2 million. However, the latest remake for the Nintendo Switch blows both of these numbers out of the water with 6.08 million sales.
This is largely thanks to the incredible amount of sales that the Nintendo Switch has been able to accumulate and is a reason why there will likely be more remakes and remasters of Zelda games in the future. Link's Awakening is by no means a bad game, however, and is a perfect follow-up from A Link to the Past that focuses far more on a lighter and more peaceful world.
Ocarina of Time 3D - 6.40 Million
Ocarina of Time has long since been known as one of the greatest video games of all time and there weren't many Zelda fans who didn't snatch at the opportunity to get the 3D remaster when it was released on the 3DS.
There weren't too many changes from the original and most of the game contained improved graphics and touches to any minor issues and bugs the original game had. Regardless, this was the best-selling handheld Zelda game.
The Legend of Zelda - 6.51 Million
The first Zelda game still remains to this day as one of the best 2D Legend of Zelda games in the franchise and one of the best-selling. The original game can be fairly difficult, especially without using any sort of guide or map.
However, it doesn't feel overwhelming or impossible, and figuring out where to go and what to do becomes less of an issue the more the player plays. The game opens up into a breathtaking experience as one of the most unique video games of all time.
Ocarina of Time - 7.6 Million
Ocarina of Time was the best-selling Zelda game for years and if it combined the sales with its 3DS counterpart it would be the second best-selling Zelda game overall. The game was released on the Nintendo 64 and received a total of 7.6 million sales.
This was an absolutely brilliant Zelda game that gave players a 3D Zelda game for the first time. Since then, Zelda fans constantly anticipated the next major 3D Zelda game, just knowing that it would be an incredible experience.
Twilight Princess - 8.58 Million
Twilight Princess is easily one of the best the Legend of Zelda games, so it's no surprise that the game managed to accumulate 8.58 million sales which was for the GameCube and Wii. Unfortunately, it barely managed to sell over 1 million units on the Wii U with its HD remaster, but this is more likely due to the poor sales of the console.
Regardless, Twilight Princess is one of the most engrossing and satisfying games ever with the most refined combat for Link, an engaging story, and an incredible world built up better than before. The game serves as the perfect successor to Ocarina of Time and is full of references from the game.
Breath of the Wild - 28.2 Million
Breath of the Wild was released on the Wii U and Nintendo Switch with over 28.2 million sales it's made between the two consoles. This has been the most discussed Zelda game of all time, and it completely redefined the franchise by tossing Link into the first-ever open-world game for Zelda.
Every inch of the game is incredibly well-designed with a beautifully vibrant world that Link can explore endlessly. While some longtime fans dislike how many old tropes disappeared in the new game, there are plenty of old references with the same regions and races appearing.