A century after Calamity Ganon devastated Hyrule and felled its Champions, an amnesiac Link wakes to reclaim his memories and free Princess Zelda, who has held the Calamity at bay alone the entire time. Nintendo places it at the distant-future point after all three post-Ocarina-of-Time branches — but has never said which one it descends from.
Placement Reasoning
Nintendo's official chart places BOTW/TOTK after all three branches converge, but deliberately does not specify which branch precedes them. Verified against a Famitsu interview (translated by Kotaku and Source Gaming) in which Aonuma and Fujibayashi confirm this is an intentional, unresolved puzzle for players.
Notable & Interesting
- Series producer Eiji Aonuma and director Hidemaro Fujibayashi have stated on record this ambiguity is deliberate — 'that's up to the player's imagination' — leaving Child, Adult, and Downfall theories all technically live.
- Its open-world redesign, diegetic Sheikah Slate interface, and minimalist HUD reshaped both the series and the wider open-world genre.
Connections
- Direct prequel to
Tears of the Kingdom - Parallel story with
Hyrule Warriors: Age of CalamityAoC retells this game's backstory as a winnable what-if.
Part of these threads
The Master SwordGanon's IncarnationsZelda's IncarnationsLink's IncarnationsThe Zora & the RitoThe Kokiri & the KoroksThe GoronsThe GerudoThe SheikahThe HookshotBottles & Bottled FairiesHeart ContainersRupeesThe Hylian ShieldBokoblins & MoblinsOctoroksLynelsCuccosEpona & the Horses of HyruleGreat FairiesThe Temple of TimeHyrule CastleDeath MountainThe Lost WoodsThe BowBombsImpaThe Gerudo DesertZora's Domain