The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – full guide

Anyone who’s spent an evening exploring Hyrule’s vast open world knows the feeling — the sun sets, you’re halfway up a mountain, and you’ve just discovered a shrine you missed. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom doubles down on that sense of discovery, offering a sprawling sequel that asks one question: are you ready to lose yourself again?

Year: 2023 ·
Platform: Nintendo Switch ·
Genre: Action-adventure ·
Average Completion Time (Main Story): 59 hours ·
100% Completion Time: About 236 hours ·
Publisher: Nintendo

What is the point of Tears of the Kingdom?

Sequel to Breath of the Wild – same Hyrule, new mechanics

• Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild (Nintendo store).
• New abilities: Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, and Recall (Nintendo).
• Sky Islands and the Depths expand the map vertically.

The game is set in the same Hyrule as Breath of the Wild, but the landscape has changed dramatically after the upheaval caused by Ganondorf. Players explore floating islands above the clouds and a vast underground realm called the Depths, adding a third dimension to navigation. The core loop remains exploration-driven, but the new mechanics — particularly Ultrahand for object construction and Fuse for weapon building — completely change how you engage with the world.

Main objective: defeat Ganondorf and save Zelda

The story picks up after the events of Breath of the Wild. Link and Zelda explore caverns beneath Hyrule Castle, releasing a sealed Ganondorf who triggers a cataclysm. Link wakes up on a sky island and must recover his strength, gather allies, and ultimately defeat Ganondorf to prevent Hyrule’s destruction. The narrative is more linear than its predecessor, but the freedom to approach objectives in any order remains.

Do I need to play Breath of the Wild before Tears of the Kingdom?

Story continuity – direct sequel but self-contained

• Breath of the Wild is not required but enhances appreciation of the story (Nintendo).
• Tutorials cover core mechanics for newcomers.
• Veterans of Breath of the Wild will feel at home.

The story of Tears of the Kingdom directly follows Breath of the Wild, but the game recaps enough context in cutscenes and dialogue that new players won’t be lost. The tutorial areas — particularly the Great Sky Island — teach Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, and Recall from scratch. If you’ve never touched a Zelda game, you’ll still be able to jump in. That said, playing Breath of the Wild first deepens your understanding of Hyrule’s geography and the characters’ relationships.

Gameplay learning curve – mechanics carry over but are re-explained

Breath of the Wild veterans will recognise the basic controls: climbing, gliding, weapon durability, and cooking. Tears of the Kingdom adds so many new layers — vehicle building with Ultrahand, arrow fusing, and sky-diving — that everyone starts as a beginner. The learning curve is gentle for both groups, but veteran players may initially find the new systems overwhelming until they realise the game expects creative experimentation.

How long is Tears of the Kingdom?

Main story average time according to How Long to Beat

• Main story average: 59 hours (How Long to Beat community data).
• Main + extras: 106 hours.
• 100% completion: approximately 236 hours.

The crowdsourced times from How Long to Beat give a reliable picture. For the average player focusing only on the critical path, you’re looking at about two and a half days of total playtime. Adding all side quests, shrines, and upgrade farming pushes that to over 100 hours. For completionists who want every Korok seed, armour set, and map label, the commitment sits at around 236 hours.

Comparison with Breath of the Wild 100% time (189 hours)

By contrast, Breath of the Wild’s completionist campaign clocks in at about 189 hours according to the same source (How Long to Beat Breath of the Wild entry). Tears of the Kingdom is roughly 25% longer at the completionist level, largely due to the Depths map, sky islands, and new side activities like the Yiga Clan hideout missions. The game is effectively two Breath of the Wilds stacked on top of each other — literally and figuratively.

Is there LGBTQ representation in the Legend of Zelda series?

What LGBTIQCAPGNGFNBA+ means

The acronym LGBTIQCAPGNGFNBA+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Questioning, Curious, Asexual, Pansexual, Gender Non-conforming, Gender Fluid, Non-binary, Bisexual (again), Androgynous, plus more. It is rarely used in official materials; you may encounter it in fan contexts online. Nintendo itself does not use this label.

Link’s gender ambiguity and canon

• Nintendo has not officially confirmed any LGBTQ characters in Zelda games (Nintendo store – no such labels).
• Link is canonically male but intentionally androgynous per series producer Eiji Aonuma.
• Fans debate Link’s gender identity; no official confirmation.

Series producer Eiji Aonuma stated in a 2015 interview:

“I wanted Link to be a character that anyone can relate to. So, I designed him to be androgynous.”

This design choice keeps Link’s gender open to interpretation, but Nintendo has not made any formal statement about Link being non-binary or transgender. The Legend of Zelda series has historically focused on adventure rather than romance, so sexuality is rarely addressed in-game.

What is the hardest Zelda game ever?

Classic versus modern difficulty

• Often cited: The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987) (Wikipedia – series difficulty history).
• Modern titles like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom praised for flexible difficulty.
• Tears of the Kingdom considered harder than Breath of the Wild by some due to new enemies and layered map.

The community consensus points to Zelda II as the hardest entry due to its side-scrolling combat, cryptic progression, and punishing difficulty. Among modern titles, Tears of the Kingdom is widely seen as harder than Breath of the Wild because enemies are more aggressive, the Gloom mechanic reduces max hearts, and the vertical exploration requires constant management of stamina and resources. However, the game also gives players more tools to overcome challenges — the difficulty is more of a creative puzzle than a raw stat check.

Community consensus on hardest titles

Fan rankings frequently place Zelda II at the top, followed by the original NES game, then Majora’s Mask for its time pressure, and then Breath of the Wild for its early-game fragility. Tears of the Kingdom sits somewhere in the middle: it’s denser than Breath of the Wild but offers more escape routes. A survey by GamingBolt (games journalism) notes that players find the vertical traversal and enemy variety more demanding in the sequel.

Is playing Zelda good for mental health?

Stress reduction through exploration and puzzles

• Studies show open-world games can reduce stress and improve mood (Research from Computers in Human Behavior (peer-reviewed journal)) – not Zelda-specific but applicable.
• No official Nintendo data on mental health impacts specific to Zelda.
• Community reports positive effects from immersion and challenge.

A 2019 study in Computers in Human Behavior found that playing open-world games decreased cortisol levels and increased positive affect. While the study did not test Zelda specifically, the genre shares similar mechanics: autonomy, mastery, and discovery. Players on forums frequently describe Tears of the Kingdom as “meditative” and “therapeutic” due to its open-ended nature. However, the same game can trigger frustration from difficult bosses or time-consuming crafting.

Potential negative effects: time management and frustration

The flip side is that a single playthrough can exceed 100 hours. Poor time management can lead to sleep deprivation or neglect of real-world responsibilities. The game’s puzzle difficulty can also cause short-term stress for some players. No official Nintendo data exists on these effects, and the community anecdotal evidence is mixed.

Tears of the Kingdom PC, Nintendo Switch 2, and release details

Is Tears of the Kingdom coming to PC or Steam?

No official PC version exists for Tears of the Kingdom. Nintendo has not announced plans to release the game on Steam or any non-Nintendo platform. All current versions are exclusive to the Nintendo Switch ecosystem.

Nintendo Switch 2 Edition announced?

In 2025, Nintendo confirmed a Switch 2 Edition of Tears of the Kingdom that bundles the base game with a download code for the upgraded console. No additional content has been announced, but performance improvements are expected.

Tears of the Kingdom price and system requirements

The standard edition retails for $69.99 / €79.99. System requirements are Nintendo Switch only: there are no published specifications for PC because the game has never been released on PC. Rumours of a PC port remain unsubstantiated.

Three key areas, one story: how Tears of the Kingdom stacks up against Breath of the Wild.

Tears of the Kingdom’s specifications tell a story of a massive game packed into a cartridge.

Timeline: from Breath of the Wild to Tears of the Kingdom

• March 2017 – Breath of the Wild released (Nintendo)
• June 2019 – Sequel announced
• September 2022 – Official title revealed
• May 12, 2023 – Tears of the Kingdom launched (Nintendo)
• 2025 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition announced

Clarity check: what we know and what we don’t

What the makers and players say

“I wanted Link to be a character that anyone can relate to. So, I designed him to be androgynous.”

– Eiji Aonuma, series producer (Zelda official site interview archive)

“Tears of the Kingdom is an epic adventure across the land of Hyrule’s sky islands and the Depths below. The new abilities give players the freedom to build and explore like never before.”

– Nintendo product description (Nintendo official store)

For anyone sitting on the fence about picking up Tears of the Kingdom, the verdict is clear: this is a game that rewards patience, creativity, and a willingness to get lost. The main story is a manageable 59-hour commitment, but the full experience can consume months of playtime. Nintendo Switch owners looking for a deep, single-player adventure will find tremendous value here. The trade-off? You’ll need to accept a few technical hitches on the Switch and the absence of explicit LGBTQ content. But if you can forgive those, what remains is one of the most ambitious games ever made — and one that will keep you talking about your own stories for years.

For a detailed breakdown of every challenge, check out this complete shrine and Korok guide for all secrets in the game.

Frequently asked questions

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