The Legend of Zeldais one of Nintendo’s most popular series, with installments on nearly every single Nintendo console since the franchise’s humble beginnings on the NES. As the games have evolved alongside video gaming as an art form, they’ve gotten progressively more complex, which gives players a lot to discover and unlock as they adventure.
By the most recent entries in the series,The Legend of Zeldahas expanded far past what many considered possible for video games. It comes to a great detriment to some completionists, who in the past faced the challenge of completing each game 100%, although these eightZeldatitles really put them to the test with their various completion methods.
Updated July 02, 2025, by Blaise Santi:While many of the most recognizable titles in theLegend of Zeldafranchise are notoriously challenging to 100% complete, there are a few other titles that even hardcore fans of the series may never have played. In the case of these additional Zelda games, they cross the line from tedious to impossible to 100% complete. This is especially true as the consoles they were available on fade further into gaming history. However, for fans who had the opportunity to 100% complete them earlier in the game’s life span, they can attest that these new entries to the list are among the most challenging to beat.
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroesis an underrated title in theZeldalibrary, having been a 3DS exclusive centered around a multiplayer campaign. While it does include support for single players, the game mainly requires a trio of 3DS owners to link up via wireless connection. This can make it a tough game to complete, as theremustbe three players altogether.
Simply put, gathering a trio of gamers to complete 128 missions might take some time, especially when 100% completion also requires unlocking 36 costumes and collecting 15 Friendly Tokens. The Friendly Tokens can only be acquired by playing with friends, making completion impossible for 3DS users, especially after Nintendo shuts down online services for the console.
Released in 2004,The Minish Capwas a Game Boy Advance exclusive that made its debut on the Nintendo Switch Online service over a year ago. The game is a typical top-down 2DZelda, though it boasts an interesting list of tasks needed to complete it 100%. The most difficult of those is the fusing of kinstones, which requires players to explore the entire map.
What’s even more difficult is collecting all 136 figurines, which are necessary in order to complete the Heart Containers. Players can only buy figurines at random by spending mysterious shells, so get used to farming them. However, they can also be bought in groups of 30 for 200 rupees each, which makes acquiring tons of them a lot easier.
Difficult Boss Battles And a Vast World To Explore
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
This direct sequel to the original The Legend of Zelda is famed for taking the series in a new direction, while also introducing elements that would become standard in future Zelda games. In Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Link must seek the Triforce of Courage and awaken Princess Zelda from a sleeping spell. Meanwhile, Ganon’s minions are trying to resurrect their master. Zelda II uses a side-scrolling view and overworld map, and features role-playing aspects that are unique to the series.
The first-everZeldasequel was released on the NES in 1988, offering a very different take on the franchise as introduced in the original game from 1986. InZelda II: The Adventure of Link, players explore a side-scrolling open world, growing stronger by defeating enemies and gaining levels. However, these RPG mechanics make it a much harder game to 100%.
Not only do players have to fully upgrade their Life, Magic, and Attack meters, but they must explore the world of Hyrule and collect numerous Treasure Bags, Link Dolls, and collect every Spell. It can be hard to accomplish all these optional tasks before completing this game, especially considering howdifficult boss battles like Dark Linknotoriously are.
Even the Best Gamers Needed a Nintendo Power Subscription
The Legend of Zelda
The epic series The Legend of Zelda began here, with the heroic Link on a hazardous journey through the fantastic world of Hyrule. Using your sword, your shield and your wits, retrieve the eight fragments of the Triforce and save Princess Zelda.This groundbreaking game introduced innovative ideas that are still present in Zelda games more than 25 years later. Not only is Link’s original adventure action-packed, it also features puzzling dungeons to explore and a myriad of secrets to discover.
IfZelda II: The Adventure of Linkchallenges players with its open world exploration and hidden secrets, good luck completingthe originalThe Legend of Zeldafor NESwithout a strategy guide. 100% completion was even a consideration of the designers, as this game was one of the first ever to include save states, letting players pick up where they left off.
UnlikeThe Adventure of Link, which requires players to become the strongest version of themselves to 100% it,The Legend of Zeldahas some side quests that can be easily forgotten about. For instance, there’s finding a letter to give to the Old Woman, or uncovering every hidden shortcuts in the various dungeons throughout Hyrule.
As theZeldafranchise transitioned into 3D, it introduced many new avenues for players to complete in order to 100% each game. One example of this isTwilight Princess, which was released for the GameCube and Wii in 2006. This game has an above average amount of collectibles and side quests, from Poe Souls for Jovani, to Golden Bugs for Agitha.
Additionally, 100% completion ofTwilight Princessalso requires players to face difficult challenges, such as the Cave of Ordeals and the mini-game Rollgoal. Particularly forTwilight Princess HD, which was re-released on the Wii U, players will need to beat an entire dungeonunlocked with the Wolf Link amiibo, as well as complete two entire game modes.
Compared to otherThe Legend of Zeldatitles, the Nintendo GameCube’sThe Wind Wakercontainsa vast amount of side quests and collectiblesneeded to 100% the game. Some of these include bringing Joy Pendants to Mrs. Marie, earn the Master rank from Orca, and collecting a total of 61 charts from various Tingle cousins throughout the Great Sea.
Some collectibles are incredibly difficult to find, such as the 148 treasure chests found underwater in the Great Sea, as well as Figurines of every character in the game. There are also additional challenges depending on whether you’re completing it on GameCube or in the Wii U HD remake, but we’d recommend Wii U to avoid any Tingle Tuner-related quests.
Defeat Both Games to 100% Complete Either One
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
A Hero for all SeasonsThe land of Holodrum is slowly withering. Onox, the General of Darkness, has imprisoned the Oracle of Seasons and is draining the very life out of the land. With the seasons in tumult and the forces of evil running rampant, the world looks for a hero…and finds Link. His quest won’t be easy-he’ll have to master the seasons themselves if he’s to turn back the evil tide.• Wield the Rod of Seasons! Changes in weather open new paths and reveal hidden mysteries!• Use tons of items! Link will master new items like Mystical Seeds and over 60Magical Rings as well as classic tools like Roc’s Feather and the Power Bracelet.• Link gets reinforcements! Fly, swim and jump to new heights with all-new characters like Moosh the winged bear, Ricky the marsupial, and Dimitri the Dodongo!
Only one time in the entireZeldafranchise has Nintendo released two games simultaneously, similar toPokemongames. Although these handheld titles on GameBoy Advance aren’t incredibly difficult installments, the only way to 100% either game is to play them together as Linked Games, completing one before starting the other.
Fortunately, Nintendo makes this easy by revealing a Hero’s Secret at the end of the game, which players can input at the start of the next game to play it as a continuation. The game also has its fair share of collectibles to gather, as well as helping to raise Bipsom, a small child whose upbringing is a result of Link’s direct actions throughout the game.
Majora’s Maskis notoriously one of the hardestZeldagames to complete on its own, let alone 100% it. Due to the game’s 3-day timeframe and time travel mechanics, players might have a difficult time keeping track of every side quest within the game, which are necessary to complete in order to collect at twenty non-transformation masks at the end of the game.
By collecting every single non-transformation mask inMajora’s Mask, players will obtain the Fierce Deity Mask, which can only be used during boss battles. Additionally, players will need tobuy numerous maps from Tingle, and in the remake for the 3DS, obtain a Fishing Hole Pass so they can collect all 24 types of fish.
If anyThe Legend of Zeldagame was difficult to 100% complete prior to the release ofBreath of the Wild,the Nintendo Switch/Wii U gamecompletely blew them out of the water. As the first fully-fledged open world game,Breath of the Wildhas a countless amount of side quests, non-playable characters, and map areas to explore throughout the main story.
Most of player’s time will be spent completing Main Quests and unlocking all 120 Ancient Shrines hidden throughout Hyrule. Additionally, there are numerous Armor Sets to discover, some of which are exclusive to amiibo figures. Plus,Breath of the Wildhas numerous quests and storylines unlocked through downloadable content, including all-new Game Modes.
The latest installment of theZeldafranchise takes the already intimidatingBreath of the Wildand triples the amount of content. Not only do players have to do a similar amount of workcompleting the game for the main story, butTears of the Kingdomalso introduces new verticality to Hyrule to discover with the Sky Islands above and the Depths below.
WithTears of the Kingdom, those who have 100% completedBreath of the Wildmay feel like they’re repeating steps, such as collecting Armor Sets, Memories, Inventory Slots, and Shrines. However,Tears of the Kingdomalso adds many new collectibles, from 34 Yiga Schematics, to a total of 53 Paraglider fabrics, 24 of which are amiibo exclusive.
