Three Years Ago, Nintendo Delivered One of the Greatest Video Games of All Time--The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
It's already been three years since Nintendo released not just one of its best entries in one of its most beloved series--but also one of the all-time great video games, especially for the open-world genre.
Today, May 12, is the third anniversary of the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on the Nintendo Switch. This sequel to 2017's Breath of the Wild. which would go down in history as an open-world title that pushed the genre forward in terms of scope and freedom, saw similar praise and aimed to improve virtually every aspect of its predecessor.
Tears of the Kingdom takes place years after Breath of the Wild, with the two games forming their own continuity at the end of the Zelda series timeline. Link returns as the main playable character, with him needing to find Princess Zelda, stop the "gloom" from spreading, and defeat the Demon King.
Tears of the Kingdom, like its predecessor, features open-world sandbox gameplay on the same Hyrule world map as Breath of the Wild, but with two additional maps: the Sky and the Depths. Almost every puzzle, traversal segment, and combat encounter can be completed in different ways, giving players the freedom to "break" the game in any way they see fit.
One of the biggest additions to Tears of the Kingdom was a building mechanic that allowed players to fuse almost every item in the game with another item, creating unique puzzle solutions, environmental hazard workarounds, and even drivable vehicles.
Over on Metacritic, Tears of the Kingdom is sitting at an impressive 96 metascore, tying it for the best-reviewed game of 2023 with Baldur's Gate 3.
Tears of the Kingdom, along with its predecessor, has served as a major influence for other open-world games, such as the recent Crimson Desertand 2022's Elden Ring. The two games are often contrasted with typical "checklist-y" open-world games.
Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom were released in 2025 for the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, which feature better frame rates, resolution, and a few new features, like Zelda Notes.
According to a recent leak, a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time may be in development and is the next major release in the series, purportedly set for late 2026.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 3:31 PM.