Nintendo has quietly updated the official The Legend of Zelda timeline, adding a second founding of Hyrule to the series’ chronology. The revision comes as the Ocarina of Time remake prepares to revisit one of the most consequential points in the franchise’s famously complex history.
The revised chronology appears on Nintendo’s new Japanese website, launched as part of the company’s celebrations for the 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda franchise. The site went live following a dedicated anniversary-focused Nintendo Direct, though Nintendo did not specifically highlight the timeline change during the September 8 showcase.
Nintendo’s Zelda Timeline Now Has Two Foundings of Hyrule
As first noted by YouTuber Zeltik, the updated chronology on the new Zelda website now explicitly lists two instances of the Kingdom of Hyrule being founded. The first remains in its established position after the events of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and before The Minish Cap. A second founding now appears much later in the timeline, immediately before the ancient events depicted in Tears of the Kingdom, including Ganondorf’s transformation into the Demon King and the subsequent Imprisoning War that is recapped throughout the latest mainline entry in the franchise.
Nintendo’s New Zelda Timeline Strengthens the Hyrule Refounding Theory
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Image via Nintendo -
Image via Nintendo -
The change lends substantial support to the long-running fan theory that King Rauru and Queen Sonia did not establish the original Hyrule seen throughout most of the franchise. Instead, it suggests that the old kingdom eventually disappeared and that the pair founded a new Hyrule in the distant future. Nintendo’s new website still does not explicitly describe the event as a “refounding,” however, so interpreting the revised chronology as confirmation of two distinct Hyrules still requires a small assumption. Looking at an even broader historical context, the question of how Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom fit into the wider Zelda timeline has remained deliberately murky for years, and the new chronology does not do much to clear it up, even if it does strengthen some possibilities.
Nintendo officially added the second founding of Hyrule to the canon just months before the upcoming release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, currently scheduled for November 5, 2026. Whether the timing has any bearing on the remake remains unclear. Zeltik, who specializes in Zelda lore, recently pointed to Kokiri markings in the reimagined game that resemble Queen Sonia’s tattoos, though the connection remains highly speculative. The similarities may simply reflect an effort to align the remake’s visual language with newer Zelda games rather than hint at deeper lore implications.
Before the quiet Zelda timeline update, the strongest official support for the Hyrule refounding theory came from a 2023 Famitsu interview with Tears of the Kingdom director Hidemaro Fujibayashi. In the interview, Fujibayashi suggested that the latest installment in the long-running series did not necessarily contradict the established timeline, raising the possibility that Hyrule had once been destroyed before the kingdom depicted in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom was founded.
- Released
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November 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
Source: GamesRadar+
