The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the latest entry in the long-running series. It is a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, which took the world by storm when it was released back with the launch of the Nintendo Switch in 2017.
Now, six years later, Nintendo has finally released the long-awaited follow-up to 2017’s Game of the Year. With that amount of time between the games, there are naturally going to be plenty of players that are interested in Tears of the Kingdom but have not had a chance to check out Breath of the Wild just yet. We’ll explore whether or not you can play Tears of the Kingdom prior to playing BOTW.
Should You Play Zelda: Breath of the Wild before Tears of the Kingdom?
This is a tricky question to answer, but technically, no, you do not need to have played Breath of the Wild to understand and enjoy Tears of the Kingdom. Although you will miss out on an incredible amount of references and world-building, the game tells a self-contained story that does not require you to have played Breath of the Wild prior to starting it.
You’ll encounter the same world of Hyrule years later, with different villages and characters from the first game returning. Certainly, you will run into questions with characters such as Sidon, especially since you experienced his growth in BOTW. Additionally, plenty of the areas and villages you visit in Breath of the Wild have grown and changed drastically.
It really is up to you, however, we do feel that you miss out on a lot of world-building and overall payoff by choosing to skip 2017’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
What’s New in Tears of the Kingdom?
TOTK offers a plethora of new features, but also offers all sorts of returning ones as well! You can now travel across the sky and explore the Sky Islands, which were left behind by the mysterious Zonai. One of the most popular and fun features in BOTW, shield surfing, is back and better than ever inside Tears of the Kingdom!
There is a giant new world to explore, regardless of the game being a sequel. If you’re diving into Hyrule anytime soon or currently, be sure to check out all of Final Weapon’s guides!
