The Zelda series is my form of a comfort blankie. When I play any game from what is ultimately my favorite franchise, I feel completely content. Whether I’m traversing Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time, or running for my life as a Guardian chases me in Breath of the Wild, I know my time has been well spent (for me, at least). And this very thought leads me to wonder just how much time I’ve sunk into playing Zelda games this year — it’s sure been a lot!

You can bet that I’ll play my top tier games at least once a year. And as Ocarina of Time takes the number one spot, I’ve played it three or fours times for sure. I attempt to speedrun this game, so let’s say I’ve put around 24 hours on the tally.

Next up is Skyward Sword, which clocked around 15 hours. I know I spent some time on Majora’s Mask as well. I completed most of the sidequests, and took my own sweet time with it too, so I’m going to say I gave it around 18 hours.

Then there is Twilight Princess. This game is a feat, and I’ve been a little out of practise, so with two playthroughs, let’s add in 23 hours, just for good measure. I played Breath of the Wild just the once, but racked up around 40 hours just visiting my favorite spots (Lurelin Village), and aimlessly doing my thing.

Link’s Awakening for Switch received just one round on the dancefloor, but was followed up with the Game & Watch version, so combined they total approximately 26 hours (I know, I should be ashamed that it took so long!). I also played The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link, which I’m sure I poured far too many hours in to, so let’s allocate 20 hours to those, and thank goodness for Rewind or I’d never have finished!

Phantom Hourglass got several rocks around the clock. I worked hard at this one and played it a whole five times! My best time barely improved but I learned some cool strats. I’m giving 28 hours to this title! A Link Between Worlds also got some limelight, with around 9 hours on the timer.

I did play other games, including Age of Calamity and Link’s Crossbow Training, so I’ll add in a miscellaneous 24 hours, just for good measure. To be honest, most of my time on these particular titles was spent in 2020.

So, drum roll please! My total time spent playing Zelda games in 2021 is approximately….. 227 hours! Now that isn’t bad going for a fully functioning adult!

What about you? How many hours did you contribute to playing Zelda this year? Let us know in the comments below!

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