The Legend Of Zelda: The 10 Best Mini-Games In The Franchise

Highlights

• Each Zelda game comes with unique mini-games, from digging for treasure to squid hunting, adding layers of entertainment and challenge.
• Mini-games like Horseback Archery and Boom Bam Golf offer players a mix of excitement, frustration, and instant rewards within the Zelda franchise.
• From Snowboarding with Yetis to protecting cows from aliens, Zelda mini-games like Mail Sorting and Romani Ranch Defense offer diverse challenges and fun experiences.

Many elements make The Legend of Zelda such an iconic franchise, notably its similar story structure across games. By innovating on its varying defining features, the collection of games has managed to maintain its relevance within the gaming world.

In fact, there is much more to the franchise than just Zelda, Link, and Hyrule, as each game comes with its own layers of extra content that make it unique. Besides some creative side missions, the Zelda collection is filled with entertaining, addicting, and infuriating mini-games that mark each title of the franchise.

1 Treasure Field Digging – A Link To The Past

Digging Up Treasures And Rupees Is Zelda’s Earliest Gem

• Goal: Dig as many holes as possible before the timer runs out
• Reward: Anything players dig up
• Cost: Rent a shovel for 80 rupees

As one of the earlier Zelda Games, A Link to the Past still contains one of the most entertaining mini-games of the franchise. With the simple premise of digging holes to find treasure, this is an easy and enjoyable way to fill Link’s pockets.

The Treasure Field Digging’s popularity made sure that it was later refined in other installments. For instance, the Thrill Digger mini-game in Skyward Sword has players digging rupees in a mine-sweeper template.

2 Squid-Hunt – The Wind Waker

Battleship But With Higher Stakes And Squid Hunting

• Goal: Find Squids in an 8×8 grid
• Reward: Different rewards each time
• Cost: 10 rupees

When visiting Salvatore’s Store in The Wind Waker, players have the chance to engage in a mini-game similar to Battleship, as they have 24 shots to find 3 squids in a grid. Fitting right in with the game’s theme, this version of Battleship heightens the stakes of the classic game.

No matter the luck, fans have to play quite a few times to get all the rewards this game offers, making it an addicting addition to the installment.

3 Horseback Archery – Ocarina Of Time

Classic Zelda Target Practice With Link And Epona

• Goal: Shoot as many targets as possible while riding a horse
• Reward: Can vary from Piece of Heart to a bigger Quiver
• Cost: 20 rupees

Ocarina of Time set so many trends among Zelda installments, and its mini-games are no different. The Horseback Archery mini-game has players riding their trusty steed, Epona, while aiming arrows.

Horses are one of the staples of Zelda games, and nothing gets the blood pumping like target practice while riding a horse. Frustrating as it can be, this game gives an instant feeling of reward when hitting a hard target, with Majora’s Mask and Breath of the Wild also featuring their own versions.

4 Boom Bam Golf – Breath Of The Wild

Golf On A Macro Scale, Bigger And Better

• Goal: Get the boulder in the hole with the least number of “hits”
• Reward: Rupees of different values depending on how many “shots”
• Cost: 20 rupees

It doesn’t get any better than hitting a giant boulder to play macro-golf in the canyons. Even though part of this game is about brute force, the game also demands some finesse to make sure the ball or boulder goes toward the hole.

Highly addicting, this mini-game has the player wasting some great weapons to hit the boulder as far as possible. Who would have guessed that making a bigger ball and hole would make golf more fun?

5 Mail Sorting – The Wind Waker

Intense Organization Game With No Cost And Rewarding Sound Effects

• Goal: Sort the mail in the right slots before the timer runs out
• Reward: First time 20 rupees and second time a Heart Piece
• Cost: Free

Although organization cozy games are more popular nowadays, the Mail Sorting mini-game was revolutionizing on its own by bringing a satisfying challenge to players. This addictive task has players sorting mail with fulfilling sound effects as an instant reward.

With an intense playthrough, easy concept, and fulfilling “ding” sound, this mini-game might just be one of the reasons The Wind Waker is one of the hardest Zelda games to fully complete.

6 Romani Ranch Defense – Majora’s Mask

Terrific And Terrorizing Night Adventure To Protect Cows From Aliens

• Goal: Protect the cows from alien specters during the whole night
• Reward: Milk bottle
• Cost: Free

When young Romani asks Link for help, the hero has to get out of his comfort zone to stop a terrifying alien invasion, protecting Romani’s beloved cows from being abducted.

This game gets points for its original concept and scary premise, both matching Majora’s Mask‘s tone as one of the darkest Nintendo games. Even though the gameplay is basically a regular target practice, the stakes are higher as a wave of terrifying specters threatens to take the cows and the young Romani.

7 Sky Island Diving – Tears Of The Kingdom

Free Falling Fun With A View To Match

• Goal: Dive through all the rings as fast as possible
• Reward: Glide Shirt, Large Zonai Charge and Glide Mask
• Cost: One Zonai Charge

A huge part of Tears of the Kingdom is jumping off Sky Islands, yet this mini-game makes it a challenge. Diving at a high speed is not only thrilling but trying to go through the rings in the least amount of time possible can be addicting.

Constantly setting new aerial records, this free-falling trial improved on its predecessor, Dodo’s High Dive in Skyward Sword, with its beautiful views and great rewards.

8 Star Game – Twilight Princess

Reach For The Stars With Link’s Clawshot

• Goal: Catch all stars in the allotted time
• Reward: Big quiver
• Cost: 10 rupees

Twilight Princess has so many elements that make it stand out among Zelda games, including its overall darker strokes. It also has some of the greatest mini-games in the series, including a race to catch all the glowing orbs (stars).

Using one of the best items in all Zelda games, players have to deploy their clawshot to reach all the stars in time, making for a frustrating yet satisfying challenge. In case all orbs are attained within the time constraints, players also get a big quiver update.

9 Fishing – Ocarina Of Time

A Tried And True Zelda Pastime

• Goal: Catching big fish
• Reward: Heart piece if the fish breaks records
• Cost: 20 rupees to rent a fishing rod

In real life, Fishing might not be for everyone, but Ocarina of Time makes it a worthwhile pastime, especially when it is so rewarding. Being able to go to different locations to get fish of diverse sizes, players can become quite hooked on this mini-game.

So much so, that this became a staple in many Zelda installments. In fact, Link’s Awakening, Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, and Majora’s Mask all bring their own flair to the mini-game.

10 Snowboarding – Twilight Princess

Snow Adventure Downhill With Yeti Friends

• Goal: Race downhill while sledding or snowboarding
• Reward: Piece of Heart when defeating Yeti and Yeta
• Cost: Free

Even though Twilight Princess has some of the best dungeons in the Zelda games, its most engaging mini-game is set outdoors. Snowboarding or sled racing at Snowpeak is just more fun when doing it with Yeti friends.

After completing its quest, players can go back to enjoy themselves by racing their newfound snow monster friends. As the predecessor of shield surfing in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, snowboarding might just be one of the most satisfying moments in the franchise.