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The Legend of Zelda franchise has been a gamer’s go-to for decades thanks to its intuitive gameplay, charming characters, and engaging lore. 3D Zelda titles have become increasingly popular with the success of games like Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and Breath of the Wild. Unfortunately, most Zelda games are locked to a Nintendo console, meaning that gamers who don’t have access to one are out of luck.
Due to this heavy restriction, fans have searched for «clones» of Zelda games, especially the 3D installments. Fortunately, there are plenty of games that play similarly to games like Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild, so gamers on PC or other consoles can find something that’s right for them. This list will cover games similar enough to 3D Zelda titles that every fan will likely enjoy.
9 Eternal Strands Utilizes BotW-Like Mechanics
This Game Took Inspiration from Action-Adventure Games Like Breath of the Wild
Eternal Strands is the newest game on this list by far, as it’s only been out for about six months. This action-adventure game is played from a third-person perspective, and players control a warrior named Brynn. Brynn sets out on an epic quest to uncover any information he can about the Enclave, a long-lost civilization. Eternal Strands takes a lot of inspiration from Breath of the Wild and its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom. It has also cited games like Shadow of the Colossus and Dragon’s Dogma as main sources of inspiration.
From the moment a player starts Eternal Strands, it becomes clear just how similar the game is to newer 3D Zelda games. It shares a lot of the same mechanics, from wall climbing to battling giant mech-like creatures that pose a dangerous threat. Brynn also gets a multitude of spells, including elemental magic and telekinesis. Brynn might be capable of more forms of combat than Link, but he does share some of the same mechanics that Link’s gadgets offer him.
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8 Sable Doesn't Have Any Combat, But the Open-World Exploration is Top-Notch
An Open-World Coming of Age Story
Sable is an open-world exploration game that follows the title character, Sable, a girl who sets out on a rite of passage journey. To pass, Sable must find a suitable mask to take back to her clan. Like some of the newer Zelda titles, Sable is non-linear, leaving players to explore and choose their own paths. On her journey through the ruins of Midden, Sable comes across several people who help her along her journey, much like Link relies on the aid of others to accomplish his goals.
Unlike games like BotW, which put a lot of emphasis on combat, Sable doesn’t feature any combat in its gameplay. Most of the story is also experienced through character dialogue and clues the player finds during their adventures. Sable trusts that players will uncover more about the world of Midden as they explore and that each new clue will drive them to push forward. While the game doesn’t feature any combat, it does share a lot of similarities with other elements of 3D Zelda games.
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7 Chicory: A Colorful Tale Delivers a Creative & Artistic Journey
Be the Color You Want to See in the World
Admittedly, Chicory: A Colorful Tale is a bit more like classic Zelda games that focus on a top-down adventure, but this game is still perfect for Zelda fans. Players control an anthropomorphic dog named Pizza (players can name their dog after their favorite food, but the game will default to «Pizza» if a name isn’t chosen). Pizza becomes a «wielder» of a magical paintbrush that allows him to add color to the otherwise black and white world.
Not only does Pizza become a wielder, but this adorable little dog also becomes the world’s last hope for beauty. Pizza’s predecessor, Chicory, cracked under the weight of the paintbrush and threw herself into solitude, leaving the world colorless and bleak. This game is full of incredible exploration, artistic interpretation, Zelda-style puzzles, and the pressure of saving the world. What more could a Zelda fan want in a game?
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6 Okami HD is Based on Japanese Mythology
Another Game Heavily Inspired by The Legend of Zelda
Okami was originally released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006, with an Okami HD enhanced version coming out later for the PlayStation 3 and several other consoles. Okami has an instantly recognizable ink wash painting art style, but this game is so much more than beautiful. Game director Hideki Kamiya modeled most of Okami’s gameplay on one of his favorite gaming franchises: The Legend of Zelda. Okami has gone on to create its own legacy, though, as many gamers and critics still cite it as one of the greatest games ever made.
The game takes place in a fictional version of classic Japan. Players control Amaterasu, the Shinto sun goddess who appears as a white wolf. The game focuses on Japanese mythology and folklore to recreate the classic myth of how Amaterasu saved the world from darkness. The gameplay features puzzle-solving, platforming, and combat similar to the Zelda franchise. Fans of the original can celebrate, because after almost 20 years, a sequel is finally in the works.
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5 Wuthering Waves Delivers an Enhanced Free-to-Play Experience
Kuro Games' Answer to Another Game on This List
Wuthering Waves is a free-to-play open-world action role-playing game where players assume the role of Rover, a person who has woken up with amnesia in the post-apocalyptic setting of Solaris-3. If that sounds familiar, that’s because that’s more or less the exact same beginning of BotW. Wuthering Waves is a gacha game, meaning players can pull on character banners to recruit new units to play alongside Rover. Since this free-to-play game dropped last year, many gamers have compared it to other gacha games, most notably, Genshin Impact.
Fans of Genshin will likely know that the developers behind the groundbreaking gacha game took a lot of inspiration from Breath of the Wild. Many developers have said as much. Wuthering Waves does put emphasis on a more complex combat system, a parkour system that allows players to easily traverse the map, and the ability to fly, but its bones are extremely similar to Genshin, especially where open-world exploration is concerned. Its similarity to Genshin also means that it’s a great free-to-play option for Zelda fans as well.
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4 Hyper Light Drifter Pays Tribute to Classic 8-Bit Games
"A Combination of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Diablo"
Hyper Light Drifter is an action RPG that most Zelda fans agree is a must-play video game. Just from a glance at the art style, gamers can tell that this game is a modern homage to the 8-bit and 16-bit games of days long gone. Lead developer Alx Preston is the first person to point out how much the team was inspired by The Legend of Zelda. He’s the one who compared it to A Link to the Past and Diablo, after all.
Players control the Drifter, a character who utilizes advanced technology that the rest of the world has forgotten about. Similar to Link in BotW and TotK, the Drifter utilizes this technology to help navigate the world. He is also equipped with a phase-shifted hard light sword, but he can collect other weapons during gameplay, too. The Drifter also has an unspecified illness, which was inspired by Alx Preston’s own experience with congenital heart disease.
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3 Tunic is an Adorable Post-Apocalyptic Game
The Main Character Even Looks Like Link
Tunic is a go-to recommendation for Zelda-like games, and just from glancing at a screenshot of the main character, it’s not hard to see why. Players control an anthropomorphic fox who is dressed in a green tunic and equipped with a sword and a blue and red shield. Despite being a fox, it’s very clear that this adorable little critter is referencing Link, the main playable character of most of the Zelda games.
This action-adventure game, like many other games on this list, is set in a post-apocalyptic world. As the game begins, players get very little information on what they’re supposed to be doing. Players must rely on their own intuition as they explore the world, often forced to fight or run from hostile creatures littered throughout the land. This game relies almost entirely on exploration and figuring out environmental cues.
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2 Genshin Impact's Open-World is Constantly Expanding
A Game that Changed the Gacha Genre Forever
Genshin Impact is a free-to-play, open-world action RPG and gacha game. For several years, Genshin was the highest-grossing gacha game of all time, and it helped redefine the genre by proving that gacha games could deliver an engaging and deep story, open-world exploration, and complex puzzle-solving and combat mechanics. As mentioned in the Wuthering Waves entry, Genshin’s success has inspired multiple other gacha games to follow suit.
Players control Aether or Lumine, a traveler who wakes up in a strange world full of gods, monsters, and a variety of characters who can tap into elemental powers like pyro, geo, and electro. The Traveler sets out on a journey to find their missing twin, which sends them through each of the seven nations that make up Teyvat. Every new nation brings them closer to their sibling, but it also brings them closer to the Abyss, a threatening force aiming to consume the world.
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1 Elden Ring is Perfect For Gamers Who Love the Darkest Aspects of Zelda
& For Zelda Fans Who Enjoy the Challenge of Survival
Elden Ring is a game that needs no introduction. It won Game of the Year, and it has received praise for its open-world exploration, Soulsborne-inspired gameplay, and lore. At a glance, this incredibly difficult game may not seem like it shares much in common with 3D Zelda titles. That couldn’t be further from the truth, because it is an open-world game that throws players into a dangerous world with very little context on what to do or where to go.
Elden Ring is a hard game, so it definitely emphasizes challenging combat throughout the exploration. There are also a number of incredibly difficult boss enemies, so this may not be a game for gamers who want to enjoy a story without being stressed. That said, for Zelda fans who enjoy the more challenging aspects of open-world exploration and combat, Elden Ring is the perfect game.
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