Should you play Zelda Breath of the Wild before Zelda Tears of the Kingdom?

I was so excited to start playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, as I had so much fun playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. There's so much to experience in this new story for Link and his return to Hyrule. But what if you didn't play the previous game? Should you play The Breath of the Wild before playing Tears of the Kingdom? We got the answer for you!

Do you need to play The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild before The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom?

While you do not need to play Breath of the Wild before Tears of the Kingdom, it is recommended. TotK is a sequel to BotW, so that the story will lead into it. Playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild before Tears of the Kingdom will prepare you for the story and gameplay.

Related: Are there dungeons in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom?

That said, playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is not required first. The story is relatively simple and can be looked up online, or you can speed-run the game to get the knowledge. Beating the game without completing the side content won't take long, so you can play through the story beats before hopping into the Tears of the Kingdom adventure.

On the other hand, Zelda titles, even sequels, can be played independently as the story is often designed to be standalone. This was true for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. This will likely be true for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

For more information on The Legend of Zelda, check out Are there Shrines in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom on Pro Game Guides.