If you have logged enough time playing the (over a dozen!) games that make The Legend of Zelda series, you have without a doubt gotten lost trying to make sense of its timeline. At some point, you have to realize that the Zelda series spans not only through millennia of Hyrule history, but you will also see that the main characters of the series (such as Link and Princess Zelda) are not the same characters throughout the entire series. In fact, they’re actually the reincarnated descendants of those who appear during times of need.
If this isn’t confusing enough, it is also considered that the events that occurred in Ocarina of Time (Link going back 7 years in time in order to defeat Ganondorf) split the series’ chronology into three timelines, all branching into the events of Breath of the Wild.
Personally, I try not to think too much about it, because the more you try to make sense of it all the more you end up realizing that Shigeru Miyamoto (the legendary creator behind series like The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario) and his team are pretty much just coming up with stuff up as they go along. Still, I can’t help but obsess about it and freak out whenever they do link the events from a game to another.
In that sense, this infographic does help to keep the basics of what we know of the chronology in one place, and maybe not lose our minds in the process. Just remember, the CD-i games don’t count!