The Legend of Zelda was released in Japan on 21 February 1986 as a launch title for the Famicom Disk System. It was directed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, with music by Koji Kondo. Kondo first planned to use Ravel's Boléro for the title screen but replaced it in November 1985 because the piece was still under copyright in Japan. The name Zelda comes from Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of the writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Miyamoto's memory of getting lost among the sliding doors of his family home in Sonobe inspired the dungeons.
The NES version reached North America on 22 August 1987 and was one of the first games with an internal save battery. After finishing the game, players can start a harder Second Quest with rearranged dungeons and secrets.
The game sold 6.51 million copies and was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2016. It later returned on the Game Boy Advance, the Virtual Console, Nintendo Switch Online and the Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda handheld.1
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | The Legend of ZeldaOne of the first games with an internal save battery | NES | Aug 22, 1987 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | ゼルダの伝説Zeruda no DensetsuFamicom Disk System launch title | Famicom Disk System | Feb 21, 1986 | Nintendo | 1 |
| EU | The Legend of ZeldaEnglish Wikipedia gives 15 November 1987, Russian Wikipedia 27 November 1987 | NES | November 1987 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | ゼルダの伝説1Zeruda no Densetsu 1Famicom cartridge re-release | NES | Feb 19, 1994 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | BS ゼルダの伝説Satellaview broadcast remix (BS Zelda) with new maps; aired in four weekly episodes until 2 September 1995 | Other | Aug 6, 1995 | Nintendo | 1 |
| WW | The Legend of Zelda: Collector's EditionGameCube compilation; the game was also playable inside Animal Crossing (2001) | Other | 2003 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | ゼルダの伝説Famicom Mini / Classic NES Series; NA 2004-06-02, EU 2004-07-09 | Game Boy Advance | Feb 14, 2004 | Nintendo | 1 |
| WW | The Legend of ZeldaVirtual Console | Wii | 2006 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | ゼルダの伝説Virtual Console; EU 2012-04-12, NA 2012-07-05; Ambassador Program from September 2011 | Nintendo 3DS | Dec 22, 2011 | Nintendo | 1 |
| WW | The Legend of ZeldaNES – Nintendo Switch Online | Switch | Sep 19, 2018 | Nintendo | 2 |
| WW | Game & Watch: The Legend of ZeldaDedicated handheld with the game built in | Other | November 2021 | Nintendo | 1 |
Also known as: Zeruda no Densetsu JP1ゼルダの伝説 THE HYRULE FANTASY JP1Zelda no Densetsu 1 JP1Zelda WW1
Box art by region
NA The Legend of Zelda 
EU The Legend of Zelda
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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GameplayNESFamicom cartridge (1994)
The Disk System version saved to the rewritable disk; the cartridge versions use battery-backed RAM with the MMC1 chip, which made the US release one of the first games with an internal save battery.1
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AudioNESFamicom cartridge (1994)
The Disk System's extra sound channel produced the full-health sword beam, boss roars and some enemy sounds; on cartridge these effects were redone with the PCM channel and sound different.1
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GameplayNES
In Japan, Pols Voice could be defeated by shouting into the Famicom controller's microphone. The NES controller has none, yet the US manual still says Pols Voice "hates loud noise".1
Where to play legally today
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Nintendo Switch Online Subscription
Reception
The game sold 6.51 million copies worldwide, including 1.69 million Disk System copies in Japan. Game Informer ranked it first in its 2001 and 2009 top lists, and it was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2016.1
In lists
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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