Most critically acclaimed videogame playable character

As of 3 June 2025, games starring the heroic Hylian Link appeared nine times in the top 100 highest-rated games on review aggregation website Metacritic, comfortably more than any other gaming character. At the very top of the list is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo, 1998), which is in first place with a near-perfect Metascore of 99.

The full list of Nintendo's Legend of Zelda games on Metacritic's list of top 100 games of all time, in the order they appear with their Metascore, is as follows:

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) - 99

6. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) - 97

29. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023) - 96

30. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (2003) - 96

39. The Legend of Zelda (Collector's Edition) (2003) - 95

42. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (2002) - 95

43. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (2000) - 95

45. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006) - 95

60. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (2011) - 94