The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild may not technically be the first open-world Zelda game ever made, as that honor belongs to the original Legend of Zelda released in 1986 for the NES. However, while the original Zelda game might feature a non-linear world for players to explore freely, Breath of the Wild undoubtedly expanded on that concept by offering players a much larger and more immersive 3D world with unprecedented freedom and exploration. Since Breath of the Wild's release in 2017, The Legend of Zelda has seen two more open-world titles, with Tears of the Kingdom in 2023 and Echoes of Wisdom in 2024.