Do you need to play BotW before playing TotK? Answered

Most are aware The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a sequel to the previous Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild. The two share a world and Tears of the Kingdom picks up right where Breath of the Wild leaves off. Which leaves a pertinent question about the games: Do you need to play Breath of the Wild before playing Tears of the Kingdom?

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

Screenshot by PC Invasion

In short: Not necessarily, but you really probably should for the best experience.

I forgot 90% of the plot of Breath of the Wild and didn’t finish it. Being immediately dropped into the cavern upon starting Tears of the Kingdom made me feel like I missed the first half of the movie. It’s easy enough to infer the gist of it. After all, each Zelda game has the same basic plot. However, lacking the full context makes the moments not hit with as much investment as they could.

Furthermore, these two games are not like every other Zelda game in terms of mechanics. If you come into Tears of the Kingdom expecting other Zelda games, you’re going to have a steep learning curve. The learning curve is easier to climb in Breath of the Wild. That game took the time to thoroughly explain all of its new mechanics for the first time. It’s not exactly impossible to climb if you skip the game either, though.

If you don’t feel like playing another long game beforehand, I recommend at least watching or reading some kind of story and/or lore explanation to be caught up as you dive into Tears of the Kingdom. There’s a lot of context as to why Hyrule is how it is and what’s going on with the characters left to Breath of the Wild to explain in depth beforehand.