God what a topic, this could possibly even become a debate thread, just post what you think the timeline is, and if you want give evidence or something to back it up.
Here's my idea of the Timeline
---------/WW/PH--ST
MC--OOT
---------\MM--TP--FS/FSA--ALttP/LA--OOX (Oracle of Ages and Seasons)--LoZ/AoL
I strongly believe in the split timeline theory because it has been confirmed by Nintendo themselves in an old interivew, MC is at the beginning because of the games backstory and other minor things, I put FS and FSA where they are because in FSA Ganondorf (note Dorf, as in human) gets the Trident of Power which in fact turns him into Ganon (beast), there is a possibility that Ganondorf did not die in TP, but rather just lost the triforce, this would also explain why he would want the Trident for more Power. ALttp is where it is because it was originally announced as a Prequel to LoZ, and the fact that in the GBA version of ALttP in the Temple of the Four sword there is a broken four sword, and in the end of FSA Ganon was sealed in the four sword, meaning that he broke out, Spirit Tracks is where it is because it was revealed to take place 100 years after Phantom Hourglass.
If anyone is not familiar with the Split Timeline let me explain, basically OOT has two endings, one ending is the Adult Timeline, where Link seals Ganondorf as an adult, and the Child Timeline, the second Timeline Zelda created so Link could relive his Childhood, the Child Timeline starts after Link leaves the Kokiri Forest, so everything in OOT never actually happened in that Timeline, it is also why the sages in TP are old men rather than Saria and the gang.

Yes, well, I believe ocarinahero10 of youtube would have something to say to the whole "old interview" thing. He sent in his own timeline to Nintendo.

They replied, in an obviously pre-written letter to avoid reading through the massive e-mails they get, that "there isn't a true frame of reference or timeline possible for the series."

...Yeah. So apparently it went from "we have a timeline" to "nope, it's gone and it was never here." Still, we can try...right? Honestly, I can understand wanting to branch out from the series (like with Spirit Tracks)...but to just blatantly ruin this for us? That's just cold...

I'll just say I'm a Splitist. I believe that OoT broke the time stream with one Ganon sealed away by the sages after Link's final battle while another Ganon was sealed into the Twilight after young Link and Zelda went to warn the king.

Parallel Hyrules... Weird.

I'm on the line between two theories, the "Split Timeline", and "All is Legend".

"All is Legend" basicaly states that all Legend of Zelda games are simply a re-telling of the same Story, note that all Zelda games have the same basic story. Link finds out he's a chosen hero, and finds Zelda. then they work together to defeat Ganondorf and Ganon. The one problem with this theory is Wind Waker. The into to WW reveals that there was a chosen hero before WW and the Gods flooded the earth after Ganon came back after link sealed him away. This leads to the "Split Timeline" Theory. WW and later Phantom Hourglass are clearly "Sequels" of Ocarina of Time's "Adult Link" Timeline; It's clearly stated in the WW intro. That just leaves Twighlight Princess. I personally beleive it's a "Sequel" to the Child Link Timeline. Since in the child link timeline, Zelda and Link turn ganondorf in and have him arrested before Link opend the Sacred Realm and Gave Ganondorf his power to set the dominoes falling into the Adult link and in turn the WW timeline. Since there was no need to imprison Ganon in the Sacred Realm, he never came back and the God's didn't need to flood the earth. Therefore TP is played out on dry land.

Hyrule B----- TP----WW-----PH-----Oo(Ages or seasons)
MC-----OoT
Hyrule A---MM----L'sA----LOZ----TAOL----FS----FSA----ALTTP---- Oo (Ages or Seasons)



Twilight Princess goes in Hyrule B because at the end of Hryule B in Ocarina of Time Ganon is sealed away by the sages WITH the Triforce of Power in his hands. Twilight Princess takes place a few years after Zelda took over Hyrule. The ancient hero was passed down as a legend throughout the game which is the Link that sealed Ganon away and returned back to his childhood. Ganon escaped the prison he was sealed in because he still had the Triforce of Power.
However at the end of the game Ganon dies with the new Link from Ordon's final blow. It takes place before Wind Waker after one hundred years when Hyrule gets flooded. But Ganon is in that game as well. How? Because if you remember from the Ocarina of Time, they said every one hundred years in the Gerudo tribe a male is born. So some evil Gerudo must have raise him to follow Ganon's footsteps and named him Ganon.

I don't think Twilight Princess takes place in Hyrule A because Ganon wasn't sealed away with the sages's power in that time and he didn't have the Triforce of Power. He got the Triforce of Power in Hyrule B when Link opened the entrance to the sacred realm.

I prefer to play games and not look too deeply into a part of it that is pointless, like a timeline. If the creator wanted them to go in a specific order, he would just tell us what it is.

I like Ocarinahero10's [u]Split[/u]Timeline http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2g65jL3HDg
There's Holes but it's good enough for me.

Yeah I think this one is the closes to the right one, but I have little doughts in this one.
I used to believe Twilight Princess goes after Ocarina of Time in the adult timeline, but after playing it again, it would have to fit in the child timeline where the old hero died after Majora's Mask. Somehow?
I believe it should have a timeline like a TV series that never ends, no matter how many times it looks like Ganon has been killed, returned, or if they make up a new villain, the series goes on.

I think Ganondorf will never ever be destroyed forever.

ocarinahero is a awful theorist. Also @Nitsua, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess can't go on the same timeline, Aonuma said so.
@SmashQueen, that's a Nintendo America stock message, Miyamoto has confirmed a timeline many times.

http://www.cinemassacre.com/new/?p=3948

This sums it all up.

There are so many ways the timeline can go.
I believe every story should have a timeline.

The Mario games as we know can fit anywhere so it doesn't matter if we fit these in a timeline because there are so many adventures and spin-offs. But one thing for sure! The first few games are Donkey Kong (with Pauline instead of Peach), Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.
The farthest back that we know of in the Mario Brothers is Donkey Kong but then they involved time travel with the Mario Brothers as babies.
Their back story is hiding secret that we need to know.

Great! Now I'm going off topic posting.php?mode=reply&f=9&t=5119#
But really, there are legends, resurrections, new generations, and different main villains so there can't be a reason why The Legend of Zelda has no timeline. If Ganon appears again, than it's obviously a resurrection or new generation.

Yes, but unlike Zelda, Mario doesn't focus on the storyline. As a matter of fact, the story for most Mario games seems to have been written by a 5 year old (except for SMRPG, which was written by Square, a Third Party), and the RPG's by a 10 year old, since they have a deeper than other games, yet generic and simplistic storyline.


And Richsponge, your signature is the best on this forum. Period.