If Ocarina of Time hardware is what brought you here and you're only loosely familiar with how the games connect to each other, here's the short version. Nintendo published an official historical chronology in the 2011 book Hyrule Historia, and it's the closest thing to an authoritative answer — though even that document leaves a lot of room for interpretation, and Nintendo itself has treated it more as a loose framework than a strict rulebook in games released since.
The split happens at Ocarina of Time
The reason Ocarina of Time sits at the center of the timeline conversation isn't just nostalgia — structurally, it's the branch point. Near the end of that game, Link travels back in time, and the games that follow fork into three separate branches depending on how you read that ending.
Branch one: the Child Timeline
This branch assumes young Link stays in the past after warning the royal family about Ganondorf, preventing the events of the adult timeline from happening at all. Majora's Mask, the Oracle games, and the Four Swords titles are generally placed here.
Branch two: the Adult Timeline
This one follows from the version of events where Link doesn't go back — Ganondorf's plans play out, he's eventually sealed away, and the world moves forward from there. The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks fall on this branch, with Hyrule eventually being flooded.
Branch three: the Downfall Timeline
The darkest branch — this is what happens if Link loses to Ganon in the original game entirely. Ganon isn't sealed, and Hyrule's fate gets considerably worse. A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, and the original NES Legend of Zelda are generally slotted here.
Where does Ocarina of Time itself sit?
Chronologically first among the modern games in terms of story placement, alongside Skyward Sword (which is generally treated as the very beginning of the series' internal history) and A Link Between Worlds. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are usually placed at the far end of the timeline, long after all three branches converge — though Nintendo has been intentionally vague about exactly how they connect to what came before.
You don't actually need this to enjoy the games
Worth saying plainly: the timeline is a fun rabbit hole, not a requirement. Most Zelda games are designed to be understood on their own, and the connective tissue is more of a reward for people who go looking for it than something you need going in. If a rumored Ocarina of Time remake does ship on the hardware we've been tracking, you won't need a chart to follow it.