Play Breath of the Wild first. Tears of the Kingdom is the bigger and more inventive game, but it reuses the same map, so playing it first robs the original of its best trick — the moment you realise you can go anywhere. If you only have time for one, play Tears of the Kingdom.
The same Hyrule and the same physics engine, with the same refusal to tell you where to go.
Ultrahand and Fuse turn the game into a construction kit, and the sky and depths give the familiar map two new layers. It is the more generous game in every measurable way.
More like this: games like The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.
Cleaner, calmer and more coherent. The world is new, the silence works, and nothing gets in the way of just walking towards something on the horizon.
More like this: games like The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild.
Play Breath of the Wild first. Tears of the Kingdom is the bigger and more inventive game, but it reuses the same map, so playing it first robs the original of its best trick — the moment you realise you can go anywhere. If you only have time for one, play Tears of the Kingdom.
Better is the wrong question for these two — they are close enough that the answer depends on what you want from the next twenty hours. Pick Tears of the Kingdom for the toolset. Pick Breath of the Wild for the discovery.
No. There are no scores anywhere on this page. This is a written opinion about what each game is for, so you can judge whether it matches what you are after.