Polygon reported on August 15, 2026 that a guide outlines twelve ways to replay The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The article notes that the game’s open world encourages repeated playthroughs and that players often seek new challenges to explore mechanics and story elements. The guide’s first suggestion is to disable fast travel and avoid any warping, requiring movement on foot, horseback or basic vehicle for the entire run. The second suggestion advises keeping the map screen closed and relying on visual landmarks for navigation, optionally turning off Skyview Towers to remove map data entirely. The third recommendation is to adopt the Hero of Time challenge, using only sword, shield, bow, bombs and a horse while prohibiting fusion, Ultrahand and Zonai devices. The fourth suggestion is to maintain the initial health count of three to four hearts and skip all stamina upgrades throughout the game. The fifth recommendation limits the use of healing items during combat or bans hearty meals that restore health, encouraging strategic resource management. The sixth suggestion proposes that a single death resets the save, requiring the player to restart from the beginning, with optional later checkpoints to reduce repetition. The seventh recommendation advises prioritizing the unlocking of Mineru early, bypassing other quests to obtain her abilities as soon as possible. The eighth suggestion recommends using only Zonai machines to engage enemies, prohibiting swords, bows or other direct weapons. The ninth suggestion proposes resetting inventory and equipment each time a new region is entered, playing with a bare‑bones inventory and improvised tools. The tenth suggestion advises locating all Dragon’s Tear memories before advancing the main quest, potentially in the order found in the Forgotten Temple. The article concludes by noting that the guide offers varied challenges without prescribing a single approach, leaving players to select the style that best fits their preferences.