By the time 2026 rolled around, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom had already cemented its place as one of the most replayable Zelda entries. Even though Nintendo never delivered an official DLC pack, the community refused to let the adventure go stale. Instead, players doubled down on a different kind of endgame: challenge runs. These aren't your average difficulty tweaks. We're talking about finishing an entire open-world epic without jumping, without cooking, or even without wearing a single piece of armor. It sounds like a surefire way to pull your hair out, but for hardcore fans, it's the best thing since sliced bread.

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As the dust settled after launch, players began experimenting. What followed was a tidal wave of self-imposed restrictions that turned Hyrule into the ultimate sandbox for thrill-seekers. Below, we break down the ten challenge runs that have become legendary in the Tears of the Kingdom community.

10. Beat Tears of the Kingdom Without Cooking

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For many players, cooking is a lifeline. It restores hearts, boosts stamina, and can even ward off extreme temperatures. But it's not mandatory. A handful of vendors across Hyrule will sell Link a hot meal, and some NPCs are generous enough to hand out snacks for free. The catch? You need to plan ahead and stretch every bite. It's less of a brutal slog and more of an ironic twist for anyone who already found the cooking system a bit of a snooze. Still, running on empty requires some serious foresight.

9. Beat Zelda: TOTK Without Using Fuse

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Fuse is the Swiss Army knife of Tears of the Kingdom. You can slap a boulder onto a rusty sword or attach a Zonai cannon to a shield. But YouTuber Drengodr decided to play the entire game without ever touching Fuse or Ultrahand. The kicker: they did pick up weapons that enemies had already fused, so it wasn't a completely raw run. Nevertheless, ignoring two of the game's most versatile abilities is like driving with one hand tied behind your back.

8. Beat Tears of the Kingdom Without Armor

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Armor in TOTK does double duty—it protects Link from damage and often grants buffs like stealth or cold resistance. Ditching every piece of armor leaves Link as vulnerable as a newborn Cucco. That's a different kettle of fish altogether. Players who tackle this run rely on well-timed dodges, healing items, and pure nerve. It's completely doable, but the margin for error shrinks dramatically. Hyrule's nudist lifestyle isn't just a meme; it's a genuine challenge.

7. Beat Tears of the Kingdom Without Eating

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If not cooking sounds tough, try not eating at all. This run takes the no-cooking idea and cranks it up to eleven. No meals, no elixirs, no apples, nothing. That means every hit you take is permanent until you find a fairy or a bed—and even then, stamina and environmental hazards become ticking time bombs. It's possible, but it's not for the faint of heart. You'll need to master enemy patterns and avoid combat like the plague.

6. Beat TOTK Without Using Stamina

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Stamina is the green ring that pops up whenever Link runs, climbs, swims, or paraglides. YouTuber PointCrow tried to finish the game without ever letting that circle appear. Every time it showed up, they would reload a previous save to undo the action. That's a whole new level of patience. Areas that normally require climbing or swimming demand creative workarounds, turning Hyrule into one giant puzzle. It's the kind of run that makes you wonder if PointCrow has nerves of steel.

5. Beat TOTK Only Using Zonai Devices to Deal Damage

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For the engineers at heart, this challenge is pure catnip. The rule is simple: if it doesn't come from a Zonai device, it doesn't count as damage. Star0chris on YouTube went all-in, spending hours building elaborate machines, grinding for batteries, and turning every fight into an episode of a wacky inventor show. The result is a Tears of the Kingdom run that feels less like Zelda and more like a fever dream. It's a brilliant way to see Hyrule through a completely different lens.

4. Beat Tears of the Kingdom in Hardcore Mode

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YouTuber Jayden Wilson didn't settle for a simple restriction. They created their own hardcore mode: Link could only have one-quarter of a heart at any given moment, meaning a single hit spelled instant death. On top of that, they allowed themselves only six save points—one after the Great Sky Island and one after each dungeon. That's a total of six chances to screw up. It's not the traditional one-death-and-you're-done hardcore mode, but it's arguably more nerve-wracking because you're constantly one mistake away from disaster.

3. Beat Tears of the Kingdom Without Weapons

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Try wrapping your head around this one: no swords, no shields, no bows—except for the mandatory Master Sword pickup. SmallAnt on YouTube proved it can be done by leaning on the Ultrahand and, believe it or not, throwing a whole lot of apples. This run requires some serious out-of-the-box thinking. When you can't swing a blade, you have to let the environment do the heavy lifting. It's a testament to Tears of the Kingdom's sandbox design that something so absurd is even possible.

2. Beat Tears of the Kingdom Without Using the Paraglider

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The paraglider is practically essential for exploring sky islands and surviving those long drops into the Depths. Soapy on YouTube tried to beat the game without ever deploying it. The run involved some creative solutions—and at least one glitch—to get around. That glitch use has sparked debate about whether the challenge is truly legit in the traditional sense, but there's no denying it makes for an electrifying watch. Without the paraglider, Hyrule becomes a much scarier place.

1. Beat Zelda: TOTK Without Jumping

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Drumroll, please. The most mind-boggling Tears of the Kingdom challenge of all is finishing the game without jumping. In a Zelda game packed with platforming, vertical exploration, and split-second dodges, jumping feels as natural as breathing. YouTuber DamnDJ accomplished the seemingly impossible, navigating Hyrule's cliffs, towers, and dungeons without ever leaving the ground intentionally. It's a run that would make most players throw in the towel within the first hour. If you can pull this off, you deserve a medal.

Challenge Key Restriction Famous Runner
No Cooking Use only vendor food or free snacks Community favorite
No Fuse/Ultrahand Avoid two core abilities entirely Drengodr
No Armor Fight without any protection Community run
No Eating No food, elixirs, or healing items Community run
No Stamina Reload every time the stamina meter appears PointCrow
Zonai Damage Only Only Zonai devices can deal damage Star0chris
Hardcore Mode One-quarter heart, six total save points Jayden Wilson
No Weapons No swords, shields, or bows SmallAnt
No Paraglider Never deploy the paraglider Soapy
No Jumping Never jump at all DamnDJ

Whether you're a seasoned veteran looking for a fresh twist or a newcomer curious about how far the community has pushed the game, these challenge runs prove that Tears of the Kingdom still has plenty of life left in it. As 2026 unfolds, new runs continue to pop up, each one more creative than the last. So grab your Switch, pick your poison, and see if you can beat the odds. Just don't forget to stretch first.