How to Find & Win All 16 BOTW Minigames
What? Link can have fun, too!
Who doesn’t want to play a good round of bowling and earn rupees at the same time? Lucky for you, that’s exactly what Breath of the Wild‘s minigames have in store. From golfing to parasailing, here is how to find and win all 16 unique minigames in BOTW.
Jump to:
- Bird-Man Research Study
- Boom Bam Golf
- Carrying the Blue Flame
- Deer Hunting
- Flight Range
- Footrace
- Gambling
- Ice Delivery
- Mounted Archery Challenge
- Mounted Obstacle Course
- Parasailing
- Sand-Seal Racing
- Shield Surfing
- Snowball Bowling / Snowling
- Super Gut Check Challenge
- Test of Wood – Revisited
Bird-Man Research Study
| Location | Atop Ridgeland Tower (Ridgeland Region) |
| Prerequisite | None |
| Initiated By | Branli |
| Rewards | 50 or 100 rupees |
| Entrance Fee (per attempt) | 20 rupees |
The Bird-Man Research Study minigame isn’t really a game – it’s just paragliding as far as you can to impress a guy named Branli. If you have completed the Ritos’ Divine Beast Vah Medoh before embarking on this minigame, use Revali’s Gale to gain height before gliding down from the top of the tower. The minigame ends when you touch the ground. If Branli is impressed by your distance, he will reward you with 100 rupees, so make it count!
Boom Bam Golf
| Location | Bottom of Tanagar Canyon; north of Tabantha Great Bridge (Tabantha Region) |
| Prerequisite | None |
| Initiated By | Modar |
| Rewards | – Under 20 strokes: 20 rupees – Under 4 strokes: 50 rupees |
| Entrance Fee (per attempt) | 20 rupees |
The Boom Bam Golf minigame is perfect for golfing fanatics. The point is to use Stasis and hit the rock enough times to drive it into the hole. When the game starts, use one of the two provided Iron Sledgehammers to direct the rock towards one of the natural barriers to prevent it from rolling out of bounds. Once the rock is closer to the goal, reduce the force so it doesn’t pass the hole.
Carrying the Blue Flame
| Location | East Akkala Stable (Akkala Region) |
| Prerequisite | Complete Robbie’s Research sidequest |
| Initiated By | Aya |
| Rewards | – Under 3 min: 50 rupees – Under 1 min: 100 rupees – Under 20 sec: 300 rupees |
| Entrance Fee (per attempt) | Free |
This minigame may not be the most fun, but it still exists for those who want to speed-light torches. The point of this is to bring the blue flame to Aya, with one catch. You have to do this all under a time limit.
If you win Aya’s first challenge, the time limit will get shorter and shorter until the final round. Since this minigame heavily relies on speed and strategy, it’s recommended you go fetch a horse to ride and eat a Level 3 speed bonus food/elixir.
Deer Hunting
| Location | South Hateno Village (Necluda Region) |
| Prerequisite | None |
| Initiated By | Dantz |
| Rewards | Varying rupee amounts |
| Entrance Fee (per attempt) | Free |
Deer Hunting, found in Hateno Village and Retsam Forest, is probably one of the first minigames you’ve stumbled on. Your goal is to shoot as many deer as you can under a 1 minute timer with your bow and arrows. It’s recommended to have a rapid-firing bow so you don’t waste time waiting for your bow to be ready for use. Another strategy is to create an updraft (either with Revali’s Gale or 4 lit bundles of wood) and pull out your bow in midair to get clear shots on the slo-mo deer, then land and repeat.
Flight Range
| Location | Flight Range in Dronoc’s Pass (Hebra Region) |
| Prerequisite | Complete Divine Beast Vah Medoh |
| Initiated By | Teba and Tulin |
| Rewards | – 15-19 targets: 100 rupees – 20 (all) targets: 300 rupees |
| Entrance Fee (per attempt) | Free |
The Flight Range is a fun minigame for those who love aiming with their bows in bullet time/midair or reliving the Vah Medoh quest. The main and only strategy in winning this minigame is equipping a fast, long-ranged bow. With this in mind, you can optimize your time and shoot down as many targets within the time limit. 300 rupees is also a sweet prize for a relatively simple minigame: that’s just garnering easy money!
Footrace
| Location | Footrace Check-in (Ridgeland Region) |
| Prerequisite | None |
| Initiated By | Konba |
| Rewards | Beat Konba: 50 rupees |
| Entrance Fee (per attempt) | 20 rupees |
The Footrace minigame is a simple track-and-field competition with only one rule: run on foot. No horses, no BLSSing, no paragliding, no swimming, no windbombing. The trick to winning is eating a Level 3 speed boost food/elixir before competing. Don’t run along the path; instead, turn towards the flags and run towards them instead. As long as you beat Konba to the footrace’s goal (the top of the mountain), you will receive a sweet 50 rupees.
Gambling
| Location | Lurelin Village (Faron Region) |
| Prerequisite | Complete “Take Back the Sea” sidequest |
| Initiated By | Cloyne |
| Rewards | – Pay 10 or 50 rupees: chance to win double the fee – Pay 100 rupees: chance to win triple the fee |
| Entrance Fee (per attempt) | 10, 50, or 100 rupees |
There is no trick to always get lucky in this minigame, and there’s no strategy: it is mere chance. The goal is to choose the correct treasure chest out of three which contains either double or triple the fee you paid Cloyne. While gambling is the only minigame I specifically advise you not to play, it is still your choice if you want to. If you do, make sure to save before competing so you can load back if you chose the wrong chest.
Ice Delivery
| Location | Northern Icehouse (Wasteland Region) |
| Prerequisite | Complete “The Perfect Drink” sidequest |
| Initiated By | Anche |
| Rewards | 50 rupees |
| Entrance Fee (per attempt) | 50 rupees |
Visit Anche in the underground room of the Northern Icehouse during the day. You must carry an ice cube across the Gerudo Desert all the way to the goal. However, it will melt if sunlight shines on it, and it’s best to avoid enemies since they will hinder your progress. Once you’ve reached the goal (the same goal as the Perfect Drink one), Furosa will take the ice block from you and end the minigame. It’s best to wear the Sand Boots (for sand travel speed up) and Level 2 heat resistance so you can accommodate the desert conditions.
Mounted Archery Challenge
| Location | Mounted Archery Camp (Lake Region) |
| Prerequisite | None |
| Initiated By | Jini |
| Rewards | – 12-19 targets: Arrows x15 – 20-22 targets: Knight’s Bridle (bomb arrows x10 second time) – 23-25 targets: Knight’s Saddle (bomb arrows x20 second time) |
| Entrance Fee (per attempt) | 20 rupees |
The Mounted Archery Challenge is essentially practicing archery while riding your horse. This is a unique minigame, since the rewards are not rupees. Instead, they are knight’s horse equipment that can only be earned through winning this challenge. There are three main strategies for beating Jini’s contest:
- Use bomb arrows so you can blow up more targets at once
- Equip a multi-shot bow
- Use the royal white stallion (Zelda’s horse) for better control
Mounted Obstacle Course
| Location | Highland Stable (Lake Region) |
| Prerequisite | None |
| Initiated By | Blynne |
| Rewards | – Less than 1 min 30 sec: Extravagant Bridle – Less than 1 mn 15 sec: Extravagant Saddle |
| Entrance Fee (per attempt) | 20 rupees |
Blynne’s challenge requires you to jump over 10 obstacles on horseback under his time limit. The main thing to remember here is to have a controllable horse; one that refuses to listen will prove annoying. Try to only gallop after you pass one hurdle. Hurrying through the course won’t get you anywhere: it will, in fact, slow you down. Practice makes perfect, though, and as long as you stay strong, you’ll eventually get the hang of the Mounted Obstacle Course.
Parasailing
| Location | Eventide Island (Faron Region) |
| Prerequisite | Complete “Stranded on Eventide” shrine quest & Korgu Chideh Shrine |
| Initiated By | Mimo |
| Rewards | – 20-24 rings: 20 rupees – 25-29 rings: 50 rupees – 30-49 rings: 100 rupees – 50-70 rings: 300 rupees |
| Entrance Fee (per attempt) | 20 rupees |
Before you go parasailing on Eventide Island, make sure to have either a well-upgraded stamina wheel (at least 3 wheels) or lots of stamina-restoring food. This course requires you to glide through the rings and stay in the air for as long as possible; the more rings, the more rupees. It’s best to start from the rings directly in front of Mimo. When you see an updraft, make your way to it so you can gain height and glide through more rings. While it may be one of the more challenging minigames, you should definitely come back later once you’ve mastered paragliding for the rich rewards!
Sand-Seal Racing
| Location | Sand-Seal Rally (Wasteland Region) |
| Prerequisite | Complete “The Undefeated Champ” shrine quest & Raqa Zunzo shrine |
| Initiated By | Shabonne |
| Rewards | – Finish race: 100 rupees – Beat your best record: 300 rupees |
| Entrance Fee (per attempt) | 100 rupees |
The sand-seal racing minigame is one of the easier ones: all you have to do is watch the movements of your sand seal and guide it through the rings. Make sure you don’t get off your shield or leave the course, though; otherwise, you’ll be disqualified! Speed up your sand seal whenever possible, and use a durable shield so it doesn’t break on you in the middle of the course. The Hylian Shield, Daybreaker (Urbosa’s shield), and Hero’s Shield are prime for sand-seal surfing.
Shield Surfing
| Location | Selmie’s Spot (Hebra Region) |
| Prerequisite | None |
| Initiated By | Selmie |
| Rewards | – Beat beginner course: Soldier’s Shield – Beat advanced course: Royal Shield – Fail: 50 rupees |
| Entrance Fee (per attempt) | 20 rupees |
Shield surfing is one of those things that really rips durability out of your shield, so it’s preferred to use the Hylian Shield (most durable shield in BOTW) for this challenge. Equip it with ZL, jump with X, and press A in midair to jump on your shield. Your goal is to surf all the way down to the bridge at the bottom of the hill in the beginner course. If you beat it, Selmie will offer you the advanced course, where you can actually cheat by paragliding to the bottom of the hill. Way to save durability!
Snowball Bowling / Snowling
| Location | Pondo’s Lodge (Hebra Region) |
| Prerequisite | None |
| Initiated By | Pondo |
| Rewards | – 7-8 pins: 20 rupees – 9 pins: 50 rupees – All 10 in 2 tries: 100 rupees – All 10 on 1st try: 300 rupees |
| Entrance Fee (per attempt) | 20 rupees |
Snowball Bowling is an incredibly effective way to quickly earn rupees. While it may not be considered fair play, casting Stasis on the “snowling” ball and then hitting it enough times will ensure you a nice strike. And don’t worry if you love abiding by the rules. You can stand directly behind Pondo and throw the ball right over his head, which will also produce a good old strike.
Super Gut Check Challenge
| Location | Gut Check Rock (Eldin Region) |
| Prerequisite | Complete “Gut Check Challenge” shrine quest & Gorae Torr shrine |
| Initiated By | Bayge |
| Rewards | 300 rupees collected + Endura Shroom, under 3 min |
| Entrance Fee (per attempt) | 100 rupees |
The Super Gut Check Challenge is basically an upgraded version of the Gut Check Challenge shrine quest. You have to reach the top of Gut Check Rock and collect 300 rupees on the way up this time around. To win, you should equip the Climber’s Set (increases climbing speed by a lot) have at least 3 stamina wheels, and at least two stamina-restoring dishes/elixirs in your inventory. Oh, and also, try to snatch the more valuable rupees (red, blue, purple, silver). Green rupees only have a value of 1, so they won’t get you much closer to your goal. Make sure to stop on the resting ledges so you can recharge your stamina.
Test of Wood – Revisited
| Location | Northeast of Korok Forest (Woodland Region) |
| Prerequisite | Complete Test of Wood once |
| Initiated By | Damia |
| Rewards | Under 5 min: 100 rupees |
| Entrance Fee (per attempt) | 20 rupees (10 if you already have Forest Dweller’s Set in inventory) |
Like the Test of Wood you already completed, you have to make it to the end of the trial with only your Sheikah runes and the provided wooden weapons. If you break or unequip any of your weapons, you will have to restart the trial. Remember the 5 minute time limit! Most of it will not pose a challenge if you eliminate the weaker enemies with bombs and sparingly use arrows. When you reach the mud bogs, use Cryonis to make ice pillars on the mud as stepping stones.
Reward info credit: HylianAngel
