The Alien movies and shows in order span decades of science-fiction horror, beginning with Ridley Scott’s landmark 1979 film and expanding through sequels, prequels, crossovers, and television. The original series follows Ellen Ripley as encounters with the deadly Xenomorph escalate from the Nostromo disaster in Alien to the colonial conflict of Aliens, the nightmare on Fiorina 161 in Alien³, and the distant-future events of Alien Resurrection. The franchise later crossed over with Predator in AVP: Alien vs. Predator and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, which tell their own connected story set on modern-day Earth. Ridley Scott then returned to the universe with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, exploring the Engineers, artificial intelligence, and events that precede the original film. For first-time viewers, the recommended watch order is release order.
Later additions make the Alien timeline considerably richer. Alien: Romulus takes place between Alien and Aliens, following a younger group of colonists who encounter the Xenomorph decades before Ripley’s return in the second film. Alien: Earth moves even earlier, placing the franchise’s first television series in 2120, just two years before the events aboard the Nostromo. Chronological viewing therefore rearranges much of the franchise, beginning with the modern-day Alien vs. Predator films before jumping to Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, Alien: Earth, and the original Alien. Although the crossover movies occupy a somewhat separate branch of continuity, including them creates the most useful complete Alien watch order for viewers who want the major films and television stories associated with the franchise.
Release Order
Watching the Alien movies and shows in order by release date preserves the franchise’s mysteries and reveals in the sequence audiences originally experienced them. Begin with Alien and continue through Ripley’s story in Aliens, Alien³, and Alien Resurrection before moving into the Alien vs. Predator crossover films. Prometheus and Alien: Covenant then revisit the universe from an earlier point in the timeline, while Alien: Romulus returns to the period between the first two movies. Alien: Earth expands the saga to television. Release order is especially effective for first-time viewers because later prequels intentionally build on ideas introduced in the earlier films.
Chronological Order
The chronological order for the Alien movies and shows differs significantly from release order. The two Alien vs. Predator films take place in 2004, although their relationship to the modern mainline continuity is treated as a separate crossover branch. The central Alien timeline then begins with Prometheus in 2093, followed by Alien: Covenant in 2104 and Alien: Earth in 2120. Alien occurs in 2122, while Alien: Romulus follows in 2142 before Aliens and Alien³ in 2179. Alien Resurrection is set roughly two centuries later. This timeline order works best for returning viewers who already know the franchise’s major revelations.
