Alien Watch Order Guide: Chronologically and by Release Date

Summary:

With the release of the latest TV series, Alien: Earth, the Alien watch order has gotten more complex.
We have listed every Alien movie and TV show, including the year they take place in and whether or not you can skip it.
We list all the Alien movies and shows in both chronological and release order.

Alien movies have become a household name ever since the first film in 1979 left audiences so terrified that some reportedly ran out of theaters and even vomited. Ever since then, the lore of the film has only expanded, and the Alien movies’ watch order couldn’t be more complex. The latest addition, FX’s Alien: Earth TV series, has received rave reviews, bringing the iconic Xenomorph to the small screen for the first time. Here is a watch order guide for Alien franchise by release date and chronologically.

Alien Movies in Chronological Watch Order

The Alien franchise is notorious for its complex timeline and lore. Ridley Scott’s later movies straight-up retcon events shown in Alien or Aliens. While many of these movies can be enjoyed on their own without really worrying about where they fit in the larger scheme of things, some plot points will leave you scratching your head. That’s why it’s better to take a look at the timeline of things before diving headfirst into the franchise.

1. AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)

IMDb rating: 5.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 21% (Tomatometer) & 39% (Popcornmeter)
Runtime: 1h 40m
Where to Watch: Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video
In-universe year: 2004
Skip or Watch: Skip

Predator and Xenomorph in Alien vs Predator | Credit: 20th Century Studios

The first Alien movie in the franchise is a crossover movie with the Predator franchise. The story takes place in 2004, focusing on Charles Bishop Weyland leading an expedition to uncover heat signals under the ice near an island in Antarctica. Of course, we all know what these heat signals mean from the title of the movie.

What ensues is a battle between dormant Xenomorphs and three Predator hunters, with Bishop Weyland and his time stuck in the middle. The movie focuses on Weyland as the founder of Weyland Industries, which later becomes the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. The movie isn’t that great and isn’t essential to the overarching plot, either and can be skipped entirely.

2. AVPR: Aliens vs Predator – Requiem (2007)

IMDb rating: 4.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 12% (Tomatometer) & 30% (Popcornmeter)
Runtime: 1h 34m
Where to Watch: Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video
In-universe year: N/A, Takes place immediately after AVP (2004)
Skip or Watch: Skip

Predator and Xenomorph in Alien vs Predator Requiem | Credit: 20th Century Studios

If you watched Alien vs. Predator (2004) and thought, “How can it be worse?” look no further. AVPR takes place right after AVP and brings back a lot of gore and bloody scenes. That said, you will be disappointed if you’re a fan of gore too. The entire movie is poorly lit, making the majority of the action scenes impossible to comprehend.

AVPR is by far the lowest-rated Predator or Alien movie and should be skipped entirely unless you’re a purist determined to tick off every film. The film adds nothing of value to the overarching Alien-Predator lore. That said, the next entry on this list tosses everything established by these two movies out of the window.

3. Prometheus (2012)

IMDb rating: 7 / 10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 73% (Tomatometer) & 68% (Popcornmeter)
Runtime: 2 h 4 m
Where to Watch: Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video
In-universe year: 2093
Skip or Watch: Watch

Elizabeth Shaw, Charlie Holloway and David in Prometheus | Credit: 20th Century Studios

Prometheus, directed by Ridley Scott, is the first film in the planned prequel trilogy to the Alien franchise. This movie takes place years before the first Alien film and gives us an in-depth look at how the Xenomorph came to be. Though without spoiling anything, the creature doesn’t really make an appearance in the movie.

Prometheus focuses on the creators of the Xenomorphs, known as the Engineers. The Weyland Corporation funds a trip to the distant moon LV-223, where they come face to face with the Engineers, the creators of humanity. This is chronologically the first film in the Alien Universe. Prometheus is the earliest film in the Alien universe, and in many ways, it renders the events of the two AVP movies irrelevant.

4. Alien: Covenant (2017)

IMDb rating: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 65% (Tomatometer) & 55% (Popcornmeter)
Runtime: 2h 2m
Where to Watch: Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video, Apple TV+
In-universe year: 2104
Skip or Watch: Watch

The very first appearance of the Xenomorph in the Alien franchise | Credit: 20th Century Studios

Alien: Covenant was originally supposed to be called Paradise, borrowing themes from John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Covenant continues to lay the foundation of Ridley Scott’s prequel trilogy. However, the movie shifts from the philosophical tone of its predecessor to focus on a monster-horror narrative instead of exploring more of the Engineers’ story.

The movie opened to mixed and negative reviews. Many viewers found the plot confusing since many of the character development and world-building scenes were removed to make room for more monster scenes. Plans for a third and final film in the prequel trilogy were ultimately shelved. While the film received mixed reactions, die-hard Alien fans laud it as an amazing take on the Alien franchise and still call for the trilogy’s completion.

5. Alien: Earth (2025)

IMDb rating: 8.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 93% (Tomatometer) & 81% (Popcornmeter)
Runtime: 1 Season/ 8 episodes
Where to Watch: Hulu, Disney+, FX
In-universe year: 2120
Skip or Watch: Watch

FX’s Alien: Earth is the brand-new addition to the Alien franchise. This is the first time that the story has been adapted into a TV format. Noah Hawley is the showrunner for this series, who is well known as the creator of the Fargo series. As of writing, the show is still ongoing with rumors of a second season already in development.

The story takes place two years before Alien (1979) as we follow Wendy and a group of soldiers who discover a space research vessel, USCSS Maginot, crash-landed on Earth. What follows is this ragtag group of soldiers going up against the “planet’s greatest threat”, a Xenomorph.

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6. Alien (1979)

IMDb rating: 8.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 93% (Tomatometer) & 94% (Popcornmeter)
Runtime: 1h 57m
Where to Watch: Hulu, Prime Video, Apple TV+
In-universe year: 2122
Skip or Watch: Watch

One of cinema's all time classic posters: The first ever Alien poster — One of cinema’s all-time classic posters: The first ever Alien poster | Credit: 20th Century Studios

Four movies in and we’re finally ready to watch the cultural phenomenon that was Ridley Scott’s first Alien movie. Alien (1979) is one of the most iconic horror films ever made and is an achievement in visual and practical effects. The film stands the test of time and is arguably the best film in the franchise, even after all these iterations.

The plot follows a crew of a spaceship called Nostromo who are awakened from their cryo sleep owing to a distress signal from an alien vessel. Everything that can go wrong goes wrong from here on out and is a delight to watch. Needless to say, Alien had a huge cultural influence and went on to inspire iconic films like The Thing (1982), Cloverfield (2008) and even games like Metroid and Halo.

7. Alien: Romulus (2024)

IMDb rating: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 80% (Tomatometer) & 85% (Popcornmeter)
Runtime: 1h 59m
Where to Watch: Hulu, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+
In-universe year: 2142
Skip or Watch: Watch

Alien: Romulus is the latest film in the Alien franchise. The film is directed by Fede Álvarez, who is known for directing Evil Dead (2013), Don’t Breathe and The Girl in the Spider’s Web. Romulus was the series treading back to its horror roots after Alien: Covenant’s poor performance at the box office.

The movie follows callbacks to iconic characters and even features a rather controversial appearance by a legacy character. However, despite all this, the movie can be enjoyed on its own without having to watch any of the other movies in the Alien watch order.

8. Aliens (1986)

IMDb rating: 8.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94% (Tomatometer) & 94% (Popcornmeter)
Runtime: 2h 17m
Where to Watch: Hulu, Apple TV+
In-universe year: 2179
Skip or Watch: Watch

Ripley with a gun in Aliens | Credit: 20th Century Studios

Many have made the argument that Alien should have ended with the first movie. The countless iterations that follow ruin the mystique of the first film. That argument, however, doesn’t apply here. Aliens, directed by the legendary director James Cameron, reinvented the franchise.

The first film was a slow-paced monster-horror. Aliens, on the other hand, upped the ante by making it a full-blown action spectacle. Cameron being Cameron didn’t just add one or two more Xenomorphs; he unleashed more than hundred Xenomorphs for Ripley and her crew to take out.

The plot focuses on Ripley from the first Alien film, who agrees to return to LV-426 with a squad of Colonial Marines, the moon where her crew encountered the first Xenomorph. Aliens is often hailed as the gold standard for genre-shifting sequels. While the first movie hardly had any weapons, this movie arms its characters to the teeth, which leads to a bloody massacre. This is one of Cameron’s best works to date and definitely shouldn’t be skipped.

9. Alien 3 (1992)

IMDb rating: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 44% (Tomatometer) & 46% (Popcornmeter)
Runtime: 1h 55m
Where to Watch: Hulu, Apple TV+, Prime Video
In-universe year: 2179
Skip or Watch: Skip

Xenomorph and Ripley in Alien 3 | Credit: 20th Century Studios

Alien 3, or Alien³, is technically canon to the Alien franchise. However, the film doesn’t add much to the overarching plot of the Xenomorphs except for advancing the plotline of Ripley. The movie is directed by David Fincher, another industry auteur, much like Cameron, helming the Alien franchise and adding his own charm to it.

While the Fincher horror elements are prevalent throughout the film, Alien 3 fails as a horror movie. That said, despite the movie’s negative reception, the ending sequence stands out. If you’re following this watch order for the Alien films, it delivers a fitting end to the franchise and Ripley’s saga. However, the next film on this list completely botches this moment and disregards that conclusion.

10. Alien: Resurrection (1997)

IMDb rating: 6.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 55% (Tomatometer) & 39% (Popcornmeter)
Runtime: 1h 49m
Where to Watch: Hulu, Prime Video
In-universe year: 2381
Skip or Watch: Skip

A different kind of Xenomorph in Alien Resurrection | Credit: 20th Century Studios

Alien: Resurrection takes place 200 years after Alien 3. Spoiler Alert: The movie brings back Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley as a clone to harvest the Xenomorph queen from her. From the very beginning, the movie disregards the ending of the last movie; Alien 3’s ending saw Ripley ceremoniously dying to save humanity from more Xenomorphs.

Resurrection follows the tradition of letting industry veteran directors helm the Alien Franchise. Alien: Resurrection is directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, a French director renowned for directing Amélie. That said, this film doesn’t feature any of Jean-Pierre’s charm. You won’t be missing anything if you skip this film.

Alien Movies Watch Order by Release Order

As is with any franchise, going by the release order is always the best way to watch anything. While the Alien watch order can be enjoyed chronologically, going by its release order will help you appreciate different elements. The evolution of visual and practical effects from 1979 up until 2025 is baffling, and this is something you will notice if you watch the films by their release order.

Alien – 1979
Aliens – 1986
Alien 3 – 1992
Alien: Resurrection – 1997
Alien vs. Predator (AVP) – 2004
AVPR: Aliens vs. Predator – Requiem – 2007
Prometheus – 2012
Alien: Covenant – 2017
Alien: Romulus – 2024
Alien: Earth (TV Series) – 2025

Will There Be More Alien Movies

Yes, more Alien movies are on the horizon. Ridley Scott has confirmed that he’s actively working on a new Alien movie separate from the recently released Alien: Romulus. That said, a potential sequel to Alien: Romulus is also under active discussion, with Fede Álvarez set to return.

Even the brand new Predator movie, Predator: Bandlands, seems to be gearing up for a new crossover with the Alien franchise. The plot will follow a Predator warrior named Dek, who will team up with a Weyland-Yutani synthetic named Thea.

As for the latest Alien: Earth TV series, the showrunner, Noah Hawley, has revealed that if the show is a success, he would love to continue the story forward. The future of the franchise looks brighter than ever and it sure seems that the watch order for Alien movies is about to get even more complex.