Tron Watch Order Guide: Chronologically and by Release Order

Summary:

• Tron: Ares is the third movie in the Tron franchise, released after 15 years.
• There are three mainline Tron movies, but the franchise also has video games and TV series based on Tron.
• Here’s your Tron watch order guide, including movies, TV shows, and video games.

Tron: Ares is set to release in theaters on October 10, 2025. Ares will be the third entry in the Tron franchise, following the release of Tron: Legacy in 2010. Ares is directed by Joachim Rønning, who also directed the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie. So, if you’re planning to watch every Tron media before Tron: Ares releases in theaters, here’s the ultimate Tron watch order guide.

Tron Movies and TV Series in Chronological Watch Order

1. Tron (1982)

• IMDb rating: 6.7/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 73% (Tomatometer) and 69% (Popcornmeter)
• Runtime: 1h 36m
• Director: Steven Lisberger

Tron (1982) is the first film in the Tron watch order. This 80s film wasn’t appreciated at the time of its release, but aged like fine wine, leaving an enduring mark on pop culture. It revolutionized CGI and visual effects, directly influencing films like The Matrix. Former Pixar chief John Lasseter even stated once, “Without Tron, there would be no Toy Story.”

The plot focuses on Kevin Flynn, played by Jeff Bridges, a programmer trying to expose his former employer, ENCOM, for stealing his video game designs. However, while trying to access the system, Flynn is digitized into the Grid by the Master Control Program (MCP). Flynn is then introduced to the digital reality that is the Grid, being ruled by MCP. He then meets various characters, including the security program Tron.

2. Tron: Uprising (TV Series 2012–2013)

• IMDb rating: 8.2/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A (Tomatometer) and 95% (Popcornmeter)
• Runtime: 19 episodes
• Creators: Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, and Steven Lisberger

Tron: Uprising stands as one of the most overlooked yet best-reviewed entries in the Tron franchise. Disney XD aired the show as a prequel to Tron: Legacy. Polygon Pictures, the Japanese studio behind visually stunning projects like Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Transformers Prime, Love, Death and Robots (Volumes 3 and 4), and the newly released Marvel series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, animated the series.

The story focuses on Beck (Elijah Wood), a young program who is leading a revolution against CLU, the tyrannical leader of the Grid. The show gives us a deeper look into the lives of programs. Whether you’re a fan of Tron or not, Tron: Uprising delivers stunning animation paired with well-written characters and rich worldbuilding, all within just 19 episodes. Unfortunately, despite critical acclaim, the series was cancelled after its first season.

3. Tron: Legacy (2010)

• IMDb rating: 6.8/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 51% (Tomatometer) and 64% (Popcornmeter)
• Runtime: 2h 5m
• Director: Joseph Kosinski

The original Tron movie was a commercial flop. However, as years passed, the movie gained a cult following, prompting Disney to start work on a sequel in 2005. Joseph Kosinski was brought in as director, who would go on to direct other groundbreaking movies like F1 and Top Gun: Maverick. Tron: Legacy got an Academy Award for Sound Editing and a Grammy for the legendary score by Daft Punk.

Released almost 30 years after the first movie, Tron: Legacy focuses on Sam Flynn, Kevin Flynn’s son. After following a signal, Sam is led to Flynn’s Arcade. He is then pulled into the Grid, where he finds out that his father has been trapped in the system for 20 years. Sam must then face CLU, the evil doppelgänger of Kevin Flynn and tyrannical ruler of the Grid.

4. Tron: Ares (2025)

• IMDb rating: N/A/10
• Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A (Tomatometer) and N/A (Popcornmeter)
• Runtime: 1h 59m
• Director: Joachim Rønning

Tron: Ares will serve as a sequel-cum-soft reboot to Tron: Legacy. The movie follows Ares (Jared Leto), a sophisticated program sent from the digital world to the real world to make first contact with human beings. “It’s really a first-encounter film, more than anything else, and it’s not in outer space. But it’s from inside this machine, and we created it,” producer Justin Springer stated in a conversation with Geeky Tyrant.

Tron: Ares will star Evan Peters as Julian Dillinger, the grandson of Ed Dillinger, who wants to bring out programs from the Grid to the real world to create an army of soldiers. Jeff Bridges will reprise his role as Kevin Flynn from the original Tron movies.

Tron Movies and TV Shows in Release Order

While the chronological order works better for Tron, you can always watch the franchise in the release order, the way it came out for audiences. Here’s the order:

• Tron (1982)
• Tron: Evolution (2010)
• Tron: Legacy (2010)
• Tron: The Next Day (2011)
• Tron: Uprising (2012-2013)
• Tron: Identity (2023)
• Tron: Catalyst (2025)
• Tron: Ares (2025)

Are the Tron Games Canon

Tron (1982 arcade game), Tron: Evolution (2010), Tron: Identity (2023), and Tron: Catalyst (2025) are canon to the main Tron timeline. While the 1982 game doesn’t have many plot details, it is treated as a piece of Tron history and is canon to the overarching plot.

Evolution, on the other hand, acts as a prequel to Tron: Legacy and gives us a look at how CLU seized control of the Grid. Tron: Identity takes place in a new grid thousands of grid years after the events of Tron: Legacy. Tron: Catalyst is a sequel to Identity and continues the story with a new protagonist.

Note: Other Tron games like Adventures of Tron (1982), Discs of Tron (1983 arcade game), Tron 2.0 (2003), and Tron RUN/r (2016) don’t feature a story and are therefore not canon.

Where to Watch Tron Movies and TV Shows

All Tron movies and TV shows are available to stream on Disney+. The 10-minute short film, Tron: The Next Day, is available on YouTube. Since Tron: Ares is produced by Disney, it will be available to stream on Disney+ too once it’s out of theaters.