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The Ultimate Chronological Guide: How To Watch All Alien Movies In Order (Including The New 2024 Film)

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The Alien franchise is one of the most iconic and complex timelines in science fiction horror, spanning hundreds of years and featuring two distinct viewing orders: release date and in-universe chronology. As of December 2025, the timeline is not only expanding but also being redefined with the upcoming theatrical release of a new film and a highly anticipated television series, making now the perfect time to revisit the terrifying journey of the Xenomorph and its victims.

For fans looking to dive into the deep lore of the Engineers, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, and Ellen Ripley's harrowing saga, understanding the chronological flow is essential. This guide provides the definitive, up-to-date watch order, incorporating the prequels, the main quadrilogy, and the newest projects to give you the freshest, most terrifying marathon experience possible.

The Definitive Chronological Alien Timeline (The In-Universe Order)

Watching the Alien movies in chronological order offers a deeper understanding of the Xenomorph's origins and the sinister machinations of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. This timeline weaves together the prequel films, which explore the creation of the deadly organism, with the classic films that follow the struggle of Ellen Ripley. This list includes all seven main films and the two major upcoming projects, ordered by the events within the fictional universe.

  • The Earliest Event: Noah Hawley's Alien: Earth TV Series (Upcoming)

    Timeline Placement: Approximately two years before the 1979 film, set on Earth.
    Status: Currently in development (as of late 2025).
    Key Detail: This FX series, helmed by creator Noah Hawley, is the first story in the main canon to be set on Earth and will explore the rise of the Xenomorph threat before the events of the original movie.

  • 1. Prometheus (2012)

    Director: Ridley Scott
    Main Cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba
    Plot: A team of scientists, including Elizabeth Shaw and the synthetic David, follows ancient star maps to a distant moon, LV-223, in search of humanity’s creators, the "Engineers." They discover a biological weapon that serves as the precursor to the Xenomorph.

  • 2. Alien: Covenant (2017)

    Director: Ridley Scott
    Main Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup
    Plot: The colony ship Covenant intercepts a distress signal leading them to a paradise planet inhabited only by the synthetic David. The film details David's role in weaponizing the black goo from Prometheus, effectively creating the Xenomorph we know today.

  • 3. Alien: Romulus (2024)

    Director: Fede Álvarez
    Main Cast: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux
    Plot: Set between the events of Alien and Aliens, this film follows a group of young space scavengers who encounter the terrifying Xenomorph on a derelict space station. It is a standalone story that bridges the gap between the two classic films.
    Release Date: Theatrically released on August 16, 2024.

  • 4. Alien (1979)

    Director: Ridley Scott
    Main Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright
    Plot: The crew of the commercial towing spaceship Nostromo investigates a mysterious signal on planet LV-426, leading to the first encounter with the Chestburster and the fully-grown Xenomorph. This film introduces Ellen Ripley, the franchise's iconic survivor.

  • 5. Aliens (1986)

    Director: James Cameron
    Main Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton
    Plot: Ripley is rescued after 57 years in stasis and returns to LV-426, now a colonized planet, with a squad of Colonial Marines to investigate the silence of the colony. The action-packed sequel introduces the concept of the Alien Queen and the hive.

  • 6. Alien 3 (1992)

    Director: David Fincher
    Main Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance
    Plot: Ripley crash-lands on Fiorina "Fury" 161, a desolate maximum-security prison. She must contend with a single, fast-moving Xenomorph, which is unique due to its host, while grappling with the fact that she is carrying an Alien Queen embryo.

  • 7. Alien: Resurrection (1997)

    Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
    Main Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman
    Plot: Set 200 years after Ripley's death, military scientists aboard the USM Auriga clone Ripley from DNA samples to extract the Alien Queen embryo inside her. The resulting clone, Ripley 8, possesses enhanced strength and an alien/human hybrid nature.

The Complete Alien Franchise by Release Date

For purists or first-time viewers who prefer the original viewing experience, the release order is the simplest way to watch. This order provides the films as they were intended to be seen, with the mystery of the Xenomorph unfolding over time before the prequels retconned its origin story. The release order also includes the controversial Alien vs. Predator spin-off films, which are considered non-canon to the main Alien/Ripley storyline.

  1. Alien (1979)
  2. Aliens (1986)
  3. Alien 3 (1992)
  4. Alien: Resurrection (1997)
  5. Alien vs. Predator (2004)

    Key Detail: This crossover pits the Xenomorph against the Predator species, establishing that the Predators use the Aliens as a rite of passage hunt. It is set in the year 2004, making it chronologically the earliest event in the expanded universe timeline.

  6. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

    Key Detail: A direct sequel to the 2004 film, this movie features a 'Predalien' hybrid creature and brings the conflict to a small American town, further distancing it from the core Weyland-Yutani narrative.

  7. Prometheus (2012)
  8. Alien: Covenant (2017)
  9. Alien: Romulus (2024)

Why the Chronological Order is Now the Best Viewing Experience

While the release order is classic, the chronological order is increasingly becoming the preferred method for a modern marathon, especially with the latest additions to the canon. The chronological timeline provides crucial context that enriches the original films.

The Prequels: Understanding the Xenomorph's Creation

The prequels, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, serve as the foundation of the modern mythology. They shift the focus from a simple "monster in space" horror to a complex story about creation, hubris, and corporate greed. Watching these first allows you to understand the Engineers, the black goo mutagen, and the synthetic David's disturbing role in engineering the perfect organism, the Xenomorph.

  • The Engineer Entity: The Engineers are a key entity introduced in Prometheus, revealed as the creators of both humanity and the black goo. Their existence adds a cosmic horror element to the franchise.
  • David's Dark Intent: Michael Fassbender's synthetic character, David, becomes the ultimate villain, driving the evolution of the Xenomorph and creating the Facehugger eggs seen in the original Alien.

Bridging the Gap: Alien: Romulus and the TV Series

The newest projects are specifically designed to fill in the timeline gaps, making the chronological order more cohesive than ever before. Alien: Romulus, set between Alien and Aliens, answers the unspoken question of what happened in the decades between Ripley's first encounter and her return with the Colonial Marines.

The upcoming Noah Hawley series, *Alien: Earth*, is arguably the most significant new entity for the timeline. By setting the story on Earth just two years before the Nostromo's fateful journey, it provides the first canonical look at the Xenomorph threat in a populated, terrestrial setting. This makes the series the true chronological starting point for the terror on Earth, directly preceding the events that led to Ripley's first encounter.

The Discarded AvP Timeline

Although the Alien vs. Predator films are included in the release order, they are generally disregarded by the main canon established by Ridley Scott's prequels. The AvP films are set in the early 21st century, whereas the main Alien films begin in 2122. The new chronological timeline effectively ignores these crossover events, allowing the core narrative of Ripley and the Weyland-Yutani conspiracy to remain intact and focused.

Ultimately, whether you choose the classic release order or the lore-driven chronological order, the Alien franchise remains a masterclass in science fiction horror. With the newest additions like Alien: Romulus and the promise of the *Alien: Earth* series, the terrifying saga of the Xenomorph is far from over, offering fresh scares and deeper lore for both veteran fans and newcomers.

The Ultimate Chronological Guide: How to Watch All Alien Movies In Order (Including the New 2024 Film)
aliens movies in order
aliens movies in order

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