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The Definitive Chronological Order Of All 9 Alien Movies (Including The 2024 Blockbuster And 2025 Series)

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For decades, the Alien franchise has been the gold standard for sci-fi horror, but its sprawling timeline—spanning prequels, sequels, and interquels—is notoriously confusing. With the release of Alien: Romulus in August 2024 and the highly anticipated *Alien: Earth* TV series set for 2025, understanding the true chronological order is more crucial than ever to grasp the full terror of the Xenomorph's origins and its war with humanity.

This is the definitive guide to watching every core film in the Alien saga in the correct chronological story order, allowing you to follow the terrifying evolution of the Xenomorph and the dark ambitions of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation from the very beginning. We will also cover the non-canonical Alien vs. Predator timeline and the newest projects that are expanding the lore.

The Canonical Alien Saga: Chronological Viewing Order

The main Alien saga consists of seven films and is set to be expanded by a major television series. This order follows the events of the story, starting with the origins of the Engineers and the deadly path of the synthetic David 8.

1. Prometheus (2012)

Release Date: June 8, 2012
Director: Ridley Scott
Main Cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron

This film serves as the first true prequel to the original 1979 classic. It follows the crew of the scientific vessel Prometheus on a mission funded by Peter Weyland to a distant moon, LV-223, in search of the Engineers, the ancient species believed to be humanity's creators. The expedition quickly uncovers a deadly biological weapon—the black goo—and the earliest stages of the Xenomorph’s evolutionary path, setting the stage for all future horrors.

2. Alien: Covenant (2017)

Release Date: May 19, 2017
Director: Ridley Scott
Main Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup

A direct sequel to Prometheus, this film follows the colony ship Covenant as it intercepts a signal from a seemingly unmapped paradise planet. They discover the synthetic David 8, the sole survivor of the Prometheus mission, who has been conducting horrific experiments to perfect the deadly organism. This chapter provides a clear link between the black goo and the birth of the classic Xenomorph, solidifying David’s role as its creator.

3. Alien (1979)

Release Date: May 25, 1979
Director: Ridley Scott
Main Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt

The original masterpiece of space horror introduces Lieutenant Ellen Ripley and the crew of the commercial towing vessel Nostromo. After investigating a distress signal on the planetoid LV-426, the crew encounters a Facehugger, leading to the terrifying birth of the first mature Xenomorph. The film is a masterclass in claustrophobic terror and is the first chapter of Ripley's long, traumatic battle for survival against the ultimate biological weapon.

4. Alien: Romulus (2024)

Release Date: August 16, 2024
Director: Fede Álvarez
Main Cast: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux

The newest installment in the franchise is an "interquel," set chronologically between the events of Alien and Aliens. The story follows a group of young scavengers aboard a derelict space station who stumble upon a horrifying secret—a Xenomorph hive. The film is a return to the franchise's roots of pure, visceral horror, showing that the threat of the Xenomorph was already spreading through the galaxy before Ripley's return.

5. Aliens (1986)

Release Date: July 18, 1986
Director: James Cameron
Main Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton

Ripley is rescued after 57 years in stasis following the destruction of the Nostromo. She is forced to return to LV-426, now colonized, with a squad of Colonial Marines after all contact is lost. Shifting from horror to action-thriller, this sequel introduces the concept of the Alien Queen and the full scale of the Xenomorph threat, solidifying Ripley as an iconic action hero.

6. Alien 3 (1992)

Release Date: May 22, 1992
Director: David Fincher
Main Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance

The film begins immediately after *Aliens*, with Ripley’s escape pod crashing on Fiorina "Fury" 161, a desolate maximum-security penal colony. She is the sole survivor, but a Xenomorph organism has also made it to the planet. This dark, atmospheric chapter sees Ripley battling the creature without the aid of modern weaponry, culminating in a tragic, self-sacrificial ending to prevent the Weyland-Yutani Corporation from weaponizing the Alien.

7. Alien Resurrection (1997)

Release Date: November 26, 1997
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Main Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman

Set 200 years after Ripley’s death, the United Systems Military (USM) successfully clones Ripley (known as Ripley 8) to extract the Alien Queen embryo growing inside her. The experiments go wrong, and the cloned Ripley—now possessing enhanced strength and a unique bond with the Aliens—must team up with a group of mercenaries to escape the USM Auriga before the Xenomorphs reach Earth.

The Non-Canonical & Controversial Timeline: Alien vs. Predator

While the Alien vs. Predator (AVP) films are not officially part of the main Alien saga, they exist as a separate continuity that ties the Xenomorphs to the intergalactic hunters, the Predators. They are set on Earth in the near past, long before the events of Prometheus.

  • Alien vs. Predator (2004): Set in 2004, this film sees a team of archaeologists and mercenaries discover a buried Predator pyramid in Antarctica that serves as a hunting ground where Predators battle Xenomorphs.
  • Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007): This sequel picks up immediately after the first film, with a hybrid Predalien creature crashing in a small Colorado town, leading to a brutal, localized Xenomorph outbreak.

For a purist's view, you can completely skip these two films. However, for a complete picture of the expanded universe, they offer a fun, action-packed detour into the lore.

The Future of the Franchise: Upcoming Alien Projects (2025)

The Alien saga continues to expand beyond the big screen, focusing on the terrifying consequences of the Xenomorph reaching humanity's home world.

Alien: Earth (FX/Hulu TV Series)

Set to premiere in August 2025, the Alien: Earth TV series is one of the most anticipated science fiction projects in years. The series, created by Noah Hawley (known for *Fargo*), is set in a near-future Earth setting, exploring a world where humans are no longer at the top of the food chain. Early plot synopses suggest the story follows a young woman and a ragtag crew after a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, bringing the terrifying threat of the Xenomorph home.

Alien: Romulus Sequel

Following the success of the 2024 film, a sequel to Alien: Romulus is already officially in development, promising to continue the story of the new characters and further bridge the gap between *Alien* and *Aliens*.

The Ellen Ripley Saga: A Complete Character Profile

The heart of the original Alien franchise is Lieutenant Ellen Ripley, played by the iconic Sigourney Weaver. Her journey is the central narrative thread connecting the first four films, making her one of the most important figures in cinematic history.

  • Alien (1979): Her first encounter, where she is the sole survivor of the Nostromo.
  • Aliens (1986): Her return to LV-426 as a protector, establishing her maternal bond with Newt and her rivalry with the Alien Queen.
  • Alien 3 (1992): Her self-sacrifice on Fury 161 to destroy the Alien Queen embryo inside her, preventing Weyland-Yutani from obtaining the creature.
  • Alien Resurrection (1997): Her rebirth as a human/Alien hybrid clone (Ripley 8), 200 years after her death, forcing her to once again lead the fight against the creatures.

Understanding the chronological timeline allows viewers to fully appreciate the horrific journey of Ripley and the evolution of the Xenomorph from a single, stealthy hunter in Ridley Scott's original film to the hive-based, industrialized threat of James Cameron's sequel and beyond.

The Definitive Chronological Order of All 9 Alien Movies (Including the 2024 Blockbuster and 2025 Series)
all alien movies in order
all alien movies in order

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