Alien watch order
Every film and series in the Alien saga, in release order.
11 entries·~24 hrs total runtime·1979–2025
The prequels explain things first seen in Alien; the Alien vs. Predator films are a separate crossover continuity.
Original Alien Series
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1
Alien
Movie117 min · 1979
Introduces Ellen Ripley and the Xenomorph.
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2
Aliens
Movie137 min · 1986
Set 57 years after Alien.
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3
Alien 3
Movie114 min · 1992
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4
Alien Resurrection
Movie109 min · 1997
Set about 200 years after Alien 3, following a clone of Ripley.
Alien vs. Predator Crossover Continuity
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5
Alien vs. Predator
Movie101 min · 2004
A separate crossover continuity, not connected to Prometheus.
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6
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Movie94 min · 2007
Alien Prequel Series
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7
Prometheus
Movie124 min · 2012
Set in 2093, exploring the Engineers.
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8
Alien: Covenant
Movie122 min · 2017
Set about 11 years after Prometheus.
Alien 40th Anniversary Shorts
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9
Alien: 40th Anniversary Short Films
Special6 shorts · 2019
Later Alien Stories
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10
Alien: Romulus
Movie119 min · 2024
Set between Alien and Aliens.
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11
Alien: Earth Season 1
TV Series8 episodes · 2025
Set in 2120, about two years before Alien.
How many Alien movies and shows are there?
7 films in the main continuity, 2 Alien vs. Predator crossover films, a collection of anniversary shorts, and 1 TV series — 11 entries in total.
Do I need to watch Prometheus before Alien?
Prometheus is set earlier, but Alien was released first and sets up the mysteries the prequels later explore.
What order should a first-timer watch Alien in?
Release order: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien Resurrection, Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, and Alien: Romulus.
Is Alien finished or still ongoing?
Still ongoing, following Alien: Romulus and Alien: Earth.
See also: Predator watch order, Cloverfield watch order.
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