Release OrderRecommended
0 / 7 watchedThe order the films came out. Newcomers should start here. The prequels assume you know what a xenomorph is.
Original era
- 1 Alien
- 2 Aliens Set 57 years after Alien. Ripley returns with colonial marines.
- 3 Alien 3
- 4 Alien: Resurrection Set two centuries after Alien 3. Cloning brings Ripley back.
Prequels
- 5 Prometheus Prequel about the Engineers, set decades before Alien.
- 6 Alien: Covenant Sequel to Prometheus, set in 2104. Continues David's story.
Standalone sequel
- 7 Alien: Romulus Latest released film. Standalone story set between Alien and Aliens. Released August 16, 2024.
Chronological Order
0 / 7 watchedThe in-universe timeline, from the Prometheus expedition to cloning-era Resurrection. Better as a rewatch.
Prequel era
- 1 Prometheus
- 2 Alien: Covenant
The Ripley years
- 3 Alien
- 4 Alien: Romulus No Ripley. A young crew scavenges a derelict station in 2142.
- 5 Aliens
- 6 Alien 3
Far future
- 7 Alien: Resurrection Two centuries later. The furthest point in the timeline.
About Alien
Seven Alien films run from Ridley Scott's 1979 haunted-house horror to Fede Alvarez's Romulus (2024). Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley anchors the first four, Scott's two prequels rewind to the creature's origins, and Romulus slots a new young crew between the first two films.
Chronological order and release order genuinely differ here, since Prometheus (2012) and Covenant (2017) are prequels. Start with release order. The prequels assume you already fear the xenomorph.
Good to know
The Alien vs. Predator crossovers (2004, 2007) are excluded. They sit in their own crossover continuity and are not needed to follow any of the seven films.
Alien: Earth, the FX series that premiered August 12, 2025 and is set in 2120, is also excluded. This is a films-only guide. A Romulus sequel has a finished script (September 2025) with Alvarez producing alongside Ridley Scott while a new director is found, but it has no title or date.
